Boot: An L.A.P.D. Officer's Rookie Year

Rating:
Summary: an excellent view of the LAPD by one of its own
Review: I thought this book was an excellent inside view of the LAPD written by one of it's police officers. It gives a look into the rookie year of an Officer and the daily atrocities he is exposed to, the drugs, death and gangs that plauge Los Angeles. I highly reccomend it.

Rating:
Summary: A picky police officer gives it two thumbs up
Review: I was skeptical, I am of most law enforcement related books that I read. Mr. Dunn, as you will see, has a very thoughtful and easy to understand approach to explaining something that no book will ever really accomplish. If you are interested in this as a career, buy it, it'll give you a clue and its worth your time. If you are already in the profession, buy it, you will learn something, and its worth your time. (you also wont be disappointed, trust me!)

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Summary: Thanks to all for the kind comments about BOOT.
Review: I worked hard to bring an unbiased, truthful narrative as to what it is like to go from citizen to cop. By the comments I have recieved, I feel I did the job. I will have another book out soon. It will detail what it is like to work one of LAPD's anti-gang units (known as CRASH.) I worked 14 months with an excellant unit on the west side of Los Angeles, and it is my hope in this next book to explain what is really happening with some of our inner city youth today. The media glorifies gang life, and this leads to an incredible misunderstanding among both citizens and politicians as to what the root causes are which lead our inner city youth to gangs. I also make suggestions as to how the street cop can deal with the gangsters they come in contact with. My roll in my CRASH unit was as a training officer. If a new guy came to the unit, he rode with me. We had a 46.3% drop in gang crime during my 1997/98 tenure, so I do feel my suggestions come with some hard practical knowledge and real experience. So if you liked BOOT, look for my next one on the shelves soon.

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Summary: The Bomb! ! !
Review: If your thinking about joining the force, you "must" read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting look at the 'hood from the other side.
Review: It's always interesting to see the darker side of your neighborhood. I've lived in the north end of Southwest area for eleven years, and recognize many of the place and a few of the events. Officer Dunn's diary of his boot year was engaging and exciting, and his writing style concise. It's an easy and engrossing read. I'm glad he chose to be one of LA's finest, and hope he rotates through Southwest again. I also hope he's taking notes at his new assignment for his second book. And BTW amazon - change the title to "LAPD" from "Lapd."

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Summary: Integrity, humanity, and guts
Review: Officer Dunn gives us a stunning look at what it's like being a rookie officer in South Central. A man who genuinely loves his job and chose it for all the right reasons. A fascinating read and look at South Central's culture of crime- and what it felt like being an officer during the Rodney King trial and the riots. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: BOOT: a magnificent eye-opener
Review: Officer Dunn's tale of brutal reality on the streets of Los Angeles not only enlightened me, it also bolstered my decision to join the LAPD. This book is required reading for aspiring police officers, especially for those seeking a career with the LAPD or other big-city departments. Dunn's book is exceptionally well written. His narration contains a perfect balance between humor and seriousness as he explains the almost unexplainable actuality of routine street crime. Had I not read BOOT, my perception of police work would have remained incomplete and inaccurate. This book will undoubtably enlighten any reader! I recommend William Dunn's BOOT with the highest regard and I sincerely thank the author for assisting me with my decision to join the LAPD.

Rating:
Summary: BOOT: a magnificent eye-opener
Review: Officer Dunn's tale of brutal reality on the streets of Los Angeles not only enlightened me, it also bolstered my decision to join the LAPD. This book is required reading for aspiring police officers, especially for those seeking a career with the LAPD or other big-city departments. Dunn's book is exceptionally well written. His narration contains a perfect balance between humor and seriousness as he explains the almost unexplainable actuality of routine street crime. Had I not read BOOT, my perception of police work would have remained incomplete and inaccurate. This book will undoubtably enlighten any reader! I recommend William Dunn's BOOT with the highest regard and I sincerely thank the author for assisting me with my decision to join the LAPD.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but lacking in depth and style
Review: This book has a lot of potential to be interesting, but in the end, it falls short. This book is decent, a very quick read, and at times it does a very good job of capturing the reader's interest.

The major problems I had with this book were the two I mentioned in the title of this review, namely a lack of depth and style. All of the author's stories seem to stop just when they're about to get interesting. Furthermore, Dunn doesn't write with enough detail or style to effectively convey the intensity and feeling of any of these situations to the reader. While I am sure Dunn is an excellent police officer, he is obviously not a professional writer. Overall, this is an okay book, but that's about it.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent look into the rookie year of a police officer.
Review: This is an excellent look into the thoughts, emotions, and feelings that a rookie officer is going through in the first year as a police officer. It will give the reader an excellent idea of what it will be like, more or less as department standards vary, as a police officer. It walks the reader through 10 deployment periods and how it is each step of the way from beginner to a more experienced officer. I highly recommend it to anybody interested in a career in law enforcement.