In the Seventies, Berish was a City of Miami police officer riding in the Pit, the Black ghetto in downtown Miami, and whenever one of those cycle of events that staggers you back onto your heels would happen, he'd turn to his partner and say: There are eight million stories in the Naked City; this has been one of them. Later in his career, he revised that adage to: There are eight million stories in the Pit; this has been one of them. He was never sure if any of his partners knew exactly what he was referring to (reference the movie or TV series), but they sure knew what he meant. What follows is a peek into that human swamp, into several of those eight million stories.  

Reflections from the Pit's approach to storytelling is unique in that all of these stories contain individual, quirky, off-center characters and focus on their basic character flaws while dealing with the social issues of the day. They are meant to be snapshots into the dark side of police work and deal with segregation, racism, sexism, prejudice, teenage prostitution, police brutality and its senseless violence, crazies who think they have been abducted by aliens, the murdering of transvestites, the lack of compassion and sympathy by the younger generation for their elders, the injustice and ineptitude of the legal system, the stupidity of criminals and the cowardice of police officers in the face of danger (the latter of which is rarely seen on TV), hangings from police cruisers, affirmative action, Cuban freedom fighters a.k.a. terrorists, the callousness of society towards the homeless, drug-dealing cops and corruption, bungled police stings, the don t get involved syndrome and the raping of the elderly.

Some of these contes, or reflections, might amaze you; others may horrify you; several might amuse, while still others might impinge upon your inner emotions; and a few deal with such baser instincts as corruption, which the Magic City has a long history of: one of the earlier Chiefs of Police was indicted for first-degree murder.

If you are looking for politically or culturally correct stories, read no farther; these tales may not be to your liking; in fact, some stories are openly racist and sexist in nature, which is exactly what a police department is at times: a racist, sexist, prejudicial, homophobic, bureaucratic institution where brutality of all forms and every description (physically and mentally) and injustice abound.

These reflections, which cover more than one hundred years of history, give one pause for thought and a peek into the human swamp of life with Berish using his intimate knowledge of the Pit to bring these Miami cop stories alive.”

According to the Miami Police Department, “The most visible component of the Department is the Field Operations Division which is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of police services within the City of Miami.  These are the uniformed men and women that patrol the City's neighborhoods, engage in community policing projects, support various community involvement programs, and provide the nucleus for the specialized cadres that augment the patrol force within the Department.

The Criminal Investigations Division is the investigative arm of the Department.  The highly trained and experienced professionals that comprise this Division focus on a wide range of criminal activities within the City of Miami.  Their expertise in a variety of police science disciplines enables them to skillfully investigate crime and apprehend offenders.