Son Uncovers Parents' Complicity in Police System

Wilbert L. Cooper's "The Black Shield" is a memoir exploring his family's deep ties to the Cleveland Police Department. Cooper, who eschewed following three generations of family into policing to become a journalist, investigates the complexities of his parents' roles.

He embeds with the Black Shield, a fraternal organization for Black officers, and scrutinizes decades of police practices. Cooper reveals how the department used Black officers for appearances without altering systemic outcomes.

Cooper's reporting exposes the department's history, including his great-uncle Lloyd's violent patrols on Cleveland's segregated East Side. His parents, Gayle and Will, are central figures, their lives shaped by a force that once viewed Black citizens as adversaries.

Gayle joined the force in the late 1970s after a lawsuit pushed for diversity, rising to vice detective. Her son, Will, a street cop, eventually joined the Office of Professional Standards, a unit Cooper likens to an 'incinerator' for documents.

The memoir culminates in Cooper's discovery of his father's internal record, detailing a 2001 shooting incident. Officers, including his father, fired on a suspect during a drug raid, later discovering the suspect's 3-year-old son in the back seat.

Cooper grapples with the realization that the system his parents navigated and upheld prevented him from truly knowing the man his father was. The memoir highlights how their protective armor shielded them but created distance for their son.

"The Black Shield" documents Cooper's search for redemptive grace and his family's complicated legacy within law enforcement. The book, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, spans 402 pages and retails for $32.