In Cop Watch, renowned social psychologist Hans Toch takes stock of the vast changes in police procedures that have occurred over the last half-century by examining the evolving role of spectators to police-citizen interactions.

This sympathetic and informed analysis details the concerns of both disgruntled citizens and unsettled police. Their interactions are played out on a broad stage, from 1960s riots and Kerner Commission findings, to 2011 accusations of police brutality in Seattle.

In this unflinching examination of the power of the crowd and society to shape police practice, Toch provides a uniquely compelling look at the struggles and complexities of policing in a volatile world.
About the Author: Hans Toch, PhD, is distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Albany at the State University of New York, where he is affiliated with the School of Criminal Justice. He obtained his PhD in social psychology at Princeton University, has taught at Michigan State University and at Harvard University, and, in 1996, served as the Walker-Ames Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle.

He is a fellow of both APA and the American Society of Criminology. In 1996, he acted as president of the American Association of Correctional Psychology.

He is a recipient of the Hadley Cantril Memorial Award (for Men in Crisis: Human Breakdowns in Prison), the August Vollmer Award of the American Society of Criminology for outstanding contributions to applied criminology, the Prix deGreff from the International Society of Criminology for Distinction in Clinical Criminology, and the Research Award of the International Corrections and Prison Association.

His research interests range from mental health problems and the psychology of violence to issues of organizational reform and planned change.

His books include Violent Men: An Inquiry Into the Psychology of Violence (1992), Living in Prison: The Ecology of Survival (1992), Mosaic of Despair: Human Breakdowns in Prison (1992), The Disturbed Violent Offender (with Kenneth Adams, 1994), Police Violence: Understanding and Controlling Police Abuse of Force (with William Geller, 1996), Corrections: A Humanistic Approach (1997), Crime and Punishment: Inside Views (with Robert Johnson, 2000), Acting Out: Maladaptive Behavior in Confinement (with Kenneth Adams, 2002), Stress in Policing (2002) and Police as Problem Solvers: How Frontline Workers Can Promote Organizational and Community Change (2005).