Michael W. Quinn’s new book, Walking With the Devil: The Police Code of Silence, is a must-read for every ethical person involved with the legal system. Quinn writes in vivid street-cop language, compelling police recuits’—and our—attention with gritty adrenaline-laced descriptions of the life-and-death, “slippery with blood and sweat” survival-mode situations in which gut instincts—“amygdala hijackings”—propel even the most ethical cops into difficult battles with the Code of Silence, the implicit rule that a cop never ‘snitches’ on another cop. When he has our attention, he leads us through the “terrible internal struggles” of honesty and ethics. Quinn is bluntly honest about “cop culture” and institutional pressures toward corruption, including “creative report writing” and “testilying.” Quinn guides his readers into a gut-level understanding of real-life ethics. He addresses the criminally-serious problems detailed in his book, describing outstanding successes of two police units he supervised, “that refused to use the Code,” and debunks the ‘top ten’ “Myths of Policing.” The Police Code of Silence is a profoundly power- ful text book. When studied with the dedicated seriousness of a police recruit at the Academy, Michael Quinn’s teaching builds and strengthens ethics beyond abstract intellectual knowledge, into the very fibers of one’s being. Even in those of us who believe ourselves to deeply ethical, Quinn’s book can awaken and nurture a deeper understanding of ethics as a vital part of life in every moment.
As OFFICERS we have taken an oath to protect and serve. As PEACE OFFICERS we willingly lay our lives on the line. As DEPUTIES, we have sworn to protect those in our custody. As TROOPERS, we have sworn to keep our highways safe. As SPECIAL AGENTS, we have sworn to uphold the constitution. As GUARDS, we protect each other against men and women convicted of the most heinous crimes. Yet, we did nothing when we saw others involved in criminal or unethical behavior. We don t rat on other officers on other peace officers on other deputies on other troopers on other agents on other guards There is a code of silence in the criminal justice system that infects all levels, and the cost in lives destroyed or lost is enormous. It is not an infection we can cure, but it is an infection we can fight, by making a commitment to protect each other against ourselves as well as others.