NYPD Green
A Memoir
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4.9 • 9 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
In this “inspiring inside tour of the human toll, and the satisfactions of becoming a cop” (The New York Times), Irish immigrant and retired NYPD homicide detective Luke Waters takes us inside the New York City police department and offers a glimpse at the grit, the glory, and the sometimes darker side of the police force.
Growing up in the rough outskirts of northern Dublin at a time when joining the guards, the army, or the civil service was the height of most parents’ ambitions for their children, Luke Waters knew he was destined for a career in some sort of law enforcement. Dreaming of becoming a police officer, Waters immigrated to the United States in search of better employment opportunities and joined the NYPD.
Despite a successful career with one of the most formidable and revered police forces in the world, Waters’s reality as a cop in New York was a far cry from his fantasy of serving and protecting his community. Over the course of a career spanning more than twenty years—from rookie to lead investigator, during which time he saw New York transform from the crack epidemic of the nineties to the low crime stats of today—Waters discovered that both sides of the law were entrenched in crooked culture.
Balanced with wit and humor, NYPD Green features colorful characters Waters has met along the way as well as a “surprisingly frank” (Kirkus Reviews) and critical look at the darker side of police work. A multifaceted and engaging narrative about the immigrant experience in America, Waters’s story is also one of personal growth, success, and disillusionment—a rollicking journey through the day-to-day in the New York Police Department.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Waters writes about life as an Irish immigrant and N.Y.C. cop in this tone-deaf memoir. He first came to the Big Apple in 1985 and worked illegally as a bartender. To achieve his dream of becoming a policeman, he lied to an official at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin in order to receive his visa and then relied on an underground political operative in New York to obtain official U.S. citizenship. Given his admission of those facts, it's unclear why Waters was surprised to learn that some of his fellow cops dealt drugs on the side. Waters, now retired, seems numb to his tales of greed, corruption, and violence including the case of a 14-year-old girl who threw her newborn baby daughter out an apartment window, or the man who killed his mother and brother, severed their body parts, loaded them into a shopping cart, and dumped them in the Harlem River. Waters's nonchalant reporting provides stark contrast to the wise-guy tone he uses when re-creating scenes involving himself. He does, however, draw attention to important pay and apathy issues within the New York Police Department, and his account of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath makes for riveting reading.
Customer Reviews
Great Book!
Detective Walters, thank you for writing such a good book. I 100% enjoyed all aspects of this book.