Brutalization

‘A very good story that gets as close as possible to the reality of being a cop’

Peter, Danish police officer

When 23-year-old Allan Schleppegrell is accepted into police school, it’s a dream come true. A chance to become a kind, compassionate police officer like the one he idolized as a child and to make the world a better place.

At the busy Station Charlie in downtown Copenhagen, Allan gets the opportunity to patrol with one of the station’s legendary officers, who is strong, charismatic, and willing to get the job done by any means necessary.

As Allan is pulled deeper into the darker aspects of police work, he finds himself faced with the question: Does he really have what it takes to be a perfect cop?

“Allan immediately tore the door open, jumped out of the car, and held the guy by the back of his neck with one hand, grabbing him by the throat with the other. Fighting to get free, the guy shook his head, making his thin blond hair sway from side to side, but it was no use. Allan had gotten a good, firm grip, and he managed to push the guy up against a wall before he found himself staring into a pair of blue and unnaturally wide eyes. He felt the panic spread through his body, and the eye contact felt like it lasted an eternity. What was he supposed to do now?”

“Allan felt his heart beat faster, and saliva pooled in his mouth. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. What had just happened was against everything they’d learned at the police school concerning legislation and ethics. But then again, what did he know about real police work? Wasn’t this just an example of what he had heard so often—the theory is one thing, practical work is something else?”

‘Fluently written and with great insight’

North Jutland Times, Danish newspaper

‘A very well written novel about police work and how tragic incidents can affect people’

Mettegerdt.blogspot

The author – Erik Djernaes Hansen

I’ve been a Danish police officer for more than 25 years, and in 2018 I finished a master’s degree in criminology from Cambridge University. For several years I worked in Copenhagen as a uniformed officer or undercover investigating drug crimes. For the last 14 years, I’ve been teaching use-of-force training at the Danish police school.

Brutalization is my debut novel, and it’s inspired not only by the American movie Training Day but also by my many years as a police officer. My intention was to wrap a serious point in a good story—and I hope you like the result.