One Time: The Story of a South Central Los Angeles Police Officer

Book excerpt: A hardcore look into the mind of a patrol officer working in South Central Los Angeles. The author uses personal testimony to illustrate how "Da Hood" changed him from a "community base" police officer into an aggressive predator of gang members. The LAPD recruitment posters forgot to mention that he would be shot at, called an "Uncle Tom," and treated like an outsiders by his partners because he grew up and lived in the neighborhood he patrolled. The employment pamphlets failed to describe the helplessness he would feel while handling rape investigations or the sadness he would have to block out at homicide scenes. Nothing prepared him for what he would experience. His Bachelors degree did not prepare him for a career with the LAPD. Growing up with gang members did not prepare him for the streets as a cop. The only adequate preparation he had was his religious beliefs. He was prepared to die.