Blue on Blue

An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops

By: Charles Campisi, Gordon Dillow - contributor

Narrated by: Danny Campbell, Charles Campisi - prologue

One of the most authentic and consistently illuminating portraits of police work ever, Blue on Blue describes the fascinating inner workings of the world's largest police force and Chief Charles Campisi's unprecedented two decades putting bad cops behind bars.

From 1996 through 2014, Charles Campisi headed NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, working under four police commissioners and gaining a reputation as hard-nosed and incorruptible. When he retired, only one man on the 36,000-member force had served longer. During Campisi's IAB tenure, the number of New Yorkers shot, wounded, or killed by cops every year declined by 90 percent, and the number of cops failing integrity tests shrank to an equally startling low.

But to achieve those exemplary results, Campisi had to triple IAB's staff, hire the very best detectives, and put the word out that bad apples wouldn't be tolerated.

While the early minutes of Campisi's absorbing account bring us into the real world of cops, showing, for example, the agony that every cop suffers when he fires his gun, later chapters spotlight a harrowing series of investigations that tested IAB's capacities, forcing detectives to go undercover against cops who were themselves undercover, to hunt down criminals posing as cops, and to break through the "blue wall of silence" to verify rare - but sometimes very real - cases of police brutality.

Told in an edge-of-the-seat way by a born storyteller, Blue on Blue puts us in the scene, allowing us to listen in on wiretaps and feel the adrenaline rush of drawing in the net. It also reveals new threats to the force, such as the possibility of infiltration by terrorists. Ultimately, the book inspires awe for the man who, for almost two decades, was entrusted with the job of making sure the words "New York's Finest" never rang hollow.

A truly revelatory account, Blue on Blue will forever change the way you view police work.

©2017 Charles Campisisi. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Citizens of New York Should Read this....

It was interesting to read how law enforcement polices itself and the steps that have been taken to ensure the quality of personnel they have among the ranks. This day in age we hear enough about police officer killings that becomes increases tension and creates division among the population. Any time someone is killed by law enforcement is a tragedy - regardless of innocence. However, police are humans in a dynamic situation that is not black and white. I found it refreshing to hear how the NYPD IAB does "integrity" checks on cops who are under suspicion and those who are not. I think that form of prevention goes a long way in keeping cops honest.

I know this book was written by a former IAB chief who is proud to have served the city of New York. Some people might think he has a bias. I think you will find Campisi quite unbiased in fact when it comes to cops breaking any laws. He makes a great case for the job that the police are doing by presenting solid statistics and explaining details that the lay person can understand.

I would recommend this book for its content as well as the narrator whom I have always enjoyed.

Great story but...

Gripping story. A series of man-on-the-scene first hand accounts of NYPD tales ranging from Sean Bell to Louima to 9/11.

My quibble is Mr. Campisi's incredible lack of empathy for the victims of police violence. He stresses its wrong, a disgrace to the uniform. He points out the thin blue line of silence isn't any more real than doctors protecting doctors or lawyers protecting lawyers.

But tgen, he cant seem to understand why people objected to stop-and-frisk (he dismisses a 200 page federal decision as "a court case") and dismisses Eric Garner's death by noting he had been arrested 30 times. Nothing about how Garner died as a result of an illegal chokehold. If zero tolerance works for citizens, should work for police too.

He dismisses liberals, lawyers, politicians as anti-cop.

I came away liking Mr. Campisi. He is no doubt a dedicated public servant, and would be a pleasure to have a meal with. He also tells a great story. But some of his views (though he disclaims this, the epilogue seems to suggest excluding Muslims from the NYPD-and his account of 9/11 doesn't mention that Muslim officers killed that day were initially suspected of being involved till their bodies were recovered) give me pause.

But it is a great book. Glad I bought it, and hope he writes more.

terrific factual book.

great book.
a factual read and very well cold very difficult to put this down I listen to it from cover to cover in one sitting

Well done

The book was well written. It provided enough explanation for those who are/were not involved in police work to understand the jargon involved in the work.

Narrator made you think he was Charles Campisi! He spoke with absolute precision for this story

I have a new respect for IAB and what makes a great cop, honest and fair. Thankful to all these great cops who continue to do a really tough job!!

enjoyed it

Good story with a lot of information fascinating stuff of very bright man thankful that he was part of the system that made New York a much better place to live .

Need more!

Love love love this book! Did NOT want it to end! My husband bought the book for me for Christmas and I got through a couple of chapters-but with four children, time to read a actual book is limited so I downloaded it

Best heard on 1.5 speed.

I don’t mean to knock the narration, but I felt it was best heard on 1.5 speed.

Well written!

Great book with excellent stories of cops holding other cops accountable. I highly recommend this book.

Must have

I'm a retired police officer and this is dear to my heart.
Great history, narration, research, first hand police stories.
Loved it and was informed a lot.