April begins with Memoirs and Fiction

Editor's Note: One of the authors is former military

Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Leading off the April 2007 additions to the site are two police officers who have written their memoirs as cops; and, one who has written a work of fiction.

In August of 1940, James N. Reaves was sworn in as a police officer for the Philadelphia Police Department. At that time, he was one of the very few African American’s on the department. Writing about Reaves’ book, Black Cops, his publisher said, “There was a swearing in ceremony at City Hall with lots of smiles, handshakes, & photographs, but then Reaves had to report to his new street sergeant, a man who was, of course, White. The sergeant glanced at Reaves coldly, gave him a quick scan up & down, & then said something for which Reaves would never forgive him. "My God," the sergeant hissed, "it gets worse." Reaves shook off the insult & persevered through a remarkable forty-year police career. From walking a beat to protect businesses that wouldn't serve Blacks--while other cops rode in the comfort of White-only patrol cars--to the upper echelons of the department as Philadelphia's first Black police captain, James Reaves saw it all, & now he is going on the record with his story.”

RJ Rice was a police officer for the Philadelphia Police Department for 28 years. His book, I Do Solemnly Swear, is a collection of individual stories about actual events from his career. Speaking about his book, Rice said, “It demonstrates how quickly a quiet moment can turn into a life and death struggle and how police officers must decide in a heart - beat what actions to take. Their decision may define the rest of their careers and their lives as well as the lives of the public they serve.”

Robert Yantorno is a police sergeant with the Narberth Borough Police Department (Pennsylvania). In 1980, after his military service, Robert Yantorno began his law enforcement career. His law enforcement career was briefly interrupted between 1983 and 1985 when he fought as a professional boxer. He is a motor officer, currently assigned as a patrol sergeant. According to his book, Brutal Mercies, explores “the secretive world of the police force and the intimate relationships that lie beneath are exposed as the reader finds themselves entrenched in a world of fear, pain, pride and despair.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 435 police officers (representing 191 police departments) and their 915 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.