Lawrence is also
a member of the Screen Actors Guild
and can be seen in several blockbuster
feature films and television shows
such as Law and Order, Life on Mars, A
Beautiful Mind, The Bounty Hunter,
Break the Stage, and The Taking of
Pelham 123. Published by New York
City-based Page Publishing, Lawrence
Hoffman’s passionately crafted
biography depicts the personal and
professional life of a NYPD detective.
Hoffman explains “As a kid growing up
on Long Island, I struggled with an
unknown psychological need to wear a
uniform and a strong desire to be a
part of an organization. My search
would take me through Little League,
Cub Scouts, and various fraternal
organizations. This desire would only
be fulfilled after joining the NYPD in
February of 1984. Somewhere during my
twenty-year career, I was transformed
from that kid into a veteran New York
City police detective. This is my
evolution from a middle-class suburban
kid with simple values who naively
thought the “projects” were a homework
assignment into a veteran detective
working in some of the most
unforgiving neighborhoods of New York
City. With this transformation comes
the ability to separate the daily
exposure to the dark side of human
nature from your own life-sustaining
core beliefs. Many will fail to
acquire this ability and fall victim
to drugs, alcohol, divorce, crime, and
even suicide. This is a process which
I have come to call Turning Blue. This
is my story of how I dealt with
life-changing experiences at home
while my gun belt and uniform hung
safely in my locker. In my twenty
years of experience as a police
officer, I can honestly say that I
have been scared and feared for my
life. Could you go back to work after
crying yourself to sleep, reliving
your partner’s screams as he lay
bleeding to death in the backseat of
your unmarked car, and the only thing
keeping your heart in your chest was
your department issued bulletproof
vest?”
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