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8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
How far have we really come? Jan 07, 2010
By Charlotte J. Duarte
As a county attorney assigned to represent the Honolulu Police Department during the 80's, I was aware of the challenging nature of police work on a daily basis. However, it was not until I came to work with and know my friend, Detective Joanne Takasato, that I was able to more fully comprehend the enourmous obtsacles that faced women who chose law enforcments as a career.
What did we hear? Women can't physically handle the job. Women can't be trusted to cover my back. My wife won't like it. Women don't have the instinct to survive. Women are taking jobs away from men. And so on and so on. And Det. Takasato was at the forefront, and cutting edge and receiving end of all of this. Moreover, as the first female undercover officer in the Honolulu Police Department, she had to go it alone. No support groups, no role models, no gender neutralizing training of fellow officers, no training at all. The fact that she survive, intact (for the most part), with faith and hope for the future, speaks volumes about her endurance and commitment to her chosen profession.
She could have quit. She did not. She persevered to become the role model for all officers, not just women, that she herself lacked. She wrote "In Search of Truth and Honor", not as a criticism of law enforcement, and as a more than just an exercise in catharsis, but most significantly, as homage to the many men and women out there who continue to pursue law enforcement as a career, and who strive against horrific odds, to keep the faith and do the right thing for the good of their communities.
This is a "must read" for all new officers as they enter police academies throughout our nation, for old seasoned commanding officers who may have forgotten how challenging their lives have been as police officers, and for those still in the trenches.
Thank you Jo for your courage, committment and honesty.
Charlotte J. Duarte
Kailua, Hawaii
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 In Search of Honor and Truth Jan 06, 2010
By V. Vierra
"Retired Cop"
I was a member of the Honolulu Police Department for almost twenty years and felt I was in the loop and fairly knowledgeable about events occuring within the organization. After reading this book, I was disappointed to learn that this sort of discrimination and prejudice was alive and well among our ranks. What was more disappointing was knowing high ranking officers were part of this subterfuge.
This book is a must read for those that are contemplating a career in law enforcement, whether they be male of female. It shows the sordid side of an otherwise exemplary organization. It shows that in spite of the lofty goals set by the administration of the department, there are those that will ignore everything the department stands for to further their own misguided bigotry.
The book also reveals the challenging, tempting and often frightening world of a real world undercover police officer. It clearly illustrates that it takes a very special kind of individual to succeed at undercover police work.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Thank you, Jo Jo Jan 24, 2010
By S. E. Rayfield
The undercover experience is unique to every individual, unique in every application (criminal infiltration, national security, etc).
The journal of Detective Joanne Takasato's tragic undercover experience reflects the struggle of a resolute individual when conscience and committment to duty are strained to the limit.
Det. Takasato was a pioneer, not only as a woman entering the previously all-male world of law enforcement in the Honolulu Police Department but a pioneer in the extreme, lonely world of "undercover". This at a time when the HPD, as most Departments, including Federal agencies, were ill-prepared for the dangers to the individual involved.
Takasato's book should be required material for all law enforcement managers charged with the responsibility of undercover personnel and certainly recommended for any office/agent entering the potential life-changing undercover experience.
S.E. Rayfield, Special Agent FBI (Ret)
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
A riveting story Jan 07, 2010
By Carol Lee Ramie
A riveting story, revealing the inner struggles of the first female undercover narcotics police officer in the State of Hawaii. It is a miracle in itself that she survived her position as an undercover cop in the dark and dangerous streets of the drug world long before cell phones and surveillance equipment.
In Search of Truth and Honor shows how faith played such an important part in her position as a police officer. Honoring what is right, at all cost, and holding firm to a higher standard. Loyalty in following through with the calling that was set before her. A spiritual journey eventually leading her to 'real truth and honor' which lies deep within all of us if we have the courage to confront it.
Not wavering from her commitment to do what was right, at all cost. Jeopardizing her own life and the life of her family, time and time again. And incredibly, being shunned from her own "Men in Blue' after assisting in the arrest of `one of her own'.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Heartbreaking Feb 10, 2010
By felsbk
"felsbk"
I could not believe that something like this could happen in Hawaii--the land of Aloha. I believe that this is a true story. It broke my heart to see the suffering that Jo endured. I came to hate those cops that treated her like a second class citizen and left her to fend for herself in very dangerous situations. I applaud those officers that were her friends and helped her. She paid a price to help those undercover policewomen in narcotics that came after her. I felt many emotions while reading it. Read it and you will experience those emotions too.
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