Bound by Duty: Walking the Beat with Canada's Cops

Steven R. Hewitt, formerly an assistant professor of history at the
University of Saskatchewan, teaches history at the University of
Indianapolis and is a visiting scholar at Purdue University.

A study of today’s police is a worthy subject for a book, and Pat
Capponi, an advocate on behalf of the homeless and other marginalized
citizens who come into regular contact with the men and women in
uniform, is a worthy person to write it. Through a series of interviews
with police officers in British Columbia and Ontario (the lone exception
being Calgary’s police chief), she provides numerous anecdotes—often
in the words of the police officers being interviewed—about the nature
of policing that are at times informative and always fascinating.
Especially appealing are her incisive observations about the Toronto
police union and its leader, Craig Bromell. Unfortunately, the anecdotal
approach and its geographic emphasis on only certain parts of Canada
lessen the value of Capponi’s work. Particularly problematic is the
seemingly chaotic organization of the book with completely unconnected
topics appearing from one page to the next. Better editing would have
resulted in a better book.