In one of the most illuminating portraits of police work ever, Chief Charles Campisi describes the inner workings of the worldās largest police force and his unprecedented career putting bad cops behind bars. āCompelling, educational, memorableā¦this superb memoir can be read for its sheer entertainment or as a primer on police workāor bothā (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
From 1996 to 2014 Charles Campisi headed NYPDās Internal Affairs Bureau, working under four police commissioners and gaining a reputation as hard-nosed and incorruptible. During Campisiās IAB tenure, the number of New Yorkers shot, wounded, or killed by cops every year declined by ninety percent, and the number of cops failing integrity tests shrank to an equally startling low. But to achieve those exemplary results, Campisi had to triple IABās staff, hire the very best detectives, and put the word out that corruption wouldnāt be tolerated.
Blue on Blue provides āa rare glimpse inside one of the most secretive branches of policingā¦and a compelling, behind-the-scenes account of what it takes to investigate police officers who cross the line between guardians of the public to criminals. Itās a mesmerizing exposĆ© on the harsh realities and complexities of being a cop on the mean streets of New York City and the challenges of enforcing the law while at the same time obeying itā (The New York Journal of Books). Campisi allows us to listen in on wiretaps and feel the adrenaline rush of drawing in the net. It also reveals new threats to the force, such as the possibility of infiltration by terrorists.
āA lively memoir [told with] verve, intriguing detail, and a generous heartā (The Wall Street Journal) and āan expose of the NYPDās Internal Affairs Bureaus [that is] enlightening and entertainingā (The New York Times Book Review), Blue on Blue will forever change the way you view police work.