Craig Paterson, Carol A. Archbold. Book Review of Policing: A Text/Reader, Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2013, Pages 336–337, https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pat018
Navbar Search Filter Mobile Enter search term Search Navbar Search Filter Enter search term SearchPolicing: A Text/Reader by Carol A. Archbold provides a comprehensive introduction to the role of the police in the USA and utilizes a novel text/reader structure. The book is predominantly designed for police and criminal justice students and can be read as an introductory guide to the role and function of police officers and their relationship with civil society. The book utilizes a panoramic approach to introduce readers to concepts and ideas that they are able to pursue and study via signposts to relevant literature. The overall structure is clear and the use of discussion questions and extensive resource lists provides plenty of help for trainers and educators alike. Most usefully, a single section for students is dedicated to ‘How to read a research article’ in preparation for the text/reader approach. However, the broad brush approach can be frustrating. Parts of the text are overly descriptive and important areas lack depth. Following on from this, some of the recommended literature is a bit dated and symptomatic of an emphasis on empiricism, ahead of theory and explanation.