Cop Out

by Robert L. Davis

Cop Outis a true account of how a former police officer survived as a fugitive while evading authorities and eventually surrendered to God. This narrative approach of survival and skill encompasses a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595425437
• ISBN13: 9780595425433
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Listen To Your Grandma

Robert Davis was born in New Orleans and lived with his eight siblings and his grandmother. His father disappeared before any of the children could even remember him and his mother was also missing in action. His grandmother always told him, `do the right thing.' Instead, Robert began supplementing her income by working for chop shops, which buy stolen auto parts. He did a few other things that were not legal before joining the New Orleans Police Department and becoming an officer. He was quite young and when paired with older, corrupt officers and he began to follow their lead, only he got caught because a girl he was pressuring told on him. He and his wife fled to Canada so he could avoid prosecution. Apparently, it was too much for her because she packed up and left. That's when he knew he'd have to live in the forest. He bought books on survival, camping gear, guns and knives and began to carve out his life in the woods. Later he moved back to the United States and lived either in homeless shelters or in the woods. During his time on the run, he met several influential people - politicians, a priest who helped him considerably and others. He met a man named Lee, but his atheism upset Lee and caused him to move on. Finally, after some experiences in the forest that convinced him God was real, he knew he'd have to turn himself in and he held out hopes of finding Lee again. COP OUT by Robert Davis is a stirring and uplifting story of why you should `do the right thing.' Not only does he do an excellent job of telling his story, he gives wonderful advice at the end to children, teens, parents and the police department on how not to do the wrong thing. His story is full of tension and suspense, as well as good advice. It is a book that should be read by everyone. Reviewed by Alice Holman of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Powerful and Dynamic

When I first heard of this book and it's contents I must admit I had a deep problem with it. The first problem was I hate any bad police officers. Members of my family have suffer at the hands of 'rogue' cops more than once. My second problem was his treatment of women through his many years while on the run. Of course I as a female would have serious issues with this subject, but I promised 'other' women who had read the book that I would at least attempt to read the book. Many of my friends say the book is an excellent read and that I was sure to enjoy it. Well I finally read the book. I glad I did. This book has cause me to question my morals and values. This book is extremely deep and revealing. It's about more than a misguided and easily influence police officer. It's shares with the reader more than various flings with women from all walks. This book is about what could happen to you, me, or anyone. I realized the weakness of all humans. But the most shocking and most awesome parts of the book is the author's struggle to actually live a large part of his life without family, friends, and other human company for many years. That is a feat that many of us cannot perform. Many couldn't live in the woods and forests for 22 days, as opposed to his 22 years. Sure we all can point out his weaknesses as a police officer, but we need to also be mindful of his incredible resolve and deligence to do the one thing that many couldn't do....survive under harsh circumstances and apologize for his past behavior. As far as his treatment of females, I still don't like it. But I can now understand that survival causes one to do things that are 'out of the norm', and surely his life was out of the norm. The author is not arrogant, harsh, or belligerent in the end. He apologize for his past life and I for one certainly accept his apology. I just hope that I'm able to have the courage to apologize so easily when I make my mistakes.

Great Reading

This book (published just this year; 2007) was great reading; I devoured it in only a few hours. I liked it so much I even contemplated purchasing many copies for other people, except that there are two unbiblical statements or errors in it, leaving me to wonder if the author is really born-again Christian or just Catholic (or Mormon for all I know); he seems to have had a very real experience with God but yet near the end encourages people to worship whatever diety or higher power they believe in: This is not Christianity, for true, Biblical Christianity is exclusive of anyone but Jesus Christ as God (for starters). He also makes a mistake in telling the Biblical story of Gideon, falsely stating that Gideon placed the fleece on the ground to determine if God existed (Gideon already fully believed in God's existence & the fleece was to determine if God would save Isreal by his hand or not; see Judges 6: 34-39). Nonetheless, the book is inspirational, enjoyable and easy reading, describing how this former officer became sucked down into what amounts to satan's cleverly laid trap, as he became not only a hardened atheist but a hardened criminal. You end up loving him for all his humanity and falleness. True, he took some bad turns in life but he started out with a sizeable deck stacked against him. If you have empathy you can only feel Christ's love for him despite it all, and the amazement and joy at God's incredible grace! What astounding grace! I highly recommend this book but as with everything read it with biblical knowledge, caution & discernment (as to the above two errors). It is very enjoyable and especially heart-warming at the end and may make a good gift for an atheist...

Inspirational and Thought Provoking

COP OUT is a marvelous and revealing story. That a man would be willing to divulge all of his life is amazing. I sensed no hold back or hesitation as he tells his remarkable story. In the beginning, I was very uncomfortable reading this story. I experienced moments of sadness, then a slight moment of disgust, a little happiness, coupled with anger, then some other feelings I can't quite explain. That he revealed 'all' caused my discomfort. Most people hold back a little bit. It's like he was glad to expose his entire life. A very courageous person. I challenge any living human being to reveal of his life the way Robert has reveal his rugged and lonely life. Honesty is a word we all use too much, but this epic memoir is just that: pure honesty, frankness, and truthfulness. I wouldn't be surprise in the future to see this story transformed into a major movie. I would certainly love to meet this man, not just because the book was well written, but because this man has got to have God's divine wisdom and blessings. Read COP OUT, after reading you'll never be the same.

Incerdible story

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (2/07) "Cop Out" is the story of Robert L. Davis. Abandoned by his father, Robert lived with his maternal grandmother and eight siblings in Hollygrove, a ghetto area of New Orleans. By the time of his high school graduation Robert had become proficient in stealing and stripping cars and was becoming entrenched in a life of crime. Two young neighbors, New Orleans police officers, influenced Robert to become a recruit for the police academy. Corruption within the police department and the example of "bad" cops on the force gave Robert a false sense of his core values and an incident arose that caused him to be examined by the department of internal affairs. He was later arrested. While out on bail, unable to face the possibility of a 30-year sentence to Angola Prison, Robert fled. His story of evading authorities, as a fugitive, is one of survival. He lived for months at a time in wooded areas and in National Forests. This first-person, fast-paced narrative takes Robert from New Orleans to Canada, from coast to coast. His reflections and stories tell of significant influences of some of the people he met in bus stations, railroad yards, homeless shelters, church missions, and day job centers. I appreciated Robert's open, frank, approach in relating his feelings. He has made himself vulnerable. His story is one that will create questions and cause you to seek answers. His journals are filled with a pattern of family, friends, acquaintances, and girlfriends challenging his atheism as he challenged their Christian message. The book is thought provoking for Christian and non-Christian alike. The central truth of the book is this: the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the most despicable offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. As Robert experienced the miracle of God's redemptive love, after over twenty years of flight, he surrendered, first to God and then to the authorities. This is a remarkable story of transformation. An angry atheistic criminal was recreated to become a man with "a compassion for the poor, love to those in need, patience to the foolish, and laughter with the innocent." "Cop Out" is a must read book for anyone considering or involved in the area of criminal justice, faith based ministries, parole officers, gang members, and juvenile offenders. Challenging, life-changing, inspirational.