Law & Disorder Garners Kudos from New York Times
NJCU History Professor Bruce Chadwick earned praise for his new book, Law & Disorder: The Chaotic Birth of the NYPD (St. Martin鈥檚 Press, 2017) in the New York Times Book Review.
Detailing New York City鈥檚 early, uncomfortable relationship with organized law enforcement, Chadwick鈥檚 book explores the evolution of the police force from the 1840s to the 1870s. It was an era when police tactics lurched from one extreme to another鈥攆rom ineffectual public safety constables, to head-cracking thugs, to the professional Civil Service force that ultimately found the proper balance to effectively protect and serve.
鈥淎nyone like me who relishes New York history will enjoy this highlight reel,鈥 New York Times Metro Editor Wendell Jamieson writes. 鈥淎ll the big stories, places and characters of those days are here鈥擩ames Gordon Bennett and the penny press, the Five Points, Walt Whitman, Horace Greeley, the Astor Place riot, Boss Tweed, the Helen Jewett murder, the death of 鈥榯he beautiful cigar girl,鈥 to name a few.鈥
Chadwick, a former crime reporter for the New York Daily News, is the author of 29 books including James and Dolley Madison, Lincoln for President, Triumvirate, and 1858. He is also a sought after public speaker, lecturing on the history of crime and forensics.
Read the review here: