Topic: Reading and the Police

10-second review: What can police officers gain from reading books? “Police officers in Nezahualcoyotl, a working class suburb of Mexico City, have been ordered by the mayor to read one book a month or lose their chance of promotion. Mayor Luis Sanchez tells the London Guardian that 'reading will improve their vocabulary and their writing skills, help them express themselves, order their ideas and communicate with the public. Reading will make them better police officers and better people.’ ”

Source: The Writer (July 2005), 8. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers.

Comment: I always ask people how they learned to write. Many say that they never learned to write in school, but they read all the time. I am convinced that people learn almost naturally how to write because they read. They unconsciously model their writing, including grammar and style, on what they have read. RayS.