Fort Apache: New York's Most Violent Precinct

OVER THIRTY YEARS AFTER its publication, Fort Apache: New York's Most Violent Precinct remains the definitive account of the vicious cycle of violence that has griped urban America over the past century.

A swollen head floating down the Bronx River, a junkie murdered for stealing a woman's wig, a French Connection-style chase through blind alleys, police barricaded inside their precinct as a wild mob lays siege to the station - and, above all, mindless violence that seemed to erupt in profusion for no apparent reason against the cops who faithfully served and cared deeply about the neighborhood that was rapidly imploding.

Tom Walker is a fourth-generation police officer. In 1976, he published the gripping Fort Apache: New York's Most Violent Precinct, a landmark exposé on urban violence. After 21 years of service, Walker retired from the New York Police Department with the rank of captain. Walker worked in risk management and occupational heath before retiring in 2004. Tom and his wife, Mary, live in the Bronx.