Armed and Dangerous: Memoirs of a Chicago Policewoman Paperback - 2002

First line

The crowd packed in the gym bleachers is silent, all eyes focused on center court.

From the rear cover

Gallo's streetwise memoir of policing Chicago's roughest neighborhood blends equal parts humor and regret. Gallo is at her best when straight forwardly detailing the earthly minutiae of 'cop life' or casting about the emotional costs of being both witness and enforcer amidst the violence of the inner city.--Publishers Weekly 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 tragic, sometimes funny, often poignant, and always provide the reader with an on the scene feel for life behind the badge. Domestic violence, murdered spouses, abused children, and philandering CPD brass are just some of the topics addressed, topics that officer Gallo dealt with everyday. From her work with gangs, narcotics, the gun task force, and acting as a prostitute, Gina Gallo offers a gritty account of the darker side of the city, giving readers an objective side to the cops, crooks, and victims that comprise a the police cops world. A taste of life as a big-city cop--complete with comedy, drama and heartbreak.--The Chicago Tribune