Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America

An important, thoroughly researched and persuasive book about the institutionalized violence of the state.

Very Thorough Research. This book both predates and succeeds (and even cites) Radley Balko's stronger work RISE OF THE WARRIOR COP: THE MILITARIZATION OF AMERICA'S POLICE FORCES. While it cites volumes more incidents than Balko's work, and is thus very illuminating because of it, this book has a fatal flaw that is lacking in Balko's work - namely, that it constantly comes at the issue of police brutality as a form of racial and/ or class warfare/ oppression. Its discussions of Anarchism and the optimal state of having no police force whatsoever is great (and lacking in Balko's work), but that strength isn't enough to overcome the flaw of being so hyper-biased throughout. Still, like Michelle Alexander's THE NEW JIM CROW (which this book also cites), this book - initially written roughly 8 yrs before Balko's, and updated 3 yrs after Balko's - is a GREAT read for any who seek the truth that in America, police truly are the enemy of us all.