Robert Leon Davis

Robert Leon Davis (born c. 1955) is a former American police officer. Charged with police misconduct in 1979, he fled while free on bail and remained a fugitive for 22 years before turning himself in. He has written two books: "Cop Out", a memoir about his time as a fugitive, and "Legal Minds", a book on detecting rogue police officers coauthored with a licensed counselor educator.

Biography

One of nine children, Davis grew up in the New Orleans neighborhood of Hollygrove. He engaged in crime as a teen, but was encouraged by neighbors to become a recruit for the New Orleans Police Department police academy.cite news |first=Chante Dionne |last=Warren |title=Bad cop vs. good cop |url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/People/17008021.html?showAll=y&c=y |work=The Advocate |date=2008-03-26 |page=1E |accessdate=2008-05-20 ]

Davis joined the police force in 1977, but succumbed to the then-widespread culture of corruption. After being charged with sexual battery and malfeasance in office, he found the possibility of a 30-year sentence in Angola Prison untenable and fled while free on bail. He spent the next 22 years as a fugitive, living in the woods and occasionally in cities throughout North America.cite interview |last=Davis |first=Robert L |subject=Robert Leon Davis |subjectlink=Robert Leon Davis |interviewer=Juanita Watson |url=http://www.readerviews.com/InterviewDavisRobert.html |program=Reader Views |year=2007 |month=February |accessdate=2008-05-20 ]

Following a religious experience while in the woods of Tennessee, Davis surrendered to authorities in 2001. He was not sentenced to prison time; the judge felt his years of self-imposed exile were sufficient. Davis decided to devote himself to consulting with criminologists and speaks publicly about avoiding crime and corruption.

Published works

*"Cop Out", (iUniverse, 2007)
*"Legal Minds: Detecting Rogue Police Officers and Other Important Law Enforcement Issues" (iUniverse, 2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.authorsden.com/copout Robert L. Davis (author) on AuthorsDen]