Description
Book SynopsisAn up-close account of policing during the Ferguson protests, providing insights from both police officers and members of the communityPolicing Unrest presents the frontline experiences of police officers during the intense three weeks of protest, vigils, looting, violence, and large civil demonstrations in and around Ferguson, Missouri, following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer. Looking closely at the lived experiences of police officers and community residents, Tammy Rinehart Kochel raises important questions about police-community relations and the role of police as peacekeepers in support of social justice. Drawing on interviews with dozens of police personnel who policed the protests, Kochel offers insight into their shared experiences and provides compelling personal accounts of how they performed their jobs during the protest. The book covers a range of topics such as police-community relationships and community policing principles; how factors such as
Trade ReviewPolicing unrest has become a key problem for American policing over the last decade, and one that has raised questions about the role of police in American society. This book is an essential read for anyone who wants to depart from the rhetoric and understand the problem from the perspectives of police and the community. * David Weisburd, co-editor of
Police Innovation: Contrasting Perspectives *
Policing Unrest is a significant and timely book that highlights the importance of addressing the Ferguson protests and the ongoing tensions between Black communities and law enforcement. Using both theoretical nuance and empirical evidence, Tammy Rinehart Kochel gives voice to both police officers and community residents to raise and deliberate policy questions about improving police-community relations. * Jennifer E. Cobbina, author of
Hands Up, Don't Shoot: Why the Protests in Ferguson and Baltimore Matter, and How They Changed America *
Kochel affords readers a vantage point on protests that they will not find in journalism or social media: that of officers who policed – and were the objects of – protests in Ferguson, Missouri. She adroitly weaves extant theory through new empirical evidence not only to tell the story of protest policing and its aftermath, but also to shine new light on core issues of policing through the prism of the protests and the larger crisis of police legitimacy. * Robert E. Worden, co-author of
Mirage of Police Reform: Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy *
