Willard M. Oliver is a professor of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He has authored two dozen books, including The Birth of the FBI: Teddy Roosevelt, the Secret Service, and the Fight Over America’s Premier Law Enforcement Agency (Rowman & Littlefield 2019). Oliver is a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserves and a former police officer. He resides in Huntsville, Texas with his family.

• Prologue: September 8-9, 1919 1 America’s First Police Department 2 The Boston Police Department3 Political Control of the BPD4 The Great War’s Impact on Boston5 Boston’s Leadership6 Governor Calvin Coolidge7 The Call for Unionization8 The Road to Hell . . .9 In the Absence of Police, September 9, 191910 The Boston Riots, September 10, 191911 Quelling the Violence, September 11, 191912 Coolidge Takes Charge, September 12, 191913 Firing and Hiring a Police Department, September 13, 191914. . . Is Paved with Good IntentionsEpilogue: August 3, 1981AfterwordBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

This detailed history of the Boston strike of 1919 is an interesting and intriguing read for not just any Boston police officer, but for anyone interested in the fight for unionization of police officers. Oliver’s depictions and insights of the people involved in this historical moment give us lessons in history and politics that are still relevant and applicable today. A must read for anyone interested in the Police Labor movement.