America has a love/hate relationship with its police departments. Those departments are reviled when they abuse their power, but are embraced during crises. Using excerpts of interviews with twenty-six chiefs of police, Isenberg examines and analyzes various aspects of the role of the police in our democratic society. The firsthand insights offered by those interviewed gives the work a more immediate, personal feel than one typically finds in a text on criminal justice. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)