Rethinking the Police - by Daniel Reinhardt Paperback

About the Book

Through personal experiences and the mentorship of Black Christians, former police officer Daniel Reinhardt's eyes were opened to the dehumanization, systemic racism, and brutality endemic to U.S. police culture. Laying out a history of policing in the U.S., Reinhardt offers a new model based on servant leadership, not dominance and control.

Book Synopsis

Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist

A former officer grapples with the reality of our broken police culture

Our society has long been stuck in cultural and ideological battles about police brutality and the police force's broken relationship with our communities. Rethinking the Police promises to start a more hopeful conversation.

Daniel Reinhardt spent twenty-four years as a police officer near Cleveland, Ohio. He was long unaware of the ways the culture of the police department was shaping him, but gradually, through his own experiences as a police officer and through the mentorship of Black Christians in his life, his eyes were opened to a difficult truth: police brutality against racial minorities was endemic to the culture of the system itself.

In Rethinking the Police, Reinhardt lays out a history of policing in the United States, showing how it developed a culture of dehumanization, systemic racism, and brutality. But Reinhardt doesn't stop there: he offers a new model of policing based not in dominance and control but in a culture of servant leadership, with concrete suggestions for procedural justice and community policing.

Review Quotes

"Rethinking the Police is a rare example of an author who speaks to changing the long-standing, seemingly insurmountable challenges of police legitimacy in our most challenged communities through understanding history and police culture. Daniel Reinhardt talks from personal experience about social distance, dehumanization, and power as challenges to be addressed. A much-needed, thought-provoking look at a way forward."

"At its most successful, the book's argument simply connects the dots between the history and hierarchical structure of police departments, the 'toxic leadership' bred into the system, and the biased enforcement patterns that result."

"Daniel Reinhardt calls people of goodwill to act against police violence, terror, and the inhumane treatment of Black people in America at the hands of the police. He advocates police reforms that focus on internal structures of police organizations, and he highlights the links between systemic racism, police brutality, and the organizational culture of policing with all the frailties of human failure. In the book, the us-versus-them mentality emerges as a component of the police subculture that serves as the normative framework for police-community interactions. Reinhardt argues that the foundation of police violence solutions requires a Christian response rooted in understanding the nature of police culture. "

"In Rethinking the Police, Daniel Reinhardt has given us a learned and helpful introduction to problems in American policing and has offered a compelling vision for possible reforms. This is a book that Christians, law enforcement officers, and anyone else who cares about justice and safety will want to read and take seriously."

"Reinhardt speaks with the heart of a Christian leader, the experience of a retired law-enforcement officer, and the wisdom of a scholar. He not only recognizes real problems in police culture but also provides hope for a better way. Readers are not likely to agree with all his conclusions, but his analysis of the problems is compelling and the uniqueness of his solution is challenging."

"Reinhardt's insights into the police mindset are sharp and perceptive . . . . a worthwhile guide for those seeking an end to police brutality."

"With impeccable research and long-lived experience, Daniel Reinhardt is winsome in his words about policing and peace. No matter where you land on issues of policing, systemic racism, justice, and the way to peace, there is something to learn in Rethinking the Police. Part confessional and part plea, Reinhardt's book refuses to demonize any one entity and puts forth a realistic pathway to reform in our communities and world."

About the Author

Daniel Reinhardt (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) served as a police officer near Cleveland, Ohio, for twenty-four years. After retiring from the police force, he was assistant professor at the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry at the Memorial Unit, a prison in Rosharon, Texas. Currently, he is associate director of student life and applied ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Yvette.