The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement

I think this needs to be read by everybody in the US. On that note, I hate that the people who need to read it the most, are among the people who are unwilling to even consider reading this book because they have decided they know everything there is to know on the subject.

A MUST READ!!! A very honest and painful truth about the human race and our lack of understanding for one another no matter our race. This is a story everyone needs to read, embrace and discuss. We are at a very crucial time regarding our relationship with the police and their relationship with us. Time to have an open dialogue. This book can be the start!

I’m a white veteran police officer (det/Sgt) that was raised in the same diverse area that I have policed for 24 years. I’m fortunate to work in an agency where our officers are professional to everyone and we are fairly selective in hiring and retention. However, what white officers don’t realize and therefore don’t “believe” because they don’t experience it themselves is the fact that these issues outlined by Horace DO exist. This book should absolutely, 100%, be required reading in every, single academy class throughout the nations. If I was still an FTO, I would consider assigning it to my recruits and if I was a patrol sergeant, I would be introducing excerpts of this during roll call trainings for discussion. It is simply that important to the profession of policing and the ALL of the people we took an oath to serve and protect.

This is one of those books you cannot put down until you read it to the end. It was very interesting.It is very scary to know how corruption does exist in the police force. The book also explains the reasoning behind a lot of black related killings that have been in the media. Some as simple as wrong identity and others because the victims were used as a gang initian stunt to get into a gang. I am surprised that there are so few reviews on this book, probably because it has not been publized. The only reason I know about it is because I was listening to a black talk show on the radio on Sirus. It is a very good book and well written!

Eye opening book on the workings inside our police system. It was a balanced perspective and affirmed the need for reform. Reform is necessary for the good of the citizen AND the police working within a broken system. My heart for those in the policing community grew as I read - understanding what they have to work with and within. My heart for the communities also grew as I saw the impact excessive force and corrupt individuals of power have on the community. An educational read.

The best book written to date on the subject of excessive use of force by police on minority groups. Matt Horace, well respected in the law enforcement community at the local, state and federal level, tells it like it is from a personal perspective. A compelling and must read!

An objective, historical perspective from an expert. Horace’s research explained the unconscious bias and overt racism of some law enforcement officers. His explanation of how officers are put into the precarious position of responding to mental health emergencies was eye opening. He illuminated training practices and why reporting bad behavior comes with risks.

Reveals the reality behind the major road points such as Ferguson, MO, and Chicago, rampant corruption, apathy on the part of communities, and forcing police to be the first response for everything. Also points out holding gangs and drug sellers and sellers responsible for their acts. Everyone came to something.

Black cop long experience on the force giving deep insight and personal experience and second hand retelling of various incidents from many higher ups in the ranks of the insanity. Its an easy read. Buy like six of them used and give them to cops

Disgusting story to tell but couldn’t have been written better. Authors go to great lengths to see both sides and expose the faults in the system. If only the right people would heed their findings.

I think this needs to be read by everybody in the US. On that note, I hate that the people who need to read it the most, are among the people who are unwilling to even consider reading this book because they have decided they know everything there is to know on the subject.

A MUST READ!!! A very honest and painful truth about the human race and our lack of understanding for one another no matter our race. This is a story everyone needs to read, embrace and discuss. We are at a very crucial time regarding our relationship with the police and their relationship with us. Time to have an open dialogue. This book can be the start!

I’m a white veteran police officer (det/Sgt) that was raised in the same diverse area that I have policed for 24 years. I’m fortunate to work in an agency where our officers are professional to everyone and we are fairly selective in hiring and retention. However, what white officers don’t realize and therefore don’t “believe” because they don’t experience it themselves is the fact that these issues outlined by Horace DO exist. This book should absolutely, 100%, be required reading in every, single academy class throughout the nations. If I was still an FTO, I would consider assigning it to my recruits and if I was a patrol sergeant, I would be introducing excerpts of this during roll call trainings for discussion. It is simply that important to the profession of policing and the ALL of the people we took an oath to serve and protect.

This is one of those books you cannot put down until you read it to the end. It was very interesting.It is very scary to know how corruption does exist in the police force. The book also explains the reasoning behind a lot of black related killings that have been in the media. Some as simple as wrong identity and others because the victims were used as a gang initian stunt to get into a gang. I am surprised that there are so few reviews on this book, probably because it has not been publized. The only reason I know about it is because I was listening to a black talk show on the radio on Sirus. It is a very good book and well written!

Eye opening book on the workings inside our police system. It was a balanced perspective and affirmed the need for reform. Reform is necessary for the good of the citizen AND the police working within a broken system. My heart for those in the policing community grew as I read - understanding what they have to work with and within. My heart for the communities also grew as I saw the impact excessive force and corrupt individuals of power have on the community. An educational read.

The best book written to date on the subject of excessive use of force by police on minority groups. Matt Horace, well respected in the law enforcement community at the local, state and federal level, tells it like it is from a personal perspective. A compelling and must read!

An objective, historical perspective from an expert. Horace’s research explained the unconscious bias and overt racism of some law enforcement officers. His explanation of how officers are put into the precarious position of responding to mental health emergencies was eye opening. He illuminated training practices and why reporting bad behavior comes with risks.

Reveals the reality behind the major road points such as Ferguson, MO, and Chicago, rampant corruption, apathy on the part of communities, and forcing police to be the first response for everything. Also points out holding gangs and drug sellers and sellers responsible for their acts. Everyone came to something.

Black cop long experience on the force giving deep insight and personal experience and second hand retelling of various incidents from many higher ups in the ranks of the insanity. Its an easy read. Buy like six of them used and give them to cops

Disgusting story to tell but couldn’t have been written better. Authors go to great lengths to see both sides and expose the faults in the system. If only the right people would heed their findings.

I’m excited to read this book, but upon receipt today I Immediately realized there’s a misprint on the cover. It doesn’t even have the full title... it’s very odd. I hope parts of the contents of the book aren’t missing or misprinted too....

Loved this book. It’s well written and hard to put down. The revelations are spot on and extremely relevant in today’s society. Matt Horace knocked this one out of the park.

I haven’t read this book yet, however, I believe I received a misprint as half the title is missing from the front and spine of the book.

A Very informative and interesting read

SHOULD REVEAL MORE BUT STOPPED SHORT

It came perfect and very new !

Great Read. Well written and explains alot.

Like many other reviews, I recieved a misprint. "The Black and" is all that is on the cover and spine. Now I wonder about what else is missing from this book.:(

Great read from a great man. Can't put it down

"Even as a federal agent, I have been on surveillance or supporting an operation and have had an officer approach me and say that the neighbors called about a "suspicious" vehicle, which meant it was a black guy driving a car. I’ve been the man in that suspicious vehicle.” Matthew Horace worked as a cop at the federal, state, and local level for 28 years, and he is plenty sick of the “toxic brotherhood.” The quote above refers to an incident that occurred in Mill Creek, a (very white) suburb outside Seattle, Washington where I live, but it’s not just here; it’s everywhere in the US. Specifically, he tells us about cities where some of the most notorious cop violence has created resistance such as New Orleans, Chicago, Baltimore, and Ferguson. There are essays provided by police chiefs from some of these places as well as from Kathleen O’Toole, who was chief here in Seattle; O’Toole’s prose reek of electioneering, the sort of style that speaks for itself. Many of these contributors contradict Horace’s own assertion that the problem is endemic, and is absolutely not a case of a few bad apples. More than one of these essays hold the fascination I’d feel if forced to watch a rattlesnake before it strikes; the sanctimony, the grandiose claims of justice supposedly served. The most interesting of them all is from an African-American police chief in Chicago, whose personal stories of her family members having been abused—including her sons—stand diametrically opposed to what she does for a living, and yet she maintains her tightrope walk, determined to make a difference where only the smallest, if any, seems likely. By now I should have thanked Net Galley and Hachette Books for the review copy, which I received free and early. This excellent book is available to the public Tuesday, August 7, 2018. There has been a flurry of books published about this subject since it became national news. More than anything, the internet and cellular phones have stripped the gatekeeping capacity of the major news outlets; cops that were able to beat and even kill people and lie about it later are being outed left and right. Even I, who am an old lefty and have never really believed cops were there to protect ordinary people, am shocked by much of what’s been revealed. I wondered, as I began reading, whether Horace could add to what’s already been said and shown. What could he add to the body of information provided by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Angela Davis, and Matt Taibbi? (Many years ago, Norm Stamper, former Seattle police chief, also wrote an expose that included a chapter on why cops beat Black men.) As it happens, Horace has a lot of information that I hadn’t read, and it isn’t just a matter of fine detail. For example, who knew that in New Orleans, cops were not merely accepting graft, but actively robbing Black-owned businesses, guns drawn, and making off with their cash and other valuables? It’s the sort of thing that lives in your head for a long time after you read it; but then again, it should be. The sourcing is impeccable. Those with an interest in Black Lives Matter, in civil rights in general, or with an interest in race issues within the so-called criminal justice system in America should get this book, for full price if necessary, and read it. Read the whole thing. So much of our future depends on how we respond.

I listened to this book in audio format and the narration was well done. The narrator was clear, articulate and didn’t add a whole lot of rise and reflection to elicit the attention of the listener. The authors cited in the epilogue that they performed a vast amount of research in order to write this book. I did my own research on both authors and learned they have both extenstive experience and an education within the law enforcement world; however, I felt that some of comparison statistics/examples were unsupported and not backed up by further clarification of how they came up with those comparisons. Example: Citing the amount of child deaths in a particular city was compared to an entire foreign country. Without providing further details of how they came up with that comparison, as a researcher/reader, I would have to disagree with that comparison, and I found myself questioning other facts stated due to the same problem. I agree that law enforcement historically has had not only a racial problem, but a criminal problem within its rank and file and the authors do their best in every chapter to prove. The book only sheds light on a few improvements that have happened historically within a lot of police forces, as it would take away from the impact of the book the author wants to portray. The authors also fail to discuss three important issues associated with most the causes of the problem and corrective action needed to fix law enforcement agencies. The first is money! The police already have few personnel, no time, and very little money to make the necessary changes recommended. Not discussed! The second problem which caused a lot of problems with addressing police getting away with criminal acts against citizens is the Police Union. Unions have power, money, and a lot of influence over what steps are taken when addressing police criminal charges, making statements and firing of officers. I deal with a union a lot and although an apple is an apple, the union will continually tell me it’s an orange. The third problem not even discuss, besides the glorification of former President Barak Obama, was the political platform that allowed a lot of problems to occur and were instrumental in creating a lot of inner city problems. Democrats scream for minority improvements in housing, pay and education; however, had the authors performed some research in who created those inner city housing projects, they’ll see that Democrats were in office, accepted pay offs to get these projects approved through the city council/agencies and then made millions from contractors/developers to build them. They didn’t care about the lives of black citizens, they cared about money, power and votes. Did the authors not want to address the historical and current political problems associated with inner cities, education and pay, but they surely discussed it when it came to the lack of changes within the law enforcement hierarchy. Overall, I got tired of hearing story after story of police criminality and injustices against black citizens without digging deeper into the stories. I had wish that the authors had reduced their historical cases and dissected the fewer ones they used. I agree that one of the best courses of action is training, current training associated with today’s environment; however, although the authors present cases for deeper police involvement within the community – today’s police force is too busy reacting to call after call and has very little time to decompress and interact within his own community. One author states he has been retired and collected over 1 million dollars in retirement pay. Apparently, being a police officer for 28 years allows for a great retirement. I served in the military for 23 years, 20 years civil services and it will take me more than 50 years to draw a million dollars in retirement. Maybe the police retirement system needs to be changed so they can put more police in the community, oh but wait, the Union will tell us we can’t do that. I agree we still have problems of racism in law enforcement, as we do in our military, local government, community stores, restaurants, etc.; however, this book does little to provide real solutions to resolve the problems. It was an interesting read so say the least!

Thank you Net Gallery for an advanced copy of The Black and the Blue by Matthew Horace. This is a great book, it follows police brutality from the prospective of a black man. The part about shootings and harassment back in the day by white men to black men doesn't surprise me it's knowing it's still going on. In this book we learn more about police abuse particularly to black officers, the many shootings of young black men like Michael Brown etc. Black Lives Matter. I really didn't know there was that many shootings of black men until reading this book. It's a enormous outcry in my mind. All in all this book is very interesting and kept me reading. I hated what Mr. Horace went through and the other black officers. This story needed to be told and everyone should pass this book around. Thank you Mr. Horace for telling this much needed book, it's about time someone did. One line will stay with me for a long time: If you call 911 who know who will show up. Scary thought. Thanks again Cherie'