So You Want to Be a Cop: What Everyone Should Know Before Entering a Law Enforcement Career

by Alley Evola

Many children, from the time they are old enough to be attracted to a siren and flashing lights, dream their whole lives of becoming a police officer. As a retired police officer, herself, Alley Evola looks at the daily ins and outs of the job of a police officer. From recruitment, life at the academy, patrol and eventually promotion, she provides a helpful understanding of what you can really expect. She also looks at the current issues, including race and gender, and how these have shaped certain expectations from the public that a police officer needs to be prepared for when working in this field.

When you’re young and dreaming you don’t think about the process it will take to become a police officer. And it’s also not evident until after the police academy the many challenges and issues you will face in the field. So You Want to Be a Cop is for everyone who secretly wishes they were a police officer, or is pursuing their dream in hopes of transforming it into reality.

Genres: Police

238 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2017

About the author

Alley Evola is a retired, nine-year veteran of a mid-size police department in Middle Tennessee. She worked her way up the ranks as a patrol officer, crime scene technician, field training officer, flex unit (street level gang/narcotics unit) officer, and detective assigned to the major crimes unit. She graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy and maintains her P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Commission) Certification in the State of Tennessee. Aside from her law enforcement career she is also the author of A Simple Warrant Service, that appears with a collection of short stories in American Blue. You can visit her website at http://www.alleyevola.com/.

Reviews

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to get an idea of what training, etc. police go through. After reading it, I'm not sure why anyone would ever want to be a cop. It was all negative, and Evola herself seemed to hate it (which, I suppose, explains why she only worked int he field for 9 years.
It's part fact (this is what you will be trained for), part stats (police are likely to self-medicate and die young, etc.), and part her personal experiences, which are surprisingly boring and written as poorly as you'd expect from someone who is not a writer. Overall, focusing on any one of those aspects would have made for a more thorough, focused book.

[Catherine Rose]

Great book to read even if you are not planning on being a Cop.

[Skyqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know they say those Crab Fisherman jobs are the Most Dangerous...Well I think being a Cop has got to be the Hardest! And certainly ranks with the Most Dangerous! So all around, she is just making sure you are going into it with a well-informed mind. I would say even a 'calling' more than a job or else you will deteriorate faster than the profession has unfortunately. A straight-up objective view of the total challenges from all sides.
I have always revered the service policemen provide and now I do even more. For them to be able to do so for any length of time without becoming damaged is impossible.
God Bless and keep them is my prayer. I thank you for being there.

[Daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book! All about the inner workings of a police force in America written from Mrs.Evola's personal experience, well researched and is a pleasure to read! Couldn't put it down. Learnt a lot!

[Isis Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It shows you exactly what happens in law enforcement in a realistic manner. It gives you warnings and advice on how to avoid certain areas of trouble including PTSD.