400 Things Cops Know: Street-Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman -- Adam Plan

<p><b>The new bible for crime writers. --<i>The Wall Street Journal</i></b><p>How does it feel to be in a high-speed car chase? What is it like to shoot someone? What do cops really think about the citizens they serve? Nearly everyone has wondered what it's like to be a police officer, but no civilian really understands what happens on the job. <b><i>400 Things Cops Know</i></b> shows police work on the inside, from the viewpoint of the regular cop on the beat--a profession that can range from rewarding to bizarre to terrifying, all within the course of an eight-hour shift. Written by veteran police sergeant Adam Plantinga, <b><i>400 Things Cops Know</i></b> brings the reader into life the way cops experience it--a life of danger, frustration, occasional triumph, and plenty of grindingly hard routine work.</p><p>In a laconic, no-nonsense, dryly humorous style, Plantinga tells what he's learned from 13 years as a patrolman, from the everyday to the exotic--how to know at a glance when a suspect is carrying a weapon or is going to attack, how to kick a door down, how to drive in a car chase without recklessly endangering the public, why you should always carry cigarettes, even if you don't smoke (offering a smoke is the best way to lure a suicide to safety), and what to do if you find a severed limb (don't put it on ice--you need to keep it dry.)</p><p><b><i>400 Things Cops Know</i></b> deglamorizes police work, showing the gritty, stressful, sometimes disgusting reality of li