This exciting book, newly available in paperback, aims to establish the historical and cultural reasons why there was only a participation rate of 7-8% by the Catholic population in policing Northern Ireland when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) came into being in 2001, even though Catholics constituted 46% of the total population. It also aims to ascertain whether or not implementation of the Patten Commission's recommendation to recruit to the PSNI on a 50:50 basis between Catholics and non-Catholics has resulted in greater representation and what the political and cultural obstacles might be in transforming policing from meeting colonial model criteria to those of the liberal model advocated by Patten. In doing this, author Mary Gethins uses a wealth of historical data to show that there has for a long time been a problematic relationship between the native Irish Catholic population and the police, and the reasons for Catholic under-representation in the police force can be largely put down to this legacy. A survey of Catholic police officers focusing on family history, reasons for joining the police and sacrifices perceived to have been made in joining a largely Protestant organisation provide a strong empirical evidence base from which Gethins draws illuminating lessons. The work is informed by sociological theory to show that Catholic police officers are atypical of the Catholic population at large in Northern Ireland, and best explained by the concept of fragmented identity.

Police organizations across the globe are experiencing major changes. Many nations cope with funding constraints as pressures within their societies, terrorism and transnational crime, and social and political transformations necessitate a more democratic form of policing. Drawn from the proceedings at the International Police Executive Symposium in Prague and other IPES projects, Global Environment of Policing is composed of case studies from more than fourteen countries and six continents. Divided into four sections, the book presents contributions from high-level police executives, practitioners, and academics. Policing, Crime Control, and the Community explores community policing in Latin America and the United States and describes the effectiveness of a "zero tolerance" policy in New York City. It also presents a historical case study of policing in Portugal. Policing, Politics, and Democracy examines challenges confronting developing countries, policing in Brazil, police accountability mechanisms in India, and concerns regarding the democratization of policing. Policing: Global Challenges considers a range of contemporary issues within the policing environment, including policing cyberspace, police agencies' striving for legitimacy, how law enforcement policies travel worldwide, and the problems of organized crime and people smuggling. Police Leadership, Management, Education, and Organization reflects on the growing issue of police reform. It discusses the infusion of private sector thinking into state police organizations, conflicts between police unions and management, training and models for police education, and police accountability in Bangladesh. The final chapter draws conclusions about the research presented in the book and provides a window on future concerns. With insight from world leaders in academia and in the field, the book offers sage insight into the most critical issues facing contemporary police organizations.

While most studies of the FBI focus on the long tenure of Director J. Edgar Hoover (1924-1972), The Dangers of Dissent shifts the ground to the recent past. The book examines FBI practices in the domestic security field through the prism of 'political policing.' The monitoring of dissent is exposed, as are the Bureau's controversial 'counterintelligence' operations designed to disrupt political activity. This book reveals that attacks on civil liberties focus on a wide range of domestic critics on both the Left and the Right. This book traces the evolution of FBI spying from 1965 to the present through the eyes of those under investigation, as well as through numerous FBI documents, never used before in scholarly writing, that were recently declassified using the Freedom of Information Act or released during litigation (Greenberg v. FBI). Ivan Greenberg considers the diverse ways that government spying has crossed the line between legal intelligence-gathering to criminal action. While a number of studies focus on government policies under George W. Bush's 'War on Terror, ' Greenberg is one of the few to situate the primary role of the FBI as it shaped and was reshaped by the historical context of the new American Surveillance Society

This book is one of the first to document the challenges and opportunities facing the Hong Kong police force following the reversion of political authority from the UK to China in 1997. Thematically organized and oriented towards those issues of greatest concern to the public, such as police accountability, assaults on police, police deployment, surveillance powers, and policing across borders, it provides a detailed discussion of these and other contemporary issues. The opening chapter sets the work within historical context while the final chapter provides a comparison of policing in Hong Kong with public security in the PRC. The book will be of value to students and researchers working in the area of comparative policing, and comparative criminal justice, as well as police professionals, and policy-makers.

Police performance appraisal is one of the most important components of law enforcement management-affecting the quality of the services a department delivers as well as the satisfaction of its employees. Therefore, it is crucial that the performance appraisal process is conducted in an effective and equitable manner. Police Performance Appraisals: A Comparative Perspective employs the comparative case study approach to evaluate systems in police departments in two diverse locales-Ankara, Turkey and Toledo, Ohio. The study seeks to determine whether there are any common trends or obvious similarities that transcend national and cultural boundaries. From this information, best practices can be identified to improve the system of any police organization. The data from the survey raises a host of issues essential to police management. Are traditional or modern appraisal systems more preferable to police personnel? Are field and command officers' perceptions of the performance evaluation instruments in their departments similar or do they differ from those of their subordinates? Asking these and other critical questions, the authors also examine the relationship between the officer's perception of the appraisal system and his or her rank, taking into account level of education, gender, age, and years of service. Employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this study yields important findings and valuable insights for police organizations as to which characteristics an appraisal process should have for the best quality system. Lessons learned from this study should provide guidance to future efforts to design better appraisal systems and may also contribute to heightened focus on nationwide assessments of evaluation practices and standards for police organizations.

The Complexities of Police Corruption provides a comprehensive examination of the role of gender as it relates to police corruption, crime control, and policing as an institution. Author Marilyn Corsianos examines different forms of corruption, including some behaviors that are generally not recognized as corruption by police departments, such as selective law enforcement, racial profiling, gender bias and other discriminatory police practices against marginalized populations.. The book also explores the role of police culture in preserving and defending misconduct and digs into the thorny question of why significantly fewer women are involved in police corruption. Throughout the book, excerpts from interviews with 32 former police offers illustrate the complex ways that gender construction is connected to police corruption and shows how policing as an institution creates corruption risks. The Complexities of Police Corruption is a challenging and insightful book about the intersections between gender and corruption.

In nations all over the world, community policing has been found extremely beneficial in improving public confidence in the police. Community-oriented policing and police-citizen cooperation is now the accepted framework for all progressive police departments. Drawn from the proceedings at the 2010 International Police Executive Symposium (IPES) in Kerala, India and other IPES sources, Global Community Policing: Problems and Challenges presents new insights into this policing model and a critical appraisal of successes and challenges in various jurisdictions across the globe.

The book begins with a chapter on how governments can design, implement, and support community policing based on lessons learned from history. Next, it explores research findings and pilot programs for community policing in eight different regions from Sweden to South Africa. Topics addressed include police safety, female empowerment, the impact of emotional intelligence on community policing, predatory leadership, operational challenges, interactions between police and persons with mental illness, and civilian policing. The book examines ways of measuring the success of police policies through citizen surveys and other methods. It also discusses Operation Weed and Seed, a community policing initiative in the United States.

A valuable resource for researchers and practitioners of community-oriented policing, this book demonstrates how the practices and even some of the principles guiding the framework of community policing vary greatly across jurisdictions. By reviewing the benefits and challenges inherent in this innovative policing model, police administrators can devise systems that best meet the needs of their communities.

What does it mean to trust the police? What makes the police legitimate in the eyes of the policed? What builds trust, legitimacy and cooperation, and what undermines the bond between police and the public? These questions are central to current debates concerning the relationship between the British police and the public it serves. Yet, in the context of British policing they are seldom asked explicitly, still less examined in depth.

Drawing on psychological and sociological explanatory paradigms, Just Authority? presents a cutting-edge empirical study into public trust, police legitimacy, and people's readiness to cooperate with officers. It represents, first, the most detailed test to date of Tom Tyler's procedural justice model attempted outside the United States. Second, it uncovers the social ecology of trust and legitimacy and, third, it describes the relationships between trust, legitimacy and cooperation.

This book contains many important lessons for practitioners, policy-makers and academics. As elsewhere the dominant vision of policing in Great Britain continues to stress instrumental effectiveness: the 'fight against crime' will be won by pro-active and even aggressive policing. In line with work from the United States and elsewhere, Just Authority? casts significant doubt on such claims. When people find policing to be unfair, disrespectful and careless of human dignity, not only is trust lost, legitimacy is also damaged and cooperation is withdrawn as a result. Absent such public support, the job of the police is made harder and the avowed objectives of less crime and disorder placed ever further from reach.

This work analyzes the interactions and international connections of the "civil rights" and "pro-order" coalitions of state and societal actors in the two countries. The author demonstrates that in democratizing contexts, protecting citizens from police abuse and becomes part of a debate about how to deal with issues of public safety and social control and of perceived trade-offs between liberty and security.

In the past two decades, Australia has been the site of major police misconduct scandals and inquiries, leading to reform initiatives at the cutting edge of police integrity management practices. Presenting interviews with key informants and an analysis of key documents, Police Integrity Management in Australia: Global Lessons for Combating Police Misconduct offers a comprehensive study, conducted from 2008 to 2010, of strategies and systems in Australia. Providing a rare overview and critique of a full suite of policies, institutions, and programs adopted to combat misconduct in policing, this volume: Outlines the global problem of police misconduct and its effects Summarizes current knowledge about best practices in the field, the reality of corruption in Australia, and the reform agenda that has driven major change and experimentation Presents current integrity strategies in place in Australia, covering the rationales, evidence of effectiveness, and difficulties Explores undercover stings, drug and alcohol testing, mediation of complaints, ethics training, and regulating the police use of force Organized logically for ease of navigation, each chapter contains an "Emerging Issues" section, highlighting some of the more promising and/or innovative integrity strategies as well as looming concerns and ethical issues. The book concludes with an overall evaluation of the data presented in the body of the book, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian system and the implications for adoption of these strategies in other police departments around the world.

American law enforcement, and the public's perception of police, is a topic of growing interest among academics, practitioners, and policymakers. From the 2014 events in Ferguson, MO, and the alleged "Ferguson Effect", to the debate over the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs), police militarization, use of force, and other practices that may alter the public's view of police legitimacy and procedural justice, there is an increasing need for research addressing these contemporary issues in American policing. This book presents the latest research on these topics, as well as related topics noted in the Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing, such as police use of technology, transparency, oversight, and building trust with the community. The studies contained in this book examine these issues by leveraging empirical data on policing, public perceptions, crime, and diverse research methods, to present high-quality analysis of these timely and relevant topics in today's world. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Crime and Justice.

There is a big difference between an "Executive Protection Professional" and a "Bodyguard." This book separates truth from myth. Two authors, both experts in their respective fields, give you the facts and critical knowledge about the field of executive protection. Together they provide a wealth of knowledge about this unique and exciting field.
This book not only explains what it takes to be an executive protection specialist but gives other valuable information as well. This includes, tips on defensive tactics, bomb search, searching for bugging devices, firearms training tips, defensive and evasive driving, and advance reconnaissance. This unique book also covers how to select the area of executive protection that you would like to work in, what you should make, the interview, and stories from real life experiences of an executive protection professional.
Philip Holder is the creator of the Six Zone Safeguard System of Self Defense
(Sometimes called the Sidewinder System after his "Sidewinder Executive Protection Consultants"). He is also the chief Instructor and Grandmaster of the North American Wing Chun Association and its Ying Gi Ga method of Wing Chun Kung Fu. His many years as an executive protection professional (EPP), his work as an executive protection consultant, and as a personal trainer, along with his 35 years in the martial arts and his experience in full contact fighting all come together to provide a true sense of realism in his classes and seminars.
Donna Lea Hawley is a retired lawyer who has written a number of books and articles on law, firearms, hunter education, and self defense. She teaches seminars on sports liability, shooting, carrying concealed weapons, the law of self defense and use of deadly force, and self defense for the past fifteen years. She is a firearms instructor who has taught over a thousand people shooting skills and firearms safety. She holds six NRA Instructor Certifications.
Describes the attributes, principles, and practices of the qualified protection professional.
Introduction to those considering entering the field.
Valuable source of continuing education for current practitioners.

In the mid-1990s, the NYPD created a performance management strategy known as Compstat. It consisted of computerized data, crime analysis, and advanced crime mapping coupled with middle management accountability and crime strategy meetings with high-ranking decision makers. While initially credited with a dramatic reduction in crime, questions quickly arose as to the reliability of the data. The Crime Numbers Game: Management by Manipulation brings together the work of two criminologists-one a former NYPD captain-who present the first in-depth empirical analysis of this management system-exposing the truth about crime statistics manipulation in the NYPD and the repercussions suffered by crime victims and those who blew the whistle on this corrupt practice. Providing insider insight into a system shrouded in secrecy, this volume: Documents and analyzes a wide array of data that definitively demonstrates the range of manipulation reflected in official New York City crime statistics Explores how the consequences of unreliable crime statistics ripple throughout police organizations, affecting police, citizens, and victims Documents the widening spell of police performance management throughout the world Reviews current NYPD leadership approaches and offers alternatives Analyzes the synchronicity of the media's and the NYPD's responses to the authors' findings Explores the implications of various theoretical approaches to Compstat Offers a new approach based on organizational transparency Presenting a story of police reform gone astray, this book stunningly demonstrates how integrity succumbed to a short-term numbers game, casting a cloud on the department from which we can only hope it will emerge. For more information, check out the authors' blog, Unveiling Compstat, at blogspot.com and their website. Eterno and Silverman's work in this book was cited in the article The Truth About Chicago's Crime Rates: Part 2 in the June 2014 issue of Chicago magazine. The Authors in the News The authors' studies on crime were featured in a November 1, 2010 New York Times article and their comments were published on the editorial page. Their work was also cited in a November 30, 2010 Uptowner article about police manipulation of crime statistics. Silverman and Eterno described a proposed strategy for improving community confidence in the integrity of crime statistics in a January 24, 2011 Daily News article. On August 22, 2011, Eli Silverman commented on a recent rise in NYC crime statistics in a New York Post article. On November 29, 2011, the Village Voice featured an article written by Silverman and Eterno on crime statistics manipulation and recent corruption scandals. Eli Silverman was interviewed by the Plainview Patch in a December 20, 2011 article about people's perception of crime in a community. The book is cited in a February 23, 2012 Wall Street Journal article about a lawsuit filed by a NYPD officer. John Eterno was a featured guest on Talkzone Internet Talk Radio on February 25, 2012. Eli Silverman spoke in a February 27, 2012 NY1 Online video about concerns regarding NYPD's stop and frisk policy. The book was profiled in a February 27, 2012 article in The Chief, a weekly newspaper for New York civil service employees. The authors appeared on a March 26, 2012 local ABC news program about underreported crime rates. thePolipit blog discussed the book on April 2, 2012. John Eterno was quoted in an April 9, 2012 New York Times article about the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy. Eli Silverman was quoted in a May 2, 2012 DNAinfo.com article about rising New York City crime rates. A New York Times Op-Ed piece referenced Eli Silverman on May 13, 2012. John Eterno's Op-Ed piece entitled "Policing by the Numbers" appeared in the New York Times on June 17, 2012. The book was cited in a June 19, 2012 Mother Jones article. John Eterno was featured in a Reuters TV program about the NYPD's "stop and frisk" policy. Eli Silverman testified on April 4, 2013 in a class action lawsuit related to the NYPD stop and frisk policy. On July 14, 2014, an article written by John Eterno and Eli Silversman about Police Commissioner Bratton's stop-and-frisk policy appeared in the New York Daily News.

In Glasgow, street gangs have existed for decades, with knife crime becoming a defining feature. More than a decade on from Deuchar's original fieldwork, this book explores the transitional experiences of some of the young men he worked with, as well as the experiences of today's young people and the practitioners who work to support them. Through empirical data, policy analysis and contemporary insights, this dynamic book explores the evolving nature of gangs, and the contemporary challenges affecting young people including drug distribution, football-related bigotry and the mental health repercussions emerging from social media.

From the bestselling author of Hiroshima, a searing account of police brutality, white racism, and black rage in 1960s Detroit. On the evening of July 25, 1967, on the third night of the 12th Street Riot, Detroit police raided the Algiers Motel. Acting on a report of gunfire, officers rounded up the occupants of the motel's annex-several black men and two white women-and proceeded to beat them and repeatedly threaten to kill them. By the end of the night, three of the men were dead. Three police officers and a private security guard were tried for their deaths; none were convicted. In The Algiers Motel Incident, first published in 1968, Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey strings together interviews, police reports, court testimony, and news stories to recount the terrible events of that night. The result is chaotic and sometimes confusing; facts remain elusive. But, Hersey concludes, the truth is clear: three young black men were murdered "for being, all in all, black young men and part of the black rage of the time." With a new foreword by award-winning author Danielle L. McGuire, The Algiers Motel Incident is a powerful indictment of racism and the US justice system.

With nearly 20 percent of the world 's population located in China, what happens there is significant to all nations. Sweeping changes have altered the cultural landscape of China, and as opportunities for wealth have grown in recent years, so have opportunities for crime. Police Reform in China provides a rare and insightful glimpse of policing in the midst of such change.

The book begins with a historical account of police reform in the region since 2000. Next, it discusses the difficulties encountered in trying to understand Chinese policing, such as outdated perceptions, misinformation, cultural ignorance, ideological hegemony, and problems with paternalistic attitudes. The book recommends studying China from a local perspective informed by local research and data, suggesting that understanding China requires a cultural shift to the Chinese way of life in "thinking" and, more importantly, "feeling."

The author then summarizes selected policy papers from Gongan Yanjiu, a leading international policy journal. He first documents how the thinking and aspirations of various generations of Chinese leaders from Mao to Deng, and now Jiang and Hu, came to affect Chinese policing in theory and practice. He then addresses the emergence of a police legitimacy crisis as evidenced by the deterioration of public image and rebellions against police authority. Demonstrating how old ideologies are increasingly in conflict with the values and lifestyles of a new mentality, the book discusses steps that can be taken to improve professionalism. The final chapters investigate such problems as abuses of discretion and the improper use of firearms and highlight the importance of understanding the Chinese people, culture, values, and interests in order to truly effectuate successful police reform.

Urban environments are prime targets for suicide bombings over the next decade. While the threat may be ever-present, measures are available that can empower law enforcement personnel to thwart attacks, or at least mitigate the effects by reducing casualties. Written by professionals with first-hand experience, Terrorist Suicide Bombings: Attack Interdiction, Mitigation, and Response helps first responders, law enforcement, and homeland security professionals grapple with this increasing threat, offering best practices in the field and lessons learned. Advance preparation The authors provide specific instructions on how to fortify possible suicide bombing targets, suggesting measures that-if implemented-will reduce casualties. They explain how suicide bombers operate and what weapons they are likely to employ. They also debunk common myths about suicide bombers that jeopardize successful interdiction. Actual case studies Including graphic photos depicting the aftermath of actual bombing scenes, the book projects the reader into the chaos of a bomb scene. Chapters describe what one encounters at a site immediately after a bombing and explain what each first responder should and should not do. Case studies throughout enhance the text, explaining why certain suicide bombings succeed while others fail. Psychological effects The book also explores how terrorists seek to exploit the media and describes government and media efforts to diffuse the bombers' self-promotion. A full chapter is devoted to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that commonly affects many first responders. Finally, the book closes with recommendations aimed at helping law enforcement defend against suicide bombers.

This book focuses on the Interactive Exercise, which forms a key part of the Police Recruit Assessment Process. The role play (as the exercise is often referred to) is traditionally the part of the recruitment test that candidates worry about most and find particularly difficult. The book clearly explains the role play process, making links to the Core Competencies and in particular examining issues of diversity. It offers a number of Interactive Exercises in the form of candidate and role player instructions and provides guidance on the completed exercises.

The research revolution in police work has uncovered a multitude of data, but this contemporary knowledge has done very little to change the way things are done in most police departments across the U.S., where the prevalent form of policing is based on the traditional model of district assignments and random preventive patrol. Mission-Based Policing unveils a new paradigm that transitions policing away from practices that while long-held, have inadequately dealt with serious crime. Drawn from the work of scholars on the cutting edge of police research, this volume argues for a radical shift in the way policing is approached. It provides concrete recommendations for the fundamental reorganization of the policing institution and presents a comprehensive planning regimen for urban problems that encompasses security, urban reinvestment, and public planning. Introducing an innovative, practical model for problem-oriented policing in high crime areas, the book uncovers: Contemporary problems in urban policing today Counter-insurgency strategy and how it might contribute to successful policing The five central principles of mission-based policing: focus, effectiveness, deployment, integrity, and mission's end The concept of logical lines of operation (LOOs): planning, security, establishing/restoring essential services, and rebuilding Strategies for police department reorganization guided by principles of mission-based policing Potential issues raised by the concept or applications of mission-based policing, including practicality, command problems, and perceived risks Outlining a specific methodology for police redeployment, the book highlights the importance of hot spot presence, command integrity, and fundamental organizational change that has as its end goal long term reduction in crime statistics through effective crime prevention practices.

This book illustrates the role that Private Security Companies (PSC) with 'Chinese characteristics' play in protecting people and property associated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The revival of the ancient Silk Road economic "belt," combined with the 21st Century sea lanes of communication known as the "road," is intended to enhance global connectivity and increase commercial activity. However, the socio-political risks associated with Chinese outbound direct investments are often overlooked. Terrorism, separatism, kidnapping and other risks are mostly new to Chinese companies, some of which are operating abroad for the first time. Economic globalization and the transnational exploitation of natural resources have increased the need for Chinese-owned PSCs in spite of the disdain for the profession of "a lance for hire." Due to peculiar geo-strategic and geo-economic features, the "belt" from Central Asia to Pakistan and the "road" from the Somali coast to the Strait of Malacca are characterized by a high level of insecurity. This book's focus on how the state's monopoly of force privatization can play a significant role in protecting the New Silk Road will be of interest to policymakers, journalists, and academics.

This book explores the mythology woven around the Soviet secret police and the Russian cult of state security that has emerged from it. Tracing the history of this mythology from the Soviet period through to its revival in contemporary post-Soviet Russia, the volume argues that successive Russian regimes have sponsored a cult' of state security, whereby security organs are held up as something to be worshipped. The book approaches the history of this cult as an ongoing struggle to legitimise and sacralise the Russian state security apparatus, and to negotiate its violent and dramatic past. It explores the ways in which, during the Soviet period, this mythology sought to make the existence of the most radically intrusive and powerful secret police in history appear natural'. It also documents the contemporary post-Soviet re-emergence of the cult of state security, examining the ways in which elements of the old Soviet mythology have been revised and reclaimed as the cornerstone of a new state ideology. The Russian cult of state security is of ongoing contemporary relevance, and is crucial for understanding not only the tragedies of Russia's twentieth-century history, but also the ambiguities of Russia's post-Soviet transition, and the current struggle to define Russia's national identity and future development. The book examines the ways in which contemporary Russian life continues to be shaped by the legacy of Soviet attitudes to state-society relations, as expressed in the reconstituted cult of state security. It investigates the shadow which the figure of the secret policeman continues to cast over Russia today. The book will be of great interest to students of modern Russian history and politics, intelligence studies and security studies, as well as readers with an interest in the KGB and its successors.

This book provides a highly readable account of police work. It builds upon Introduction to Police Work (Rogers and Lewis 2007) to provide a comprehensive, in depth and critical understanding of policing in today's diverse society.

Police Work: Principles and Practice meets the need for an increasingly sophisticated and professional approach to training within the police, whether this is carried out within police forces themselves or within higher education institutions. Written in an accessible style by current and former police practitioners and a nationally recognized expert on the National Intelligence Model, this book focuses ? in line with the government's agenda for workforce modernization ? on three key areas of policing: community, investigation and intelligence. It introduces readers to many important areas through the use of definition boxes, scenario boxes highlighting good practice, points to note boxes, flowcharts and diagrams as well as a wide range of questions and exercises to help apply their knowledge to different situations and scenarios.

This book will be essential reading for those on probationer training programmes and a valuable resource for students taking courses in policing and criminology more generally where an advanced level of understanding of the nature of police work is required.

This book describes the birth of the New Mexico Mounted Police in 1905 and tells the stories of the members of the original Mounties, starting with their first captain, John F. Fullerton. It details the many challenges of their first year of operation and offers an inside look at a territorial police force in action. Information drawn from personal interviews with ranger family members, Fullerton's personal papers and official Mounted Police records brings a wealth of detail to this story from New Mexico's rich history.

In the first half of nineteenth century France was characterized by extraordinary regional and linguistic diversity but the state increasingly became a central force in the lives of its citizens. One way that it did so was through its police force, which, as John Merriman details in this work, developed into a modern profession during this period. He describes the careers of policemen, how they were hired, the difficulties they faced and successes they enjoyed. Through the lives of these men, he shows how the political issues of the day, as well as incompetence and imprudence, could bring a sudden, inglorious end to their work in the police. His study of these men underscores how the police helped the state affirm its primacy, winning the allegiance, or at least the obedience, of the French people. Reconstructing events from police reports, Merriman chronicles the street life of Frances's growing towns and cities through the prism of the people who enforced its laws and maintained the peace. Police were on the scene to investigate suicides and deaths; break up workers' strikes and fights among brawling drunkards; adjudicate in cases of merchants cheating customers; deal with cases of missing persons; and control political militants. He also looks at their frequent encounters while policing outsiders, such as itinerant workers, beggars, bands of traveling thieves, prostitutes, and abandoned children. Based on a wealth of primary research from over seventy archives, Merriman offers an evocative Tour de France seen through the eyes of provincial policemen and the people they encountered on their rounds.