Armed and Dangerous: Memoirs of a Chicago Policewoman

by Gina Gallo

Book Overview

The critically acclaimed memoirs of one female police officer's sixteen-year odyssey, beginning with day one at the Police Academy and spanning assignments on Chicago's West Side, one of the most dangerous areas in the city. The notorious cops' code of silence is broken as the author recounts incidents in the West Side projects: shoot-outs, ambushes, and what it feels like to kill a man--just four days out of the Academy. The stories told are sometimes...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312878907
• ISBN13: 9780312878900
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Learn the truth about the C.P.D.

This book is the most realistic account of policing in Chicago that I've ever read. I'm a Chicago Police Officer and can attest to the authenticity of the descriptions contained in this book. Gallo doesn't sugar-coat anything--she describes the Academy like it was, uses language true to policing, and hits it on the head with her definition of "game face". Mostly though, she nails the descriptions of the bosses--from the superintendent through the street sergeant--right on the head. It's exactly what the "real police" think, but can't say, because they would be buried in the Duece on midnights if they did. Thanks, Gina. I hope all the bosses read it and cringe when they recognize themselves! I know I can put names to many current and former P.O.'s from your vivid descriptions. Nice to see the deserving squirm a bit. Assuming they have the conscience to do even that much!

You have the right to read this book....NOW!

I remember at one time I thought about being a policewoman. Even took the test, passed and got a letter to appear for training. Never did follow up on it. Couldn't see myself packing heat in the long run and didn't think I'd be up for horsey patrol right out of the police academy. And after reading this book I know I made the right decision. Being a policeman is no easy job and being a woman cop is even harder, forever proving yourself worthy of the profession. And after reading this book the media only gives half of what is really going on in the streets. This book is an eye opener. It shocked me, sickened me and saddened me but it was never ever boring. It really made an impact on me and made me more aware of a policeperson's life. This is one of my favorite books and I just ordered Crime Scenes so I could read more. Gina, I hope you sold the rights to this book either as a movie or a cable TV series. It deserves it.

Just exactly how big is a gerbil?

Gina Gallo's memoir Armed and Dangerous raises this question in one of its more vivid anecdotes. Sometimes outrageous, frequently hilarious, and always thoughtful, this book provides an up-close, gritty, honest look at the lives of Chicago's "Po-lice." Gallo brings us inside the training academy, squad cars, and district headquarters. Then she takes us to the streets, housing projects, and crime scenes she came to know during her 16-year career with the Chicago police force. After reading this book, you will perceive police officers differently. Stereotypes are shattered as we see how the cop lifestyle affects individual officers in very different ways. If you know Chicago, Gina Gallo's book is a must. Even if you don't know Chicago, this is a fascinating, unforgettable read

Made me Cry

Reading your book made me laugh, remember and even cry Gina. Thanks for all the memories that have been put somehwere in the back until now. Hope someday to meet you and buy you a beer and give you a big hug. From a broken down old retired insane fish. Gina...you da best!

Shooting Straight From The Heart

Do NOT leave ... until you buy this book.Gina Gallobrings us the straihtforward, honest, too-strange-to-be-anything-but-real story of her 16-year career as a Police Officerin the City of Chicago.From the first day of the Training Academyto the "routine" call that ended her career, Gina tells itlike it is in the world behind the badge. If you've ever read a bookthat runs the full gamut of emotions, you'll understand what I'mtrying to say here. From laughing out loud to holding back tears withthe turn of a page, you'll be spellbound. Go ahead....try to remainstoic as Gina relates the story of having to kill a man just aftercompleting her training. Try not to laugh as she paints a word pictureof a domestic dispute that ends up with one of the combatants walkingaround, fully concious, with a hatchet sticking out of the back of hishead. Try not to flinch when she gives every detail of the assaultthat ended her career.......I dare you.Gina's ability to put intowords the emotional and physical challenges of a thankless job iscertain to catapult her to the top of the charts. Be one of the luckyfolks that can say "I read her first books and have been hookedever since"BUY IT NOW