Leonard Freed - Police Work - 1981

“Police Work” is a photography book by Leonard Freed, first published in 1981. The book offers a documentary-style look at daily life and the functions of police officers in New York at the end of the 1970s and the early 1980s. Freed, a renowned photojournalist and member of Magnum Photos, spent years accompanying officers on patrol, capturing spontaneous and often rough black-and-white images.

The foreword was written by Studs Terkel, a renowned American author and historian. The work is acclaimed for its humanist approach, showing both the challenges and the human side of police work, rather than focusing solely on the action or crime scenes.

Format: Primarily black-and-white photography with captions and short texts
This book is regarded as an important element of visual history, offering a window into urban policing during a turbulent period in New York.