Thin Blue Lie

“An incisive, muckraking exposé of the ‘police industrial complex.’”—The New York Times Book Review

“Matt Stroud has written a brilliant, urgently-needed book exposing the myth that technology can solve law enforcement’s many problems. Thin Blue Lie is a masterful indictment of how salesmanship and spin have seduced Americans into thinking that ‘the next new thing’ will solve deeply entrenched racial and societal injustices. It is also a definitive history of how modern policing has been manipulated by egos, inventors, and innovators who have all profited from unproven ideas and sold a series of false promises to a public that wanted to believe.”—Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, author of The Rise of Big Data Policing

“Matt Stroud has given us the definitive case against ‘high-tech policing.’ While he doesn’t discount the potential good that can come from sophisticated technologies, he also recognizes that these technologies may not represent ‘progress’ at all. Instead, they often constitute a demonstrable threat to Americans’ civil liberties, not to mention their personal safety. Technological development doesn’t make U-turns, but by heeding the wisdom contained in Stroud’s analysis, activists, lawmakers, and police officials can make sure the road forward is lit by the bright lights of transparency and protected by strong legislative and policy guardrails.”—Norm Stamper, former Seattle police chief and author of To Protect and Serve

“In an era of doubt surrounding police practices, Matt Stroud’s Thin Blue Lie raises provocative questions about how cops use technology. Stroud has reported deeply and written thoughtfully about a topic that should be of vital interest to anyone concerned about crime fighting and public policy.”—Paul M. Barrett, author of Glock and Law of the Jungle

“An eminently readable, ultimately damning account of the policing industrial complex: the way in which the US has allowed technology and capitalism to replace human smarts and human kindness—at the expense, especially, of communities of color.”—Baz Dreisinger, author of Incarceration Nations

“Clearly and compellingly, Stroud show that technological devices may make policing more convenient but do not lead to better outcomes . . . Wisely, he never loses sight of an overriding reality: that technology is never a substitute for compassionate policing based on trust between cops and the citizens they are paid to serve . . . A useful book.”—Kirkus Reviews