Anyone interested in understanding American policing in 2021 should read Twentieth-Century Influences on Twenty-First-Century Policing. Professor Cooper explains the current state-of-affairs in policing through a historical lens that both links past to present and charts a course forward. This important book is as much about the present and future of policing as it is about the past.

Michael White, Arizona State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice

The revised edition of Twentieth-Century Influences on Twenty-first Century Policing is a must-read for students of police history and how it continues to impact policing today. Cooper uses contemporary conflicts between the police and minority communities, which have dominated the media, and contextualizes them within the broader history of policing and provides potential solutions to these problems. While readers may disagree with Cooper’s conclusions, he does the heavy lifting by providing readers with a concise review of a long body of literature to help readers understand how many of our nation’s past policing problems continue to plague us today. Twentieth-Century Influences on Twenty-first Century Policing will be of interest to students, academics, and members of the media who are interested in a contemporary and thoughtful discussion on the historical relationship between the police and the public, how far the police have come, and how far they still have to go.

Charles Katz, Arizona State University