Leonard Freed: Police Work

A fresh and expanded take on Leonard Freed's classic 1980 book, this new edition is the definitive collection of Freed's photographs of the New York police department during the turbulent 1970s. Magnum photographer Freed worked alongside the New York police for several years, documenting the gritty reality of life 'on the beat' at a notorious time of soaring crime and great social unrest, with the city near bankruptcy. Of his near-decade with the police department, Freed observed that 'What I saw were average people doing a sometimes boring, sometimes corrupting, sometimes dangerous and ugly and unhealthy job'. Freed's nuanced essay has a poignancy and grace, capturing the camaraderie of officers alongside the people they are hired to protect. Freed accompanied the NYPD on murder investigations, drug raids, public demonstrations and community outreach initiatives, as well as documenting the ordinary daily grind of the job. This re-edited and re-designed take on Freed's original book features several unseen photographs from the archive. It is a celebration of this complex and compassionate body of work, which has a social resonance and relevance in today's climate.