Name: The End of Policing
ISBN: 9781839763786

Alex Vitale

The End of Policing

Alex S. Vitale

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER The problem is not overpolicing, it is policing itself. Why we need to defund the police and how we get there. Recent weeks have seen an explosion of protest against police brutality and repression. Among activists, journalists and politicians, the conversation about how to respond and improve policing has focused on accountability, diversity, training, and community relations. Unfortunately, these reforms will not produce results, either alone or in combination. The core of the problem must be addressed: the nature of modern policing itself. This book attempts to spark public discussion by revealing the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control. It shows how the expansion of police authority is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice— even public safety. Drawing on groundbreaking research from across the world, and covering virtually every area in the increasingly broad range of police work, Alex Vitale demonstrates how law enforcement has come to exacerbate the very problems it is supposed to solve. In contrast, there are places where the robust implementation of policing alternatives—such as legalization, restorative justice, and harm reduction—has led to a decrease in crime, spending, and injustice. The best solution to bad policing may be an end to policing.

Gelaine Trinidad

Defund the police. I recommend this book to those who want to dig deeper into this movement. It contains various examples on the failures of policing (e.g. criminalization of homelessness, sex workers, gangs, etc.). An eye-opening read that taught me how past police reforms are not good enough of a solution anymore. This book also talks about better alternatives such as improving housing and access to social, health, recreational, and education services instead of continuously finding ways to further subsidize inequality. I'm glad I read it.

Liyah 🤎

Makes a really compelling case for the abolition of police. Everyone should read this book.

John Manoogian III

eileen sheats

Good book with many solid arguments, but slightly misleading. The title implies that the author is an abolitionist; the conclusion reveals they are merely a reformist.

Elena Kuran

“American police function, despite whatever good intentions they have, as a tool for managing deeply entrenched inequalities in a way that systematically produces injustices for the poor, socially marginal, and nonwhite.” 

Reforming an institution that is functioning exactly how it's meant to will not work. This book serves as a concise introduction to defunding, disarming, and demilitarizing the police.

Freso

I really enjoyed reading this book. It gives a great overview of the history of police and policing in the US (and touches on it in other places, such as the UK) as well as specifically covers policing in a number of different areas, such as homelessness, drugs, sex work, and political activity/repression.

I’d highly recommend anyone interested or engaging in this topic (regardless of stance) to read this. My only gripe is that the author seems a bit lib in recognising a lot of the fundamental flaws/errors in policing, but seemingly coming out the other side recommending reforms rather than abolition. Baby steps, I guess.

How the police endanger us and why we need to find an alternative Recent years have seen an explosion of protest and concern about police brutality and repression—especially after long-held grievances in Ferguson, Missouri, erupted in months of violent protest following the police killing of Brown. Much of the conversation has focused on calls for enhancing police accountability, increasing police diversity, improving police training, and emphasizing community policing. Unfortunately, none of these is likely to produce results, because they fail to get at the core of the problem. The problem is policing itself—the dramatic expansion of the police role over the last forty years. This book attempts to jog public discussion of policing by revealing the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control and demonstrating how the expanded role of the police is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice—even public safety. Drawing on first-hand research from across the globe, Alex Vitale shows how the implementation of alternatives to policing, like drug legalization, regulation, and harm reduction instead of the policing of drugs, has led to reductions in crime, spending, and injustice.

alina s

damn I’m too stupid to read this 200 pg book quickly, but it’s some good shit. 

ps. if someone tries to tell me we need the police at a party or something, they got another thing coming. i have so many stats to shut their ass down!!!

Sam O'Leary

Very relevant for understanding what's happening in the US currently. 

Each chapter can be read as a standalone explanation of why policing is the wrong approach for various 'problems' from homelessness and sex workers to drugs and protests.

Defund the police.

Katrina White

** spoiler alert **
           Great starting point for someone who is new to the idea of defunding the police and reallocating those funds to social workers, mental health professionals, housing initiatives, restorative justice programs, addiction programs, and the like. The author fills this book with studies and stats to backup his assertions. Alex Vitale provides a basic outline for ending policing as we know it. The only two reasons for the star off is because the information was presented in a very dry matter of fact way. And the narrator of the aidiobook did nothing to make that better.

The End of Policing

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