Rating: 
Summary: 10-Ring
Review: As a 21-year officer, I can assure you Mr. Klinger scores a bull's-eye with his book. He was able to capture the true feelings and atmosphere surrounding this sensitive issue. Unlike inaccurate depictions in the movies and reports in the media, these accounts come from real-life cops, in real-life-and-death situations, in their own words, from their true feelings.If you want to get an accurate picture of the weight of this responsibility, turn off the remote, put down the paper, and read this book.
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Summary: Exploring Police Use of Force
Review: As a former corrections officer, and assistant professor who teaches Criminal Justice classes, I strongly recommend this book for those persons interested in the police and police-citizen interactions. Klinger uses interviews with 80 officers who have used deadly force -- and the results from these interviews shed considerable insight into the officer's split second decision-making -- in their own words. This book is very well written, and gives the reader considerable insight into perceptions of officers who have been involved in shootings - before, during and after the event. More than an academic work, this book will be of interest to persons interested in the police, police-citizen encounters, and the complex psychological factors that occur when police use deadly force. Highly recommended -- this is the type of book that you won't be able to put down.
Rating:
Summary: A rich contribution to the literature on deadly force
Review: As a former police officer I have often found the readings on police use of deadly force to be clinical and detached. Working primarily with shooting statistics, formal policies, and legal doctrine, these readings usually fail to capture the uncertain and ambiguous conditions in which officers make deadly force decisions. The result is that the reader is left with the false impression that officer decision-making unfolds in an environment where the facts are clearly known and it is simply a matter of doing the right thing. Klinger, however, bridges this gap by drawing on a storytelling approach to research and writing. He introduces each chapter with background information on the related policing and deadly force topics, and then relays the officers' stories on these issues in their own words to give the reader a contextually rich understanding of what these individuals experience. The result is that the reader has a stronger grasp of the situations officers confront, and how the officers perceive both the incident and the period that follows. The book is an interesting read for the law enforcement community, and is also highly relevant for citizens, legal scholars, and political officials who have an interest in policing, whether from a critical or supportive perspective.
Rating:
Summary: David Kilinger's Written a Master Piece
Review: Being a cop in centralWashington State I was involved in a shooting last October. The experinces I had during the shooting seemed almost sureal due to exposure to extreme acute stress. Klingers book affirmed for me that I was not alone. The accounts from other cops involved in shootings gave me a sense of relief. This was theraputic. This book is a must read for every cop and their family members, if they've been in a shooting or not. One of my field training officers once told me that police work is "hours of boredom spiked by seconds of absolute terror." Into the Kill Zone goes to the heart of the terror. The book also offers hope to those that have been involved in shooting. Every cop, including myself, that went into the kill zone has gone on to realize what is really important in life. Family, friends, God and life. I implore everyone, cop or not, to read this book. It will give everyone an appreciation for those that serve in a profession that is life threatening everyday we put on a uniform.
Rating:
Summary: Just try to put this book down!
Review: Compelling stories with deep insights: when threatened get aggressive (and unholster) to increase chances of survival, minimize your chances of being surprised to maximize chances of survival, trust the physiological changes (hyper visual acuity, time dilation, diminished hearing, etc.)if just one bad guy but recognize vulnerabilities (tunnel vision, diminished hearing, etc.) when dealing with multiple threats, etc. Know this stuff! Even though the speakers are all cops, the book also reveals much about the nature of people under extreme stress. Sure to change your view of cops and people in general. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Whoah. This book is GOOD.
Review: From the very first sentences of this book: "Edward Randolph was twenty-six years old when I killed him. I was twenty-three" to the last paragraph, this is a non-stop action ride through the kill zone. It's the kind of book you can pick up and start reading in the middle (It's basically a collection of cops telling stories about shootings they were involved in; what they were doing, how it went down, what it was like for them afterwards) and be pretty sure you're going to elevate your pulse by the time you're done. If you want to know what it's like to be in a dark alley at 2 in the morning with a punk aiming a shotgun at your head-- or if you want to know what it's like to have to live with the consequences of shooting a 13 year old kid holding a water pistol, buy this book. It's the next best thing to sitting in a coffee shop at 3 in the morning and listening to the cops tell the stories themselves. If you like true crime, or action and suspense novels, try kill zone-- it's the real deal.
Rating:
Summary: Life and death decided in the blink of an eye
Review: I grabbed a copy of KILL ZONE after Malcolm Gladwell described it as "fascinating" and "extraordinary" in his new book BLINK. KILL ZONE does not disappoint. In fact, it is a wonderful read, taking the reader inside the hearts and minds of our nation's police officers in a way I've never seen before. KILL ZONE presents the stories of dozens of cops who have shot suspects in the line of duty and lived to tell about it. In five lucid chapters, it covers 1) why men and women become cops, 2) the training young officers receive about making the ultimate decision that Gladwell focused on in the last chapter of BLINK, 3) how cops manage to avoid pulling the trigger when they have justification to do so (some incredibly scary stuff), 4) gunfights (the stories of officers' perceptions during shootings, as Gladwell touched on in BLINK, are quite amazing), and 5) how officers live with the knowledge that they have shot someone. I was particularly taken by the story of a young female officer who killed a carjacker after he shot her through the heart, staved off death by the sheer force of her will, and then went back to work to keep protecting her community. In all, KILL ZONE offers a compelling portrait of how America's cops deal with the awesome power they have over life and death. Like I said in my review of BLINK, anyone who wants to learn more about decision making under extreme pressure and the intriguing topic of police shootings should do what I did and read Klinger's KILL ZONE
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Summary: The Power of A Good Story, the Authenticity of the Truth
Review: I ran across this book in my local bookstore and bought it primarily for research. I was soon captivated by the author's ability to step aside from the subjects of his research and let them tell their own stories in their own ways. The book is broken down into 5 main stages any officer involved in a shooting will go through: before you become an officer, basic training, instances when you could have shot but didn't, the shooting incident itself, and the aftermath (including investigation and responses). In each case, the officers speak for themselves. The ring of authenticity is unmistakable. I commend Klinger for resisting the impulse to "clean up" the accounts to make them fit some preconceived assumptions about what an officer "should" be thinking, experiencing, or remembering. The book also gives information on how to access Kinger's complete final report (the academic exercise behind the stunning testimonies) on the Internet. This is a profound introduction for a general reader and a powerful affirmation of officer integrity for those with a special interest in the subject, especially for those who are or know officers themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: Eye Opening
Review: I thought the best way to begin this review is to start by stating what "Into the Kill Zone" is not. This book isn't:
1.) A graphic description of police shootings
2.) A psycho-social monograph on police officers who have shot people
This isn't to say that there aren't elements of both of the aforementioned items contained within the book; however, those expecting copious amounts of blood and gore should look elsewhere while those dreading a dry, academic treatise should read on.
David Klinger is a Sociologist who teaches criminology at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. His qualifications to write on the topic of deadly force are unique and extend beyond his CV. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Klinger was a policeman. On July 25, 1981, just 4 months out of the Los Angeles Police Academy, 23 year old David Klinger was forced to shoot and kill a man who was attacking his partner with a butcher's knife. As might be expected, the shooting shocked the author and ultimately changed his career path. After another 3 years of police work, Mr. Klinger quit the force and entered graduate school. Eventually he earned his Ph.D. and in time, got a grant from the United States Department of Justice to study the impact of shootings on officers. The present book draws on the that research.
Each of the 5 chapters of "Into the Kill Zone" consist of stories told in the officers own words. Additionally, the chapters all deal with deadly force in some way. Chapter 1 concerns how the officers came to choose a career in law enforcement and their thoughts on the prospect of using
deadly force prior to joining the police force. Chapter 2 is about basic training and how it affected their attitudes vis-a-vis deadly force. Chapter 3 covers instances where officers held their fire even though shooting would have been legally acceptable. The 4th and longest chapter deals with the actual shootings. The final chapter attempts to demonstrate what occurs after shootings and how the shootings affect the police officers involved.
I think this book does an admirable job of giving one insight into the often thankless and always dangerous task of policing a free society. Dr. Klinger gives us the interviewees stories in a relatively unvarnished manner without interjecting too much of himself. The analysis that he does provide occurs largely in the introduction, the beginning and end of chapters and the epilogue. "Into the Kill Zone" is not intended to probe the causes of crime, explore police brutality or investigate social strife from a criminological perspective. Instead, Dr. Klinger wants to give us at least a glimpse into the world of those tasked with serving society by carrying weapons. This glimpse is sorely needed and ably executed.
Rating:
Summary: A must read.......
Review: Into The Kill Zone was a wonderfully, powerfully written account of Police Officers experiences before, during and after the application of deadly force use. I spent 2 years as a Marine in Viet Nam. I spent my entire career as a firefighter and got to know and respect many police officers over my 29 years in public service. I wish I had the opportunity to read this years ago so I could have better understood what my Police Officer friends were and, most likely, still are experiencing in the wake of events like Dave writes about in his book. Trust me, this is a must read book. Thank you Dave Klinger.
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