Policing in America provides a comprehensive overview of the state of policing today. Written by an experienced author (Bartollas) with a practitioner (Hahn), this book brings an ideal mix of the academic and the practical to the subject of policing.

This text has three particularly intriguing features. First, it will appeal to students through the authors' readable writing style and use of human interest stories. Its excellent coverage of such important topics as police stress, police corruption, excessive and deadly force, constitutional law and suspects' rights will capture students' attention and interest.

Second, the contextual analysis of policing in the United States makes this book an excellent teaching tool. In every chapter, there is an effort to place the role and functions of the police in context, whether it is historical, sociocultural, legal, political, or economic. This wide range of contexts provides students with a complete picture of policing as it relates to various aspects of daily life.

Third, integrity is emphasized throughout the text. In the midst of police deviancy and the credibility it rightfully costs the police, increasing numbers of the police force recognize the importance of integrity as a new mission of the police. The media's extensive coverage of police deviance has provided the public with an overwhelmingly negative view of police integrity; in this text, students are given a glimpse at the other side.