The Guardians of Justice

“The job of the police cannot be done in a free society if the people can see what the police sometimes have to do to maintain order.” Egon Bittner

Long before anyone ever heard about “Community Oriented Policing,” law enforcement officers were of a different breed. They didn’t engage in complex “Problem Solving,” they simply identified the individual responsible for the problem and took action, sometimes brutal action, to fix it.

They saw themselves as warriors on crime and protectors of their communities. Criminal perpetrators were the enemy, a threat to public safety and a plague on innocent law-abiding citizens. The professional law enforcement officer prowled the streets seeking out criminal prey and provided an authoritarian omni-presence that deterred criminal behavior.

This is the first book in a series that explores the complexities and nuisances of policing and law enforcement prior to the current "war on cops."

Here the main characters are introduced and developed who will be featured in subsequent books in this series. First there is Jim Murphy, a new rookie officer who faces the life changing challenges of gaining respect and acceptance into the policing sub-culture. He becomes infatuated with a more experienced woman, Melissa Rhodes who dumps her abusive and controlling husband and begins a new career as a police officer, surprising everyone with her resilience.

There is Mike Temple, a no nonsense street cop who instills fear in the criminal element and confidence in those who appreciate a more direct approach to maintaining order.

Joe McCann is a veteran and wise detective commander who knows exactly how to play the game of "cat and mouse" with a the dirt-bags who roam his streets and a justice system that often impedes his efforts.

Byron Crawford is the new police chief, a competent and dedicated law enforcement leader who directs the agency, disciplines his officers well, and wrestles with a mayor who is more concerned with maintaining his power than doing what is best for the community. He runs afoul of an ambitions U.S. Attorney out to make a name for herself using racial tension to her advantage.

Bert Lowell is an old time street cop who has his own way of doing things, he's not interested in adapting to new realities, he has his ways of getting things done and is admired for his tough minded street sence.

Patrick J. Solar, Ph.D., is a Professor of Criminal Justice and a retired police officer. His debut novel draws directly on his experience in both worlds, bringing an authenticity to the streets, squad rooms, and moral dilemmas of The Guardians of Justice that only a cop-turned-scholar could provide. He resides in Illinois but lives in Northern Wisconsin.