As 2011 winds to an end, Policeone.com’s Senior Editor, (“I shoot stuff and I read stuff”) Doug Wyllie has published his annual book list of recommended reading for cops.
1. BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Robyn Walensky, a book on the Casey Anthony case and trial.
2. TELL TO WIN by Peter Gruber. Wyllie writes:
“I recently received my copy from Amazon and just from perusing the inside front jacket I’m pretty sure I’m going to love this book. It says, in part, ‘Historically, stories have always been igniters of action, moving people to do things. But only recently has it become clear that purposeful stories — those created with a specific mission in mind — are absolutely essential in persuading others to support a vision, dream, or cause.’”
Ironic, right?
3. A cop’s book list wouldn’t be complete without Tom Clancy: LOCKED ON
4. Another Clancy book: AGAINST ALL ENEMIES
5. John Weisman’s KILL BIN LADEN is, according to Wyllie, “a riveting read.”
Apparently, Wyllie enjoys getting high while reading:
“reading a heart-pounding adventure can, at certain times and in certain people, trigger the release of endorphins which are known to reduce stress, arrest the sensation of pain, and actually lead to feelings of euphoria. So, in my constant quest for this natural high, in spring of this year I happily found a series of four books by Brett Battles. I began with:”
6. THE CLEANER (2008), moved quickly to
7. THE DECEIVED (2009), then on to
8. SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (2010), and
9. THE SILENCED (2011).
And what would a holiday list of recommended books be without sniper novel titles like:
10. KILL ZONE
11. DEAD SHOT
12. CLEAN KILL, and
13. ACT OF TREASON
Wyllie describes these last four as “awesome fun.”
He goes on with:
14. THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin de Becker
15. Rounding out Wyllie’s recommended list is an instructional book: BUILDING A BETTER GUNFIGHTER by Wyllie’s PoliceOne colleague Dick Fairburn.
16. BLOOD LESSONS by another friend of Wyllie’s Chuck Remsberg, which is described as stories of “the life-and-death struggle between cops and bad guys.”
A clear psychological profile emerges of Mr. Wyllie from his reading list. Obviously, Wyllie sees the world as cops (the good guys) against everyone else (the bad guys) and he seems to relish books on violent death.
Alternatively, I would suggest the following books for Mr Wyllie and other cops:
1. STOLEN LIVES: KILLED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
2. POLICE MISCONDUCT IN AMERICA by Dean J. Champion
3. ABOVE THE LAW: POLICE AND THE EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE by Jerome H. Skolnick and James J. Fyfe
4. THE POLITICS OF FORCE: MEDIA AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF POLICE BRUTALITY by Regina G. Lawrence
5. POLICE BRUTALITY edited by Jill Nelson
6. OUR ENEMIES IN BLUE: POLICE AND POWER IN AMERICA by Kristian Williams
7. GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF ALMOST EVERYTHING edited by Gene Healy
8. THREE FELONIES A DAY: HOW THE FEDS TARGET THE INNOCENT by Harvey A. Silvergate\
9. ARBITRARY JUSTICE: THE POWER OF THE AMERICAN PROSECUTOR by Angela Davis
10. THE TYRANNY OF GOOD INTENTIONS: HOW PROSECUTORS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE TRAMPLING THE CONSTITUTION by Paul Craig Roberts and Lawrence M. Stratton
My final recommendation would be THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM by Hannah Arendt.
All book links are through the Free Talk Live affiliate link with Amazon.
PoliceOne.com’s 2011 book list: Recommended reading for cops is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights
