Book Review: Doyle, P. (2004). Hot Shots Heavy Hits: Tales from an Undercover Drug Agent. Boston: Northeastern University Press, pp. 234

• Author: Bruce Johnson
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016807310647
• Published date: 01 December 2007
• Date: 01 December 2007
• Subject Matter: Articles

“be a cowboy—or cowgirl,” and likens patrons in sleazy local drinking establishments to

“the inhabitants of the cantina scene in Star Wars.”

In the opening of the book, Garner explains, “We cannot overlook the truth that too many

dead officers helped bring about personal disaster by making themselves vulnerable to their

killers. It is that fatal vulnerability that this book is intended to banish” (p. vii). The entire

text is based on the safety measures that officers can and should take to avoid terminal

consequences. Therefore, Garner necessarily touches on the topic of victim precipitation.

In the literature, generally and specifically when it comes to the death of law enforcement

officers, people are loath to attribute any responsibility to the victim. It is this unwillingness

to speak ill of the dead or blame the victim that has facilitated the continued victimization of

police officers in the same situations over the years—the same situations that were preventable.

He addresses the issues by explaining that the discussion is not intended to “dishonor fallen

heroes,” but to identify the errors that officers made that ultimately led to their deaths in an

effort to prevent other officers from dying in the performance of their duties.

Garner focuses on the mistakes of dead officers, and advances safety tips to prevent death

in the line of duty. Police officers are committed to an unpredictable profession,and they can

pay the ultimate price with their lives at the hands of criminals, accidents, or occupation-

related illnesses. However,the murder of police officers is a rare event. Simple and aggravated

assaults are much more common risks to officer safety. Garner does not focus his work on

these far more common, yet no less dangerous situations. Some of the same strategies can be

used to reduce the risk of murder and assault, but preventing assault situations often requires

skills that are not included in this piece on keeping oneself alive. Assaults can escalate to

homicides, and it is important for officers to learn how to prevent, identify, and stop the

dynamics and signs of escalation.

The text did not flow like a scholarly piece or textbook. Rather, this work reads more like

a training manual that was augmented and turned into a textbook without the proper revisions.

The work contains grammatical errors, including issues with wording and punctuation.

Additionally, the author switches back and forth between third person in examples of

murdered police officers and second person in reference to the reader. In manuals, the use of

second person is to be expected, but textbooks and academic work necessitate the universal

use of third person. Overall, Garner’s book is an easy-to-read work on a very important topic.

The text is recommended for use in police training academies and courses on practical

policing issues.

Jennifer L. Lanterman

Rutgers University, Newark

Doyle, P. (2004). Hot Shots Heavy Hits: Tales from an Undercover

Drug Agent. Boston: Northeastern University Press, pp. 234

DOI: 10.1177/0734016807310647

Hot Shots and Heavy Hits is an excellent source for understanding the life work of a drug

agent who was active from the 1970s through 2000. The extensive use of recreated narrative

454 Criminal Justice Review