Overview

From 1920 to 1970, detectives were the dominant force in American urban police departments. In American Detective, Thomas A. Reppetto examines detective bureaus rather than just individual detectives. Each chapter offers a behind-the-scenes look at detective bureaus, embryonic or fully formed, in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Boston, the FBI and the Texas Rangers. From grisly murders to high-stake heists, political crimes to high-profile kidnappings, Reppetto takes readers on a journey through criminal justice history in the United States and shows how detectives played a major role in each case. Beginning with the invention of the detective in the mid-nineteenth century, Reppetto profiles famous sleuths throughout time, such as private detective chiefs Allan Pinkerton and William Burns, top commanders like Thad Brown of L.A., public safety director Elliott Ness of Cleveland, and America's ""top cop"" J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI, to name a few. Detectives were the city's watchdog before the entire police department took over in the late 19th century to make the city ""safe."" A solid case for the reinstatement of detectives' original primary function in police departments, Reppetto's book shatters the present-day policing system we take for granted.

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9781640120228

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Tom Reppetto has given us another comprehensive and well written account about law enforcement in AmericanDetective. From the early days, when the art of detective work was pioneered by the likes of private businessman Allan Pinketon and NYPD inspector Thomas Byrne, to the changes wrought on policing in the twenty-first century, Reppetto has woven a tapestry about great investigations that should be required reading for all aspiring police officers. --Anthony M. DeStefano, author of The Last Godfather and The Big Heist: The Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder --Anthony M. DeStefano (09/21/2017) Anyone who likes a good detective story will be captivated by the suspenseful and chilling yarns Thomas Reppetto weaves in American Detective. And, most compelling of all, his exciting stories are true! --Howard Blum, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Goodnight and Dark Invasion --Howard Blum (09/15/2017) Tom Reppetto probably knows more about American policing than anyone else alive. American Detective, which involves celebrated cases from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, reflects this knowledge. Whether it's the Lindbergh baby kidnapping or Judge Crater's disappearance, readers will learn things they never knew before. --Leonard Levitt, author of NYPD Confidential and Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder--Leonard Levitt (09/15/2017)

Author Information

Thomas A. Reppetto is a former commander of detectives in the Chicago Police Department. After earning a doctorate from Harvard University he served as professor, dean, and vice president at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. From 1979 to 2005 he was the head of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City and was named New York State Governor’s Law Enforcement Executive of the Year in 1986. His books include American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power and Battleground New York City: Countering Spies, Saboteurs, and Terrorists since 1861 (Potomac Books, 2012), among others.  

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