Here's another email from a retired police officer in response to my book, and an accompanying article I wrote here at HuffPost:
Although I haven't read your book yet, I'll be downloading it to my Kindle soon, your article on HuffPo really hit me.
I'm a retired police lieutenant, first woman police officer in my community, also a Army Veteran. I knew I was book smart, backed with a 4.1 at the academy, as well as years in college. It was just the unknown if I could survive street duty with male officers who pretty much informed me that I was their enemy. You pretty much hit on everything that ran though my mind when I dealt with officers who had this warrior state of mind, especially when none of them had the military experience I had . . .
. . . I can understand the thin blue line you are hitting with the LEOs and LEAs on your book. I've dealt with it first hand as a woman officer. They made my life hell . . . I've even arrested one of my own for domestic violence, and refused orders from my previous lieutenant, who wanted me to ignore state domestic violence laws. It's tough dealing with this attitude, but when you consider it the right fight, you learn to deal with them and face it head on. Fortunately for me, when my county's sheriff found out that they were purposefully putting my life in danger on bad calls, he ordered his deputies to come and back me up, no matter what.
So there are other good cops who feel the same way, that these are communities of citizens with rights, and should be treated as such. But I did just want to take this time to tell you I am very glad to see a book that addresses this issue, it's long overdue.
This former officer asked that I not included her name. I previously posted some email feedback from former cops here.
HuffPost writer and investigative reporter Radley Balko is also the author of the new book, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces.