Overview

First place winner in the 2023 Royal Dragonfly Awards in the category of Other Nonfiction! Distinguished favorite in the category of true crime from the 2023 NYC Big Book Awards! Why do people become police officers? How do police deal with the dangers of their job and the tragedies they encounter? In A Blue Life, author James J. Foley provides his firsthand account of what daily life is like for the Massachusetts police departments that he served alongside for more than forty years as an attorney and assistant clerk-magistrate. The men and women presented in his narrative face armed assailants, investigate murder cases, deal with drug addicts, the mentally ill, and crooked cops, while navigating through a legacy of racism and sexism. Are the right people being chosen as police officers? Are they receiving the proper training? Foley explores these questions and more, providing clear and fascinating insights for anyone curious about the police and the important job they do.

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"Former Quincy court clerk tells story of local policing through the decades -The Patriot Ledger, June 6, 2023 Issue: ""... A Blue Life includes stories of policing in a different time and the realities of policing in the ""Defund the Police"" era. There are chapters focusing on specific officers, other sections on detectives and how they do their job, a breakdown of a few unsolved murder cases and looks at interview tactics, dealing with informants and how racism affects the job...."""

Author Information

James J. Foley is an attorney and served as an assistant clerk magistrate in the Massachusetts court system for over forty years. During his career, he worked with the police on a daily basis, reviewing their requests for arrest warrants, criminal complaints, and search warrants. He issued arrest warrants or search warrants in over a hundred murder cases. Mr. Foley served on criminal procedure committees advising the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and to the Massachusetts District Court. He was called upon to address statewide conferences of judges and other court personnel on developments in criminal law. Mr. Foley was very involved in international outreach efforts and hosted judges, attorneys, professors, and public officials from over twenty countries at his courthouse.He has traveled to every continent, writing travel articles about his journeys for the Boston Globe and other newspapers. Mr. Foley is also a photographer and has had a number of exhibits of his photographs.

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