Full disclosure— when I started reading this book, I was fully prepared to dislike it. I don’t normally read a whole lot of memoirs, but since Paul Bacon’s “Bad Cop” came to me via a close friend’s personal recommendation, I figured I’d give it a shot. What the heck, right? Ever since I joined the digital age and picked up a Kindle a few years back, it’s been a whole lot easier to broaden my literary horizons. Worst case scenario, if a book turns out to be terrible, I can always delete the digital edition and I’m only out, what? A couple bucks? As it turns out, though, “Bad Cop” took me through a whole range of emotions: from simply being grateful that the book wasn’t awful, to being pleasantly surprised at this well-written and enjoyable story, to finally annoying all the other passengers on the plane by laughing out loud at each turn of the page.
As a young guy, Paul Bacon seemed destined to become just another New York City stereotype: a liberal, pacifist hipster with a great education but no clear career path. But in 2001, after witnessing the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, Paul feels like he has to do something to defend his city. Undaunted by his advanced age, his lack of experience or his seemingly complete absence of upper body strength, Paul single-mindedly embraces his new goal: becoming an NYPD officer. Let’s face it— when your last name is Bacon, you’re pretty much guaranteed a stellar future in law enforcement.
And even though Paul may have only served with the NYPD for three short years, he came away from the job with an abundance of awesome war stories. From basic training at the police academy to making his first arrest, Paul Bacon shares his experiences with a unique, almost naive, sense of humor. My personal favorite sections were all the times when Paul’s innocent personality seemed to clash with the NYPD’s firmly entrenched “cop culture”, such as when he learns the importance placed on earning overtime hours. But don’t take my word for it— feel free to have a listen to Paul reading one of his best stories on NPR’s This American Life podcast.
Even if you’ve never personally experienced a bad job fit, we can all probably think of at least one person who feels miserable about their work, stuck in a career they’re not suited for. I’m happy to report, however, that Paul Bacon’s story actually works out in the end. After “Bad Cop” found a place on the best-seller lists, Paul optioned the movie rights and used the profits to move to Maui. He’s since found a much less stressful career as a scuba instructor… now that’s what I call a happy ending.