A former police office gives her personal rendition of being a female Detroit Police Officer, working undercover as a prostitute, being on the VICE team and being on the Executive Protection Team for the former Mayor of Detroit, Kwami Kilpatrick. Being exposed to the unbalanced, misconduct on policing in Detroit, and as the Black Lives Matter movement exposes the need for police reform, the pages in this book, you will find the story of a woman of color in America. The story of a woman on the Detroit Police force and the story of the underbelly of both our society and the police forces who are tasks with enforcing our laws – but too often break them.  

Detroit, MI,  June 2, 2021— Being a female in law enforcement has its challenges and being a woman of color doesn’t make it any easier.  So many times we hear stories of police officers solving crimes, serving our community and putting their lives in danger to keep us safe, says former Detroit Police Officer, Antoinette James in her new book “Behind the Badge: Her Story” (Created Art, publication date, May 21, 2021, paperback, $19.99)

James, a former police officer for 5 years, serving several positions on VICE Squad, an undercover prostitute and Executive Protection for former Mayor, Kwami Killpatrick, presents a thought-provoking and harsh examination of policing of policing in America and her experiences with the city of Detroit Police Department.  

Writing with honesty, transparency and her reality, former police officer James shows what her job looked like and what she experienced from the inside.  Each chapter sheds light on the path James took growing up in the city of Ypsilanti to the jobs and careers she took on the road to being a police officer.  Their will be stories told ranging over a wide range of topics: the experiences of being raised in the “church,” being raised in a single family home and experiencing heartbreak at the hands of a father, being an identical twin, working as a morgue technician and being recruited as a police officer, the techniques and culture of policing, the realities of danger, violence and so much more. 

Not hesitating to confront the controversial issues, James presents a police officer’s views on the life behind the badge, relationships between police and their superiors, and the experiences of being a mother – and offers thought provoking challenges on what the police policies can do better, including better training, greater transparency and improving policies within leadership.

Hard-provoking, down to the core, and emotional, James wrestles with the complexities and contradictions of a job she dreamed to have in which she experienced so much suffering.  “Behind the Badge: Her Story” will give every reader a greater understanding of what happens behind the badge and give hope to other officers to share their story, female officers that they are not alone.