What It's Like to Be a Cop

In 2016, Georgetown University Law Professor Rosa Brooks joined the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department as a reserve officer. She served part-time from 2016 to 2020 and wrote a book about her experiences, Tangled Up in Blue. Find out why patrol officers avoid kitchens, why they discourage suspects from sitting on sofas, and why they clank when they walk. Prof. Brooks argues that police officers face real but exaggerated threats to their personal safety, and she attributes much of their behavior, good and bad, to the expectations of politicians and constituents. Recorded on April 18, 2024