5 Great Books About Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is such a complicated subject, and you need to read the best books about law enforcement to really understand it well. If you want to improve your knowledge of law enforcement, you should read a wide range of books so that you can understand it from multiple angles. If you are ready to grow your knowledge, take a look at these five great books about law enforcement.

1. “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families”

This book by Kevin M. Gilmartin should be required reading at every police academy in the country. Far too many police officers let the emotional toll of the job place a strain on themselves and their families. This book is a guide for law enforcement officers and their families to navigate the emotional problems that come along with the job. By following the tips in this books, police officers can form better relationships and avoid letting their jobs burn them out.

2. “Street Survival: Tactics for Armed Encounters”

Being a law enforcement officer means accepting that danger is just part of the job. The difference between life and death is often the knowledge that officers bring with them into armed encounters. Armed with the knowledge in this amazing book, police officers can learn how to safely end the threat posed by an armed assailant, according to Good Reads. The focus in the book is on preventing violence from erupting when faced with an armed assailant, but it also shows how law enforcement officers can maximize their chances of surviving an armed encounter by ending it as quickly and safely as possible.

3. “What Cops Know”

For this valuable book, author Connie Fletcher interviewed dozens of officers from the Chicago Police Department. They ranged from rookies fresh out of the academy to grizzled veterans. You can see how deep these interviews went just by looking at the book. It is more than 800 pages long, and the wealth of knowledge that is found inside these pages is remarkable. Not only do you get to know how cops think by reading this book, but the stories they tell give you a remarkable insight into the way that the criminal mind works as well.

4. “The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop”

Steve Osborne was a New York City cop for two decades, making it all the way to the rank of lieutenant when he retired. He wrote this book so that people outside law enforcement could get a glimpse at the type of craziness that a cop’s life is full of. The book is broken down into a number of stories, and Osborne’s conversational-style of writing make reading them kind of like pulling up a barstool next to Osborne and listening to him tell stories that range from sad to funny to flat-out terrifying.

5. “The Tactical Edge: Surviving High-Risk Patrol”

This is a required textbook at most law enforcement academies, and reading it you will show you why. The wealth of knowledge in this book will sharpen the skills of any police officer. It shows loads of tips and tricks officers can use to ensure they always stay vigilant and safe while on patrol. It is especially valuable for the great information it provides about how to survive life-and-death situations.

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Becoming a law enforcement officer is one of the best ways to serve your fellow man. To be the best police officer you can be, you need to arm yourself with as much information as possible. Reading these five books is a great way to start.