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

"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."

--Mike Shutt, Christianity Today, October 23, 2023

"In Rethinking the Police, Daniel Reinhardt speaks not as an outsider but as an insider who served as a police officer for twenty-four years, retiring as a lieutenant. With vulnerability, storying, and invaluable research, Reinhardt offers a thoughtful critique addressing attitudes and practices that contribute to a negative police culture within the United States. In this book, the author invites readers to consider a model of policing that reflects Jesus' life and words on leadership. Moreover, as you read, Reinhardt's burden to see police departments and American neighborhoods flourish is evident. Please look at the author's path forward if you want to see both policing and communities thrive."

--Jamaal Williams, lead pastor of Sojourn Church Midtown and president of the Harbor Network

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

--Publishers Weekly, September 2023

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.