A more global look at the nature of police investigations would seem to be a logical next step for Williams College sociologist Jackall, whose Wild Cowboys: Urban Marauders and the Forces of Order
was a critically acclaimed study of the aggressive law-enforcement campaign against a vicious New York City drug gang. Unfortunately, the broader view Jackall offers here seems to come at the cost of sharp focus. Without a central plot line, the author relates dozens of war stories, interspersed with rather prosaic observations about the realities of police procedure and the judicial system's many compromises with truth-seeking to keep cases moving along. While the insights gleaned from his many years on the inside with both the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office are a welcome antidote to the picture presented by TV shows like NYPD Blue
and Law & Order,
they offer little that's new for knowledgeable readers. More seriously, some questionable, unsupported and even offensive declarations ("Every police officer who seeks sexual solace with a Latina and then breaks it off can expect a civilian complaint to be filed, on principle") undermine the book. Readers seeking an understanding of police work would be better served by the works of Ed Conlon or Randy Sutton. (Apr.)
