The book seeks to bridge the gap between the average citizen's perception of police work and the day-to-day reality of life as a cop. It reveals the inner dynamics of a secretive, fraternal society that will do almost anything to protect itself. The book claims that the strong bonds of loyalty among police officers inspire individual acts of heroism in the face of danger, but also repress full disclosure of the truth when corruption or abuse of power are suspected. The book evaluates sweeps, roundups, sting operations, racial profiling, and the politics of law enforcement. It critically examines the excesses, abuses and corruption of the New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis police forces, among others, offering insights into what went wrong in the infamous Louima and Diallo cases. The book's major criticism is directed against American society's ruling elites and the middle class, who give police the unmistakable message that the underclass must be kept down and property owners protected at all costs. It charges that the heart of the problems of crime and police abuse is the country's tacitly accepted class structure, separating the privileged from the poor, and systemic racism. The book contains proposals on how to make the police more ethical and effective. Notes, index