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Breaking Rank
A Top Cop's Exposé of the
Dark Side of American Policing
Norm Stamper
Norm Stamper, former chief of the Seattle Police force, has written a story like no other. Part memoir, part polemic, Stamper exposes the unvarnished truth — both disturbing and inspiring — about policing in America today.
Opening with a powerful letter to former Tacoma police chief David Brame, who shot his estranged wife before turning the gun on himself, Stamper introduces us to the violent, secret world of domestic abuse that cops must not only navigate, but which some also perpetrate. Stamper goes on to expose a troubling culture of racism, sexism, and homophobia that is still pervasive within the 21st century force, exploring how such prejudices can be addressed. He reveals the dangers and temptations that cops on the street face, describing in gripping detail their split second life-and-death decisions.
2010 Events
October 21 – November 7 (three weekends) – Seattle “Brilliant Traces,” Play by Cindy Lou Johnson, Richard Hugo House
October 14-16 – Orcas Island “Brilliant Traces,” Play by Cindy Lou Johnson, Orcas Grange
August 2 – New York National telephone news conference on legalization of marijuana, GOTV
July 23 – Seattle Interview for documentary on police handling of mentally ill persons with filmmaker Dan Filbin
July 8 – Washington, DC Telephone interview with Phil Smith, Drug War Chronicle
July 7 – Bellingham, Washington Radio interview with Joe Teehan, KGMI FM
June 23 – Orcas Island, Ferry Landing Interview with Robert Shaffer, Fox News TV
June 3 – Sydney, Australia Telephone interview with James Adonis, Fairfax Media
May 24 – Bellevue, Washington Radio interview with Karl Baker, KBCS FM
May 19 – Los Angeles Radio interview with KPFK, “Connect the Dots”
May 19 – Santa Cruz, California Radio interview with Brad Kava, KSCO
May 19 – Santa Maria Radio interview with Andy Caldwell Show, KUHL -AM
May 13 – San Diego Telephone interview with Keegan Kyle, Voice of San Diego
May 10 – Seattle Telephone interview with Elliot Donohue
May 7 – New York Telephone interview with journalist and author Greg Campbell
May 4 – Sydney, Australia Internet interview with Andrew Potts, DNA Magazine
April 23-24 – University of Washington, Seattle Panel presentations to “War & Global Health Conference”
April 20 – Central Washington University, Ellensburg Speech: ”Ending the Drug War, One Initiative at a Time”
April 20 – Houston Radio interview with Dean Becker, “A Century of Lies,” KPFT – FM
April 19 – Seattle Participation in one-day internet “Questionland,” The Stranger
April 13 – St. Louis, MO Radio Interview with McGraw Milhaven Show, KTRS – AM
March 26 – New York Telephone interview with Andrew Purcell for Herald Scotland
March 16 – Phoenix, AZ Radio Interview with Jeff Farias
March 15 – Osage Beach, MO Radio Interview with KRMS 1150-AM
March 12 – Orcas Island Reading, Dana Hufford Book Club
March 5 – San Diego Telephone Interview with Frank Green, Counterpunch
February 23 – California Telephone Interview with Paul Weinberg, Digital Communities
February 22 – Montreal Telephone Interview with Chad Nance, Political Editor, Skunk Magazine
February 19 – Washington, D.C. Presentation to, participation in “Justice in America” Conference
February 1 – Doe Bay, Orcas Island Reading, Artsmith Salon
January 27 – Kansas City, MO. Radio Interview with “Vibes With Val,” 90.1 FM Kansas City, MO
January 15 – Seattle Telephone Interview with Cydney Gillis, Real Change
January 14 – Seattle Town Hall, Elliott Bay Books, Introduction of Gabor Maté
January 14 – Seattle Interview with Penny LeGate, CTV, The Seattle Channel
January 13 – Seattle Telephone Interview with Bob Rivers, CBS Radio
January 13 – Seattle Interview with Bob Restione, KIRO Radio
January 10 – Friday Harbor, WA Presentation to Soroptimist of Friday Harbor, San Juan County Library, and Amnesty International, “Human Trafficking”
January 6 – Sammamish, WA Interview with Kellie Standish, Eastside Catholic High School