Alex S. Vitale, a sociologist from Brooklyn College, delineates in his 2017 book The End of Policing exactly how the country’s policing system has consistently failed to ensure the safety of the American people and has instead focused its efforts on deterring dissenting political movements, criminalizing “those it leaves behind” (227), and protecting the interests of the wealthy. Vitale’s work is poignant and articulate; he has both a strong knowledge of the system’s failures and substantial ideas for the future. I recommend Vitale’s work if you are questioning what alternatives to policing could be, how past reforms have failed, and how deeply intertwined the police are in the framework of our nation.