William Dunn, a Detective Sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department and a former
CRASH officer and renowned gang expert, has published his second book The Gangs of Los Angeles. William Dunn has instructed law enforcement
nationwide regarding the current MS-13 gang epidemic. William Dunn is also the author of Boot: An L.A.P.D. Officer's Rookie Year.
According to the book description, The Gangs of Los Angeles describes that “there is no gang turf more desperately unique than that hidden
among the 464 square miles which make up the City of Los Angeles. It is a fragile place; both tantalizing and repulsive, where
wild fires can scorch hill-top celebrity homes as easily as gang members decimate a housing project with automatic rifle fire.
The
Gangs of Los Angeles is a classic, real life account of American crime. From the early Tomato Gangs of 1890's Boyle
Heights to the modern Crips and Mara Salvatrucha, with side trips through an Irish Dogtown, the gang wars of "Happy Valley",
Sleepy Lagoon and the yellow journalism of the Hearst Press, and a tragic murder at Sunset and Vine, Dunn recounts the events
and notorious denizens that spawned LA's gang subculture.”
According to the Library Journal, Boot: An L.A.P.D. Officer's Rookie Year, “is a refreshingly unpretentious first-person account of a
rookie cop's experiences on the mean streets of L.A. Dunn tells of his first days: learning the ropes from more experienced
officers, feeling the rush of adrenaline when confronting dangerous situations, learning the codes and behaviors of street
gangs, confronting the fact of death, and developing the uniquely strong bonds that exist among individuals working under
hazardous conditions. What sets this apart from many other cop narratives is Dunn's avoidance of self-aggrandizement and his
ability to portray incidents realistically and dramatically.”
One reader of Boot: An L.A.P.D. Officer's Rookie Year, said, “I was skeptical, I am of most law enforcement related books that
I read. Mr. Dunn, as you will see, has a very thoughtful and easy to understand approach to explaining something that no book
will ever really accomplish. If you are interested in this as a career, buy it, it'll give you a clue and its worth your time.
If you are already in the profession, buy it, you will learn something, and its worth your time. (you also wont be disappointed,
trust me!)”
