"It pulls no punches, shuns no controversial topic, and glosses over no issues or problems that beset America's law enforcement community in our day. For those who may be prone to suspect the motives of these self-confessed lovers of cops and warriors, the title of this book'should be sufficient to allay such concerns." John C. Hall, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI (Retd.), from the Foreword Virtuous Policing: Bridging America's Gulf Between Police and Populace is a vigorous assessment and commentary on governmental uses of force, whether by civilian law enforcement officers in the United States or by military service members overseas. In the wake of recent controversies such as events in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, this book presents strategies to ease rising tensions in citizen law enforcement relations. The book particularly addresses the growing division between members of the police and citizenry due to a number of factors, including the effects of some press members who are more interested in cultivating sensational stories of "rogue" cops than in discovering and disseminating facts. Also, with the abundance of information true and false available on the Internet and the increasing utilization of social media, technology contributes to the rising friction between citizens and police. Rather than make unrealistic arguments for curtailing media and technology, it suggests solutions that are reasonable, practical, and, most importantly, peaceful. The authors examine law enforcement policies, procedures, and leadership methods in relation to four cardinal virtues: self-control, justice, competency, and moral courage. Case studies illustrate ethical, legal, psychological, and tactical issues that law enforcement and the military have to address in establishing and maintaining good and peaceable governance. With an eye toward minimizing or avoiding future violent confrontations between citizens and those

In Religion in the Public Square, James M. Patterson considers religious leaders who popularized theology through media campaigns designed to persuade the public. Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rev. Jerry Falwell differed profoundly on issues of theology and politics, but they shared an approach to public ministry that aimed directly at changing how Americans understood the nature and purpose of their country. From the 1930s through the 1950s, Sheen was an early adopter of paperbacks, radio, and television to condemn totalitarian ideologies and to defend American Catholicism against Protestant accusations of divided loyalty. During the 1950s and 1960s, King staged demonstrations and boycotts that drew the mass media to him. The attention provided him the platform to preach Christian love as a political foundation in direct opposition to white supremacy. Falwell started his own church, which he developed into a mass media empire. He then leveraged it during the late 1970s through the 1980s to influence the Republican Party by exhorting his audience to not only ally with religious conservatives around issues of abortion and the traditional family but also to vote accordingly. Sheen, King, and Falwell were so successful in popularizing their theological ideas that they won prestigious awards, had access to presidents, and witnessed the results of their labors. However, Patterson argues that Falwell's efforts broke with the longstanding refusal of religious public figures to participate directly in partisan affairs and thereby catalyzed the process of politicizing religion that undermined the Judeo-Christian consensus that formed the foundation of American politics.

"It pulls no punches, shuns no controversial topic, and glosses over no issues or problems that beset America's law enforcement community in our day. For those who may be prone to suspect the motives of these self-confessed lovers of cops and warriors, the title of this book...should be sufficient to allay such concerns." -John C. Hall, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI (Retd.), from the Foreword Virtuous Policing: Bridging America's Gulf Between Police and Populace is a vigorous assessment and commentary on governmental uses of force, whether by civilian law enforcement officers in the United States or by military service members overseas. In the wake of recent controversies such as events in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, this book presents strategies to ease rising tensions in citizen-law enforcement relations. The book particularly addresses the growing division between members of the police and citizenry due to a number of factors, including the effects of some press members who are more interested in cultivating sensational stories of "rogue" cops than in discovering and disseminating facts. Also, with the abundance of information-true and false-available on the Internet and the increasing utilization of social media, technology contributes to the rising friction between citizens and police. Rather than make unrealistic arguments for curtailing media and technology, it suggests solutions that are reasonable, practical, and, most importantly, peaceful. The authors examine law enforcement policies, procedures, and leadership methods in relation to four cardinal virtues: self-control, justice, competency, and moral courage. Case studies illustrate ethical, legal, psychological, and tactical issues that law enforcement and the military have to address in establishing and maintaining good and peaceable governance. With an eye toward minimizing or avoiding future violent confrontations between citizens and those who have sworn to protect them, Virtuous Policing makes recommendations on how law enforcement and military leaders can better train and lead their subordinates. It provides legitimate leadership guidance and peaceful solutions to the growing gap between America's citizenry and its police.