Armed and Dangerous : Memoirs of a Chicago Policewoman

Rating:
Summary: Blue dreams, black despair, red hot!
Review: Listen carefully. That roar of approval you hear will echo around the world, anywhere that books are sold and badges are worn. Gallo's book will be hearalded as fanfare for the common cop. If you want to shatter the television myths of cop life read this book!!

Rating:
Summary: Wambaugh in the midwest
Review: Ms. Gallo has captured the art of telling cop stories as only one who has been there can. She manages to place you at the scene without the self-serving macho attitude that seems to come with most police officers who write books. She provides a glimpse at inner city policing that is both stark and compelling. This book is a must read for any young woman looking at a career in uniform patrol work.

Rating:
Summary: Made me Cry
Review: Reading your book made me laugh, remember and even cry Gina. Thanks for all the memories that have been put somehwere in the back until now. Hope someday to meet you and buy you a beer and give you a big hug. From a broken down old retired insane fish. Gina...you da best!

Rating:
Summary: By Gina Gallo - with no one else.
Review: Riveting, disquieting, amazingly well written. I had to check the cover a couple of times to make sure it wasn't written "with Joe Shcmow." Ms. Gallo names names and leaves out no details about how she managed to function, survive, succeed, and retain personal dignity within a most wretched hive of scum and villany.

Rating:
Summary: Very engrossing in the land of gross and decadence
Review: The stories read like fiction, life imitating art. Gina Gallo captures fact and spins a very visual account of the trials and experiences of being a cop, a woman cop. It seemed that as I was reading her memoirs, every question I had of what a woman would think in this situation and that, she answered without making this book overly drawn from the struggles of being female. She was a cop who offers up an intelligent and articulate story that demystifies cop land but leaves me thinking that most jobs good or bad feel disconnected to life and one's community. I have a greater appreciation for the scope of human behavior, both inside and out of the PD.

Rating:
Summary: Very engrossing in the land of gross and decadence
Review: The stories read like fiction, life imitating art. Gina Gallo captures fact and spins a very visual account of the trials and experiences of being a cop, a woman cop. It seemed that as I was reading her memoirs, every question I had of what a woman would think in this situation and that, she answered without making this book overly drawn from the struggles of being female. She was a cop who offers up an intelligent and articulate story that demystifies cop land but leaves me thinking that most jobs good or bad feel disconnected to life and one's community. I have a greater appreciation for the scope of human behavior, both inside and out of the PD.

Rating:
Summary: Learn the truth about the C.P.D.
Review: This book is the most realistic account of policing in Chicago that I've ever read. I'm a Chicago Police Officer and can attest to the authenticity of the descriptions contained in this book. Gallo doesn't sugar-coat anything--she describes the Academy like it was, uses language true to policing, and hits it on the head with her definition of "game face". Mostly though, she nails the descriptions of the bosses--from the superintendent through the street sergeant--right on the head. It's exactly what the "real police" think, but can't say, because they would be buried in the Duece on midnights if they did. Thanks, Gina. I hope all the bosses read it and cringe when they recognize themselves! I know I can put names to many current and former P.O.'s from your vivid descriptions. Nice to see the deserving squirm a bit. Assuming they have the conscience to do even that much!

Rating:
Summary: A Disturbing Look at Society
Review: This was an interesting book, however I would have liked to see a little more of the positive side of being a policewoman. There had to be something positive about the job, or she wouldn't have been a policewoman for so many years.
Having a policeman for a friend, I did appreciate some of the insights into how they may feel different from "civilians".
It's a very sad tale of how many people live and how instead of the police being encouraged become discouraged.
I struggled with how to rate this book, because it's discouraging and haunting, with no upside I wanted to rate it a 3, but Gina does a good job of writing and relating her experience, so I rated it a 4.

Rating:
Summary: A Disturbing Look at Society
Review: This was an interesting book, however I would have liked to see a little more of the positive side of being a policewoman. There had to be something positive about the job, or she wouldn't have been a policewoman for so many years.
Having a policeman for a friend, I did appreciate some of the insights into how they may feel different from "civilians".
It's a very sad tale of how many people live and how instead of the police being encouraged become discouraged.
I struggled with how to rate this book, because it's discouraging and haunting, with no upside I wanted to rate it a 3, but Gina does a good job of writing and relating her experience, so I rated it a 4.

Rating:
Summary: Gina Gallo is a mentor for all women...and men!
Review: When Gino Gallo put on her uniform, she not only joined a brave group of officers protecting our citizens, she became a part of women's history and a role model. To pursue a career in policing, women face a strongly gendered organization, where stereotypes of women in uniform persist. Of the more than 700,00 sworn law enforcment officers serving in the United States, only about 14% are women - and far less are in command positions. Gino Gallo wore a badge of honor. She deserves our thanks, our respect, and an honored place in the history of law enforcement.