Ask the Author: How do you think the Chicago Police Department perceives On the Job?

Answer: Many Chicago officers I've met perceive the book in a positive light. I'm quick to say, however, that appeasing the police or city brass was not my goal; On the Job was not intended to be a civic booster project. The book has over 70,000 words, so I cannot expect that every word will please everyone. Some CPD may not like it, some average readers, too.


In my mind, I accomplished my objective—to encourage empathy for Chicago’s officers and show them as human beings rather than a uniform—and I need to be at peace with my work and know I wrote the best book I could. I would hope officers would look upon such honesty and sincerity in a positive way, particularly as most media stories about them generally reinforce some nasty stereotypes. Are all Chicago officers these wonderful human beings we should blindly praise? Absolutely not and it's naive to think so. Yet, they are not the unthinking, prejudiced, trigger-happy, etc, people we so often view them as. They have fears, emotions, ambitions. They are our neighbors, our friends, our family, our fellow Chicagoans. On the Job, I believe, sheds the uniform and reveals the soul—as best as my twentysomething mind could portray it. I would hope any reader, cop or civilian, would appreciate my sincere effort.

Ask the Author is a running series of live audience or reader questions directed at On the Job author Daniel P. Smith. The series, which appears each Monday, is aimed at providing greater insight into Smith’s work in researching and writing On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department as well as the book’s content. A speaker noted for his energy and engaging style, Smith is available for presentations at a wide range of events, including private book clubs, Citizen Police Academy meetings, libraries, senior centers, and schools. Please contact him directly at smithwriting@gmail.com to schedule an event.

Are you a reader with a question for On the Job author Daniel P. Smith? Send it to smithwriting@gmail.com.