Breaking Rank





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.

2013 Events

June 14 – Richland, WA  Speech on Drugs & Guns, Tri-City Democrats

May 22 – Orcas Island, WA  Library-sponsored speech, “Community Policing in the 21st Century,” Orcas Center

May 21 – New Orleans Telephone interview with Mike Kunzelman, Associated Press

May 14 – Seattle  Email interview with Josh Feit, Founder and Editor, PubliCola

May 3 – San Francisco  Telephone interview with Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone

April 30 – Seattle  Telephone interview with Dan Restione, KIRO Radio

April 23 – NYC  Telephone interview with Blog Talk Radio, Progressive Democrats of America 

April 11 – Montpelier, VT  Telephone interview with Eric Blaisdell, Montpelier Times Argus

April 8 – Ashland, OR  Telephone interview with “Jefferson Exchange,” NPR

March 24 – Edmonds, WA  Rick Steves-hosted I-502 victory party, film preview, Edmonds home

March 13 – New York  Telephone interview with Steven Yoder, American Prospect

March 13 – San Francisco  Telephone interview with Holly Kernan, KALW FM

March 10 – Washington, D.C.  Telephone interview with Mark Levine, The Inside Scoop, 1480 AM Radio

March 8 – Seattle, WA  Telephone interview with John Carlson, KVI Radio

March 6 – Olympia, WA  Testify before House Judiciary Committee on the death penalty, on behalf of ACLU

March 6 – Olympia, WA  In-person interview with Essex Porter, KIRO TV

February 27 – London  Telephone interview with Hannah Shelley, Nutopia TV

February 20 – Loma Linda  Telephone interview with Kathleen Wells, KCAA Radio

February 17 – Houston  Telephone interview with Gus Lawrence, Justice Radio

February 15 – NYC  Skype TV interview with Amy Goodman and Juan González, Democracy Now

February 14 - Florida  Telephone interview with Brian Thornsburgh, Rock N Talk with the Daniels

January 31 – Seattle  E-mail interview with Joel Connelly, SeattlePI.Com

January 16 – Orcas Island  In-person interview with Bruce Frankel, Senior New York Producer, French Television 1/TFI

January 11 – Seattle  Telephone interview with Ross Reynolds, KUOW

January 11 – Orcas Island  Photo shoot for Shakespeare Festival, Eastsound, WA

January 10 – Orcas Island  In-person interview with Jeff Burnside, KOMO TV, Seattle

January 10 – Seattle  Telephone interview with Lizz Sommars, The Mountain 103.7 FM

January 8 - Seattle  Telephone interview on “Problem Oriented Policing” with Claudia Gross-Shader, City Auditor’s Office