Becoming New York's Finest

After excluding women and African Americans from its ranks for most of its history, the New York City Police Department undertook an aggressive campaign of integration following World War II. This is the first comprehensive account of how and why the NYPD came to see integration as a highly coveted political tool, indispensable to policing.

'This hard-hitting and timely book is directly relevant to current controversies about policing. It tells a surprising story about the culture and politics of police forces, backed by superb research and told in an accessible and lively manner. I hope it will be widely read.' - Linda Gordon, Florence Kelley Professor of History, New York University, USA

Autorentext

Andrew Darien is Associate Professor of History at Salem State University, USA, where he teaches courses in modern United States History and Oral History. He has published widely on civil rights, New York history, and oral history.

Inhalt
PART I: DESEGREGATION AND DOMESTICITY, 1935-1963 1. Meritocracy and the Illusion of Color-Blindness 2. The Alter Ego of the Patrolman PART II: CIVIL RIGHTS AND FEMINISM, 1964-1972 3. Harlem and Civilian Review 4: Ladies on Patrol 5. Soul Brother or Policeman? PART III: BLUE-COLLAR BACKLASH, 1968-1980 6. The Silent Majority Strikes Back 7. Welcome to Fear City: Last Hired, First Fired