There are many things police officers need to know: how to deal with drunk drivers, when to chase a perpetrator and when to use force. Author and former Milwaukee Police officer Adam Plantinga covers many of these things in his first book, 400 Things Cops Know: Street-Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman.
Plantinga is now a police sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department and he’s authored a new book: Police Craft: What Cops Know About Crime, Community and Violence. The book details some of Plantinga’s personal experiences with these issues and they have shaped his work. The author makes a personal and professional distinction between people he considers "police officers" and "cops."
"If you're a cop, you tend to dig a little deeper, you're a little nosier. You probably have a better understanding of who the regular crooks are in your district and what they're up to, and what their names are — and their street names and what they drive and where they hang out ... I think cops are just, more sort of plugged in and in tune to the street and that’s why they’re so valuable," he explains.
