After the Force is a collection of chapters written by retired law-enforcement women and men who have come together to share their stories about defining moments of their careers and events that have affected them throughout their lives and into retirement. In recent years, many police agencies and officers in Canada, the US, and internationally have come under fire for unprofessional or unethical policing methods. This collection clearly displays another side to law enforcement; the human side.

Among the stunning themes in the book are stories dealing with prostitution and sex work, a child serial-killer, an encounter with a cop killer, police suicides, a child miraculously surviving a fall from a high-rise balcony, an officer dealing with a partner who was experiencing severe PTSD, a suicide from a bridge, and child sexual assaults. Optimistic themes and activities arise in these writers’ lives after retiring from police work, such as writing poetry, painting, assisting Indigenous communities, and facilitating community improvement.

The book is edited by Detective Debbie J. Doyle (ret) with a foreword by Sherri, Zickefoose and afterword by Dr. J. Thomas Dalby. Chapter authors are: Gwyneth Allin, Sharon Bourque, Elizabeth Cordeiro, Marc Denis, Debbie Doyle, Stu Gillett, Jackie Gordon, Trish Haley, Val Hoglund, Ernie Louttit, Neil Masson, JoAnn McCarney, Debbie McGreal-Dinning, Ron Pond, Tony Walshe, and Dave Wilton.