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Norm Stamper, former chief of the Seattle Police force, has written a story like no other. Part-memoir, part polemic, Stamper exposes the unvarnished truth — both disturbing and inspiring — about policing in America today.
Breaking Rank
A Top Cop's Exposé
of the Dark Side of American Policing
Norm Stamper
Norm Stamper began his law enforcement career in San Diego in 1966 as a beat cop. In 1994, he was named chief of the Seattle Police Department, where he set about implementing many of the initiatives he writes about in Breaking Rank.
Retiring in 2000, he now lives in a cabin on a mountain in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. He is currently writing a novel, between trips to San Diego to visit his son Matt, daughter-in-law Lisa, and twin granddaughters Danielle and Lauren.
To contact the author:
Jaime Leifer
Publicity Director, Nation Books
212.340.8161 / jaime.leifer@perseusbooks.com
For Media Requests:
Darby Beck
darby.beck@leap.cc
Opening with a powerful letter to former Tacoma police chief David Brame, who shot his estranged wife before turning the gun on himself, Stamper introduces us to the violent, secret world of domestic abuse that cops must not only navigate, but which some also perpetrate. Stamper goes on to expose a troubling culture of racism, sexism, and homophobia that is still pervasive within the 21st century force, exploring how such prejudices can be addressed. He reveals the dangers and temptations that cops on the street face, describing in gripping detail their split second life-and-death decisions.