While never an easy job, police work grew even more difficult during the civil disturbances of the 1960s and 1970s. Whether integrating schools, keeping the peace at protests against an unpopular war or handling other contentious assignments, law enforcement was often seen as the bad guys. "Keeping the Peace?" reveals the difficulties of policing during this tumultuous era. Hear personal stories from the people who were there, as they share their thoughts and experiences on serving during these challenging times.

During the Jim Crow era, police swore to uphold racist local laws despite their inherent unconstitutionality. However, federal authorities were also required to enforce the racial integration of schools, working against the local police supporting Jim Crow laws.

Police are people, too and not always perfect ones. While charged with keeping the peace at civil rights and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, some police clashed with protestors, earning a bad name for badge-wearers as a whole.

With the counterculture in full swing, cops became the bad guys in the eyes of many Americans. Protestors taunted them relentlessly and along with a crime wave and massive drug problem, the 1970s became one of the most difficult decades in police history.

As American society changed, so did police forces. Law enforcement agencies hired more women and minorities and made a greater effort to understand the communities they protected. The landmark decisions in the Miranda v. Arizona and Mapp v. Ohio cases confirmed the rights of suspects and limited police power.