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Once a Cop
- The Street, the Law, Two Worlds, One Man
- Narrated by: Corey Pegues
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's summary
New Jack City meets Serpico in this provocative memoir of a crack dealer-turned-decorated NYPD officer - a timely reflection on the complex relationship between the police and the communities they are meant to protect.
"A rollicking, no-holds-barred account of life on the streets, seen from both sides." (Booklist)
During the 1980s, crack cocaine devastated many of America's inner-city communities. Drug dealers seized neighborhoods, terrorizing inhabitants with brutal violence. Aunts and uncles, next-door neighbors, and best friends became addicts. No longer were playgrounds and parks a safe haven for kids; the sound of bouncing basketballs by day was replaced by the pop of gunshots by night. Those who lived through the nightmare tell unimaginable stories of that era. Once a Cop is one of the most extraordinary.
Raised in Queens, New York, as a teen, Corey Pegues watched drugs uproot his stable, working-class neighborhood almost overnight. When times got tough, he had a choice: continue to watch his family struggle to buy food, to pay bills; or sell dope. He chose the latter, eventually becoming part of the notorious Supreme Team street gang. After a botched murder attempt on a rival gang member, Corey knew he had to get out. Barely 18, with two kids by two different women, Corey left under cover of night to enlist in the US Army. After several years in the military, he set his sights on becoming a New York City cop and breezed through the police academy.
In this provocative memoir, Corey Pegues tells how a onetime crack dealer became one the highest ranking members of the largest police force in the country, living and working in the nation's most violent neighborhoods. His meteoric rise from patrol officer to deputy inspector covers the administrations of former New York City mayors Rudy Giulliani and Michael Bloomberg, and coincides with the early tenures of famed police commissioners Ray Kelly and William "Bill" Bratton. Corey grants listeners full access to the manner in which some of the NYPD's most controversial policies were implemented; and an insider's take on the shootings of Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, the assault on Abner Louima, and other tragedies that stained the department.
As tensions continue to mount between police and communities of color, Corey tears down the blue wall to discuss the discriminatory practices he faced within the NYPD and talks candidly about the distrust that exists between law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect. Corey contends that his life on the streets informed his approach to police work, and shows how it made him a more conscientious and compassionate officer. There aren't many people who understand both sides of the story. Corey doesn't hate the police. He loves the badge. And he believes it's his duty to challenge the culture of racism, silence, and arrogance in the NYPD and police departments across the country.
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On January 21, 1998, the night before his 38th birthday, federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped by a car full of gun-toting thugs. Hoping to make a large withdrawal with his ATM card, they took him, blindfolded, to a Brooklyn apartment, and improvised. All night, his captors alternately held guns to his head, threatened his family, engaged him in discussions of "gangsta" philosophy, sought his legal advice, and even offered him sexual favors from their prostitute girlfriends as a "birthday present."
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Since there haven't been any SERIOUS...
- By Douglas on 04-30-15
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Hell's Angel
- The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club
- By: Sonny Barger
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Narrated by the visionary founding member, Hell's Angel provides a fascinating all-access pass to the secret world of the notorious Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. Sonny Barger recounts the birth of the original Oakland Hell's Angels and the four turbulent decades that followed. Hell's Angel also chronicles the way the HAMC revolutionized the look of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle and built what has become a worldwide bike-riding fraternity, a beacon for freedom-seekers the world over.
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A must for any true biker
- By Chris B on 06-20-15
By: Sonny Barger
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The Beast Side
- Living (and Dying) While Black in America
- By: D. Watkins
- Narrated by: Brandon Rubin
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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To many in the age of Obama, America had succeeded in "going beyond race", putting the divisions of the past behind us. And then 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot by a wannabe cop in Florida; and then 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; and then Baltimore blew up; and then gunfire shattered a prayer meeting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Suddenly the entire country awakened to a stark fact: Young Black men are an endangered species.
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Excellent
- By Bruce Cline on 03-28-23
By: D. Watkins
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S Street Rising
- Crack, Murder, and Redemption in D.C.
- By: Ruben Castaneda
- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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During the height of the crack epidemic that decimated the streets of D.C., Ruben Castaneda covered the crime beat for the Washington Post. The first in his family to graduate from college, he had landed a job at one of the country’s premier newspapers. But his apparent success masked a devastating secret: he was a crack addict. Even as he covered the drug-fueled violence that was destroying the city, he was prowling S Street, a 24/7 open-air crack market, during his off hours, looking for his next fix.
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Some good DC history & time travel
- By Marie on 07-12-16
By: Ruben Castaneda
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Sex Money Murder
- A Story of Crack, Blood, and Betrayal
- By: Jonathan Green
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on years of research and extraordinary access to former gang members, reporter Jonthan Green creates an epic character-driven narrative, drawing on first-person interviews, police reports, and court transcripts to offer a unique and engrossing work of gritty urban reportage. Magisterial in its scope, Sex Money Murder offers an extraordinary perspective on modern-day America.
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Narrator using the N word was cringe worthy
- By Bmac on 09-07-18
By: Jonathan Green
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Don't Shoot
- One Man, a Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America
- By: David M. Kennedy
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Gang- and drug-related inner-city violence, with its attendant epidemic of incarceration, is the defining crime problem in our country. In some neighborhoods in America, one out of every 200 young black men is shot to death every year, and few initiatives of government and law enforcement have made much difference. But when David Kennedy, a self-taught and then-unknown criminologist, engineered the "Boston Miracle" in the mid-1990s, he pointed the way toward what few had imagined: a solution.
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Tragically Under-Appreciated
- By Nathan Witkin on 12-02-22
By: David M. Kennedy
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Pill City
- How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire
- By: Kevin Deutsch
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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April 28, 2015, West Baltimore, Maryland: ground zero in America's Opiate Wars. In this crime-plagued section of the city, the death of Freddie Gray has triggered the worst domestic rioting since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and created a terrifying new breed of criminal entrepreneur.
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Race baiting bullshit.
- By Nick on 02-16-17
By: Kevin Deutsch
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Convicted
- A Crooked Cop, an Innocent Man, and an Unlikely Journey of Forgiveness and Friendship
- By: Jameel McGee, Andrew Collins, Mark Tabb
- Narrated by: Calvin Robinson, Adam Verner
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Racial tensions had long simmered in Benton Harbor, a small city on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, before the day a White narcotics officer - more focused on arrests than justice - set his sights on an innocent Black man. But when officer Andrew Collins framed Jameel McGee for possession of crack cocaine, the surprising result was not a race riot but a transformative journey for both men.
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Wonderful book
- By Michelle B Ouellette on 06-10-21
By: Jameel McGee, and others
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The Power of the Dog
- By: Don Winslow
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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This explosive novel of the drug trade takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge. From the streets of New York City to Mexico City and Tijuana to the jungles of Central America, this is the war on drugs like you've never seen it.
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Gripping Drama
- By Deborah on 01-06-11
By: Don Winslow
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The Murder of Sonny Liston
- Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights
- By: Shaun Assael
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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On January 5, 1971, Sonny Liston was found dead in his home - of an apparent heroin overdose. But no one close to Liston believed that his death was accidental. Digging deep into a life that Liston tried hard to hide, Shaun Assael treats the boxer's death as a cold case. The result is a riveting whodunit that evokes a glorious and grimy era of Las Vegas.
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Great read
- By Diane Dodge on 09-14-19
By: Shaun Assael
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Street God
- The Explosive True Story of a Former Drug Boss on the Run from the Hood - and the Courageous Mission That Drove Him Back
- By: Dimas Salaberrios, Angela Hunt
- Narrated by: Calvin Robinson
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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His street name was Daylight. But he was a nightmare. On the streets of New York, darkness and violence reigned. Dimas "Daylight" Salaberrios began selling drugs when he was 11 years old, and by 16 he had served his first stint at the notorious Rikers Island prison. Dimas saw only one way to survive: by reigning over the streets. He would be the richest, most powerful ruler in the hood...or die trying. Street God is the true story of one man's dangerous journey through the underworld.
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God’s handiwork on display
- By Michael Byrd on 09-29-21
By: Dimas Salaberrios, and others
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The Westies
- Inside New York's Irish Mob
- By: T. J. English
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. In the mid-1970s, these two longtime friends take the reins of New York's Irish mob, using brute force to give it hitherto unthinkable power. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Together they make brutality their trademark, butchering bodies or hurling them out the window.
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Great book
- By Julio on 06-28-18
By: T. J. English
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Operation Family Secrets
- How a Mobster's Son and the FBI Brought Down Chicago's Murderous Crime Family
- By: Frank Calabrese Jr., Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman, and others
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Calabrese family of Chicago is a close-knit, middle-class, multi-generational Italian-Irish-American clan. They operate family businesses. They work day and night striving for the American Dream. All three sons forge a bond with their controlling father, Frank Sr., and their soft-spoken favorite uncle, Nick. As a boy, the oldest son, Frank Jr., realizes that his father and uncle are also "made" members of another close-knit family: the outfit.
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Riveting Listen!
- By ahippieadventure on 02-06-13
By: Frank Calabrese Jr., and others
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Gotti's Rules
- The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia
- By: George Anastasia
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The notorious Gotti family is the stuff of mob legend. The "Dapper Don", John Gotti Sr., and his son John A. "Junior" Gotti ran New York's powerful Gambino crime family and were well known for their flamboyant style and brutal ways, an image perpetuated in popular Mafia mythology. John Alite, a mob hit man, associate, and close friend of the Gottis, has a very different story to tell.
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Garbage read
- By Ray on 09-02-15
By: George Anastasia
What listeners say about Once a Cop
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- raymundo figueroa
- 01-29-19
Inspirational!!!!!!
Finished the audiobook in five sections. A very inspirational and motivational story. One time for Queens.
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- Daryl James
- 12-12-20
An Authentic American Story
First: Thank you Deputy Inspector Pegues for your honorable service, your leadership, and your transparency in sharing your story.
This is a great listen for anyone interested in hearing about the NYPD and policing in a large city and department, and the ways African Americans have to navigate the racism that is deeply entrenched in the hearts and minds of the people who work in police departments. AND how racism is both the racist epithets used by also the willful neglect of Black people and communities despite which side of the law they are on.
DI Peguese's story from his youth is literally a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" story, and while it may seem appropriate to judge him for his youthful indiscretions, he did -- as does does everyone-- deserve a second chance, and we are all the better for it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is one that i will listen to again because he also stops a lot of gems for navigating the leadership structure of police departments. So if you're at all interested in a career in law enforcement, this book is a good example for how to remain true to yourself and true to the job.
Sir, I salute you.
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- matthew
- 05-27-16
Informative
Great dropping of knowledge on how office politics can shape entire communities for the good or the bad
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3 people found this helpful
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- WildSmile
- 04-28-17
Excellent!
Absolutely EXCELLENT story! Keep your head up black man! Prayers up for you and your family... I hope you clean house and make them ALL pay!
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- Brent Hartman
- 03-21-17
Great!
Should be a book for new cadets with a quiz and POST cert required. Great lessons.
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- tarsha haskins
- 03-26-22
Very good read a book that you can relate to
It’s sad to see racism is still at an all-time high in 2022 Very good read a book that you can relate to
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- TranquilEyes
- 06-25-22
We Need More Cops Like Corey
There is some really compelling stuff in Corey Pegues’s biography. His start as a street hustler. Running with a major drug gang. His eventual lifestyle change and then becoming a highly decorated New York Police officer. My only major problem is not really with the book, it’s with the presentation. Corey, my man, I wish you could have got some decent editing for your memoir. You did a lot of amazing things. I just felt that some of the story was cheapened because there were some poor segue ways from one point to the next.
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-29-23
One in a Million!!
This is a wonderful story that should encourage the young people who are struggling to find their way and a testimony to all Black People, that We can rise above any situation, if We put in the work! Thank you Mr. Peguese for standing up for what was right. I wish you would have had more support. Just know that your labor was not in vain and your service to your community, will be your family's forever legacy. Blessings 🙏 🙏
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- Denzel J. Varnado
- 06-21-20
Necessary story to be told
I enjoyed listening to this story because it shows a man who is open and honest about his past and feelings on everything leading up to his retirement as a police officer. I only hope this story is shared and told to as many people who strive to be leaders in whatever career they choose to fulfill.
While this story is still somewhat sad and disappointing, it gives me hope for the future of policing and prison reform.
Thank you Officer Pegues.....
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1 person found this helpful
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- Steve
- 09-14-19
Top Cop. Truly New York’s Finest. Making the difference.
Being a former Boss in Law-Enforcement, I can relate to Captain Pegues’s story. I thought the book was excellent, realistic, honest and accurate. I’ve dealt with most of people he mentioned in the NYPD In my career before I retired. I think all people in law-enforcement should be interested in reading this book. At some point maybe it would have an impact on the POLICE OFFICERS and the NYPD The greatest Police Department in the world. After reading this book maybe law-enforcement should revisit with the author and his programs he initiated while he was commanding officer in the NYPD that proved to be Effective at the time. Maybe reinstate them again to better serve the community and the New York City Police Department. It would save a lot of lives and make the relationship with the community and the police in this great city a better place to live. To all police officers be safe and thank you for your service.
Retired Chief. SIU:NYHP
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