BOOT: An LAPD Officer's Rookie Year

The Rodney King incident and the OJ Simpson trial brought the LAPD national notoriety as a municipal police force that was out-of-synch with the city it polices. But is this force of 9,000 men and women really made up of mavericks, miscreants and rogues? In this revised edition of a true-crime classic, rookie police officer William Dunn takes you inside that other LAPD, one where hard-working, sometimes all-too-human beat cops battle to do their job protecting and serving the average citizen; all the while dealing with dangerous, albeit often colorful, criminals.Set during three of the city's most turbulent years in the middle of one of its most impoverished, and violent, policing divisions (Southwest Station), Los Angeles as seen through the eyes of rookie Officer Dunn is a potentially volatile, constantly changing landscape. To be a good cop, and survive the experience, Dunn quickly learns from some unforgettable teachers how to lay down the law on the streets. Dunn's dispatches from the frontlines of LA are dramatic, humorous and touching. His insights and history into street gangs such as the Crips, the Bloods, and the notorious La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) street gang/murder cult are compelling and informative. Every day there is another drive-by shooting, high-speed chase or just downright bizarre situation to be dealt with. Dunn offers some of the most compelling insights into the challenges facing a young street cop - and the way we keep peace in America's most dangerous policing districts.