A former chief of the Seattle Police Force and deputy chief of the San Diego Police Department has written a story unlike any other. Part memoir, part polemic on the state of policing in America, "Breaking Rank" offers a riveting story told from the perspective of one of America's top cops on the street.

There's only one thing that keeps people and nations back... It's a story that explains who they are, what they can and cannot do. Breaking Rank helps you to understand the mind and unlock people's true potential." Back Cover: How can you motivate people and empower them to make better choices, when stories about their social rank have imprisoned their minds? How can people’s mindset not only negatively influence their own well-being and wealth, but also that of an entire society? This book provides a fresh perspective on the answers, as well as the tools to change that mindset. Steven Coutinho takes you on a fascinating journey into how the mind has evolved, how it is shaped by society and how it shapes society in turn. You will learn why some people think they can’t, while others are convinced they can, how the story of color has stagnated post-colonial economies, and the story of capitalism has kept the West unequal. Whether you are simply interested in understanding behavior, or are a parent, teacher or manager ready to lead change, Breaking Rank is bound to shift and sharpen your perspective. You will never look at your own behavior – or the behavior of others – the same way again. Ten things you will learn from reading this book: THE ORIGIN OF STORIES #1. Origins of emotions and thoughts: you’ll learn why some people are demotivated, and others think they “can’t”. #2. The rise of stories and why the story of color = the story of capitalism. #3. Bizarre behavior: why genocides occur, why more minorities are in jail and some groups have more children out of wedlock.​ THE MAKING OF CHOICES #4. Why people make the choices they make. #5. Why postcolonial societies show similar choice patterns that stand in the way of welfare. #6. Why the wealth in capitalist societies is so unequally distributed​ THE ROAD TO CHANGE #7. ​How mindfulness strengthens areas in the brain that increase emotional self-control and lead to improved decision making. #8. How education can be reformed by helping children understand WHO they are, WHAT they can do, and HOW they can do it. #9. How to motivate and empower people in organizations by changing the perceptions they have about themselves, their level of control and their skills. #10. How to discover the potential you already are...

"Breaking Ranks eloquently documents the many ways that militarism infiltrates ordinary lives, and is a powerful reminder of the personal costs of war. A model of sensitive and perceptive analysis of oral history interviews, Breaking Ranks reaches its audience on many levels. It is essential reading for anyone concerned about better connecting intellectually and humanly with the current political moment."—Robert A. Rubinstein, The Maxwell School of Syracuse University "Breaking Ranks is extraordinarily well written, lively and compelling. This is the first book to combine gripping, personal stories of anti-war Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with rigorous academic analysis."—Aaron Glantz, author of The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans "As Matthew Gutmann and Catherine Lutz show in this timely and important book, soldiers can and do think on their own and come to political and ethical conclusions that often run contrary to what the military might want, expect, or portray. In Breaking Ranks, Gutmann and Lutz give us a valuable addition to our understanding of soldiers, politics, and ethics."—Andrew Bickford, George Mason University

In these conversations, nine members of the Israeli Defence Force tell why they disobeyed their commanders' orders to serve in the West Bank and Gaza. The testimony of the "refuseniks" in Breaking Ranks is essential background for a full understanding ofthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Seventeen-year-old Casey has some of her preconceived notions challenged when she begins to tutor Baby, a member of a ganglike non-conformist society called the Clan.

Opening with a powerful letter to former Tacoma police chief David Brame, who shot his estranged wife before turning the gun on himself, Norm Stamper introduces us to the violent, secret world of domestic abuse that cops must not only navigate, but which some also perpetrate. Former chief of the Seattle police force, Stamper goes on to expose a troubling culture of racism, sexism, and homophobia that is still pervasive within the twenty-first-century force; then he explores how such prejudices can be addressed. He reveals the dangers and temptations that cops face, describing in gripping detail the split-second life-and-death decisions. Stamper draws on lessons learned to make powerful arguments for drug decriminalization, abolition of the death penalty, and radically revised approaches to prostitution and gun control. He offers penetrating insights into the "blue wall of silence," police undercover work, and what it means to kill a man. And, Stamper gives his personal account of the World Trade organization debacle of 1999, when protests he was in charge of controlling turned violent in the streets of Seattle. Breaking Rank reveals Norm Stamper as a brave man, a pioneering public servant whose extraordinary life has been dedicated to the service of his community.

Three distinct stories about three distinct men, but with one thing in common - they all paid the price for standing up for what they believed. From a great writer, three great stories about conscience and consequence. This is the story of three men - a doctor, a soldier and a judge. They are men of rare achievement. The doctor has the gift of saving others but not himself. The soldier disobeys orders and abandons his command post in a bid to die with his men. The judge cares more to uphold a principle than save himself from ruin. All three defy convention in a way that exacts a price. The first two, Dr John Saxby and Brigadier Reginald Miles, destroy themselves. The death of the judge, Peter Mahon, is hastened by his stand for truth and justice on behalf of the victims of New Zealand's worst air disaster. "New Zealand seems to have the knack of neutralising those who try to foist moral greatness on their countrymen," James McNeish writes. In Breaking Ranks, the author celebrates three brave men whose guiding spirit - subversion? anarchy? - challenges our assumptions of what it is to be a good New Zealander.

American policing is in crisis. The last decade witnessed a vast increase in police aggression, misconduct, and militarization, along with a corresponding reduction in transparency and accountability. Nowhere is this more noticeable and painful than in African American and other ethnic minority communities. Racism—from raw, individualized versions to insidious systemic examples—appears to be on the rise in our police departments. Overall, our police officers have grown more and more alienated from the people they've been hired to serve. In To Protect and To Serve, Norm Stamper offers new insights into the conditions that have created this crisis, reminding us that police in a democratic society belong to the people–and not the other way around. To Protect and To Serve also delivers a revolutionary new model for American law enforcement: the community-based police department. It calls for citizen participation in all aspects of police operations: policymaking, program development, crime fighting and service delivery, entry-level and ongoing education and training, oversight of police conduct, and, especially relevant to today's challenges, joint community-police crisis management. Nothing will ever change until the system itself is radically restructured, and here Norm Stamper shows us how.