Sean “Sticks” Larkin (formally of Live PD fame) has written his first book: Breaking Blue: Real Life Stories of Cops Falsely Accused. This book highlights his and other law enforcement members' experiences of being falsely accused.
Why I Read This Book
In a past life, I served as a Military Police Officer. I witnessed the impact false accusations can have on the officer as well as their families. I also studied criminal justice in college and learned more about how false accusations can affect a community’s trust in law enforcement. False accusations can cause police officers to be “scared” to do their job for fear of being falsely accused.
What I Found Interesting That You Might Too
The first case Larkin discussed was his own experience. He was accused of being involved with corruption inside his police department. Specifically, the Gang Unit he was assigned to. There were even rumors circling around that if informants were willing to "snitch" on officers, one agency would help them get their records expunged! It was a long process with different agencies involved, with cops and informants willing do whatever it took to get the eyes off of them. It was a great start to some other shocking stories. I liked how he decided to used what happened to him for an example.
I was also surprised that he was surprised police officers weren’t getting the benefit of the doubt in some of the cases in the book. “Guilty until proven innocent my [butt] (he used another word),” he stated at one point. Law enforcement personnel are held to a higher standard in most people’s eyes. One should expect people to question how you got into the situation in the first place. Officers, at times, question the integrity of ordinary citizens. So, why wouldn’t you expect citizens to do the same to law enforcement?
No spoilers here, but one case in the book is a real shocker and shows you what can happen if someone abuses their power, even when you are on the same team.
Final Thoughts
Larkin could have offered clearer examples of cops being falsely accused that would have driven home his point. However, if it wasn’t for the resolve of some of these officers, the truth would have never come out. This would have had the wrong person spending additional time behind bars, not to mention the impact it would have had on the communities involved. Being falsely accused is not right no matter who you are.
