What do you think?
Rate this book
HARD CASES: Police Use of Force in America
“An ultimate insider’s look at policing in America, Hard Cases digs into the myriad issues and split-second choices, good and bad, that are made during every arrest everywhere. Every cop and citizen should read it.”
--Michael Connelly, Author and Producer
Harry Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer
“HARD Police Use of Force in America is an excellent look inside law enforcement across the nation. A must read for police and the public. Happy to have written the foreword for my friend and LAPD colleague, Greg Meyer.”
--Bill Bratton
LAPD Chief of Police (2002-2009)
This book is for readers inside and outside law enforcement who are interested in a close examination of police uses of force. My purposes in writing it are (1) to provide factual information that contrasts with media-driven myths and misinformation for three famous cases; (2) to examine several controversial but common police tools and tactics with an eye toward improving outcomes; and (3) to enhance public understanding of the role of police officers when they confront resisting suspects.
For more than three decades during and after my career with the Los Angeles Police Department, I have been involved as an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of police use-of-force cases across America. The vast majority involved police shootings, TASER uses, other uses of force, and arrest-related deaths. Among my most complex and highest profile cases were those involving Rodney King, Oscar Grant, and George Floyd. The insights I offer in this book are drawn from this experience.
While insider information and important details about each incident will be presented here, the reader will not find exhaustive regurgitations of each case that can be found by reading other books or searching the Internet. Rather, this book presents fact-based corrections to myths and misinformation about these incidents. In that regard, I am fond of quoting Sherlock “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” Important facts about any given police use of force incident are often unknown or overlooked, thus many people jump to conclusions when incidents are discussed in the media, or by other authors, or around your dinner table.
When is a police use of force reasonable according to commonly accepted police procedures and the law? When is it not? How do myths and misinformation about incidents influence public perception and reaction? How should we go about improving policy, training, equipment, and tactics for this unavoidable aspect of policing?
Those are the questions I seek to answer in this book. I hope my effort will be helpful to those who are able to directly influence police policy, training, and accountability. I also hope my efforts will be helpful to anyone seeking to take a deeper look at the many challenges police face when circumstances demand the use of force.
--Michael Connelly, Author and Producer
Harry Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer
“HARD Police Use of Force in America is an excellent look inside law enforcement across the nation. A must read for police and the public. Happy to have written the foreword for my friend and LAPD colleague, Greg Meyer.”
--Bill Bratton
LAPD Chief of Police (2002-2009)
This book is for readers inside and outside law enforcement who are interested in a close examination of police uses of force. My purposes in writing it are (1) to provide factual information that contrasts with media-driven myths and misinformation for three famous cases; (2) to examine several controversial but common police tools and tactics with an eye toward improving outcomes; and (3) to enhance public understanding of the role of police officers when they confront resisting suspects.
For more than three decades during and after my career with the Los Angeles Police Department, I have been involved as an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of police use-of-force cases across America. The vast majority involved police shootings, TASER uses, other uses of force, and arrest-related deaths. Among my most complex and highest profile cases were those involving Rodney King, Oscar Grant, and George Floyd. The insights I offer in this book are drawn from this experience.
While insider information and important details about each incident will be presented here, the reader will not find exhaustive regurgitations of each case that can be found by reading other books or searching the Internet. Rather, this book presents fact-based corrections to myths and misinformation about these incidents. In that regard, I am fond of quoting Sherlock “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” Important facts about any given police use of force incident are often unknown or overlooked, thus many people jump to conclusions when incidents are discussed in the media, or by other authors, or around your dinner table.
When is a police use of force reasonable according to commonly accepted police procedures and the law? When is it not? How do myths and misinformation about incidents influence public perception and reaction? How should we go about improving policy, training, equipment, and tactics for this unavoidable aspect of policing?
Those are the questions I seek to answer in this book. I hope my effort will be helpful to those who are able to directly influence police policy, training, and accountability. I also hope my efforts will be helpful to anyone seeking to take a deeper look at the many challenges police face when circumstances demand the use of force.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2025
6 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.