Much of Policing is Not So Obvious.

 

West Palm Beach, Fl - Most people imagine police work as a steady stream of violent crime, flashing lights, and dramatic arrests. The cultural script is familiar, sirens, handcuffs, courtroom verdicts. But according to retired NYPD Lieutenant David Goldstein, that image leaves out the quieter, more complicated reality of modern policing.

“Most police calls are not obvious crimes,” Goldstein explains. “They’re messy, emotional, and often fall into gray areas, especially domestics and family disputes.”

In a recent episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, Goldstein discussed what he calls “Not So Obvious Police Calls” the types of incidents that rarely make headlines but make up the overwhelming majority of an officer’s day. The podcast is available free on the show’s website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and most major platforms.

A Career Shaped by Urban Policing

Goldstein’s insights are shaped by decades in uniform. A New York native, he began his career with the Los Angeles Police Department, serving two and a half years before returning home to join the NYPD. Over the years, he worked in busy urban precincts across New York City, eventually retiring at the rank of Lieutenant.

His background also includes service as a U.S. Marines officer and earning a degree in Criminology from Florida State University, blending academic understanding with real-world experience in crime and public safety.

After retiring from the NYPD, Goldstein continued serving as a University Police Officer before eventually stepping away from law enforcement altogether. Today, he speaks and writes about the emotional and practical realities of policing, offering perspective shaped by lived experience rather than television portrayals.

From Domestics to Family Disputes

Throughout his career, Goldstein found that many 911 calls were anything but straightforward. Domestics and family disputes often blurred the line between criminal conduct and civil disagreement.

“People call the police because they’re scared, angry, or overwhelmed,” he says. “But when we arrive, we often find that no crime has actually been committed.”

In those moments, officers must quickly determine whether laws were broken or whether the situation falls into the realm of civil conflict, disputes over property, custody, or personal grievances.

Goldstein recalls responding to a troubling attempted child abduction investigation in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Although the suspect was convicted, he felt the punishment did not reflect the seriousness of the offense.

“That case stuck with me,” he notes. “It showed how the system doesn’t always match the gravity of what officers and families experience on the ground.”

He also remembers emotionally charged family dispute calls involving young children, situations requiring split-second judgment.

“You’re not just enforcing the law,” Goldstein says. “You’re stepping into someone’s living room at one of the worst moments of their life.”

The Reality Behind “Not So Obvious” Calls

The phrase “Not So Obvious Police Calls” reflects a larger reality: more than 95 percent of police calls do not involve active violence. Instead, officers frequently respond to order maintenance issues such as noise complaints, suspicious behavior, public intoxication, welfare checks, and emotionally volatile disputes.

Dispatch information, Goldstein explains, is often incomplete or shaped by fear and urgency.

“We’re sent in with limited information,” he says. “By the time you arrive, the situation may be completely different than what was described.”

An increasing number of calls also involve mental health crises or substance use issues.

“It’s not always about arresting someone,” Goldstein says. “Sometimes it’s about stabilizing a situation long enough for everyone to calm down.”

Civil Cases vs. Criminal Cases

One of the most misunderstood aspects of policing, Goldstein believes, is the difference between civil and criminal matters.

“People assume police can ‘fix’ everything,” he says. “But a lot of what we deal with are civil disputes, and no laws were broken.”

Criminal cases are prosecuted by the government and require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Civil disputes involve disagreements between private parties and operate under a lower burden of proof. When officers leave a scene without making an arrest, it is often because the legal threshold for criminal charges has not been met.

That distinction can frustrate community members expecting immediate solutions. But, as Goldstein emphasizes, officers must operate within the boundaries of the law.

The Emotional Toll

Responding day after day to chaotic, emotionally charged situations, many without clear outcomes, carries a psychological weight.

“When you’re constantly dealing with chaos that isn’t criminal, it wears on you,” Goldstein says. “That stress follows officers home.”

He notes that the public often sees only high-profile incidents covered in News stories or shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. What remains largely unseen are the countless calls requiring patience, mediation, and restraint rather than force.

Over time, those gray-area decisions can contribute to burnout.

“You’re making judgment calls in real time,” he says. “And you carry those decisions with you.”

From the Streets to the Page

Goldstein has since turned his experiences into fiction. He is the author of Another Body in Brooklyn, a crime novel inspired by real police experiences in Bed-Stuy. The story follows Police Sergeant Joshua Rothchild as he navigates violence, bureaucracy, and moral conflict while investigating a long-forgotten New Year’s Day murder.

“The book is fiction,” Goldstein says, “but the emotions, the confusion, and the pressure are all real.”

He also authored Back Alleys and Unauthorized Donut Shops, a collection of short crime fiction, and has written science fiction as well, using storytelling as both creative outlet and reflection.

Through his appearance on The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, available on their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms, Goldstein continues discussing the complexities of policing long after leaving the NYPD.

Understanding the Gray Areas

For Goldstein, the takeaway is simple but significant: policing is rarely as clear-cut as it appears from the outside.

“If people understood how few police calls are actually clear-cut,” he says, “they might better understand the impossible decisions officers face every day.”

Behind the flashing lights are living rooms, family arguments, frightened children, and moments of confusion that defy easy answers. In those gray spaces, between civil and criminal, fear and frustration, officers navigate not just laws, but human emotion.

And that, Goldstein suggests, is the part of policing most people never see.

Attributions

Amazon

Another Body In Brooklyn