Dr. Telly Kamelia 
If you only need the buying answer: MindTap is the cheapest short-term route in this snapshot. The current paperback is still below the sampled rental and below the sampled new-print comparator, so print is competitively priced. But for a one-course need, digital is the lower-cost path.
Current price comparison
| Format | Source | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | Merybook | $96.42 | Check price |
| MindTap / eTextbook (180 days) | eCampus | $59.99 | Check price |
| Quarter rental | eCampus | $120.66 | Check price |
| Marketplace | eCampus | $84.51 | Check price |
What this book actually teaches
An Introduction to Policing is a survey text about the history, role, structure, culture, and evolving problems of policing. The book matters because it helps readers place policing inside broader institutional, legal, and social context rather than treating it as a simple job-description manual.
That means it can remain useful for students who move deeper into criminal justice, policing policy, administration, or exam preparation. But for many readers, the first need is still a single introductory course.
When print is still worth buying
The honest cheapest route is MindTap. But the current paperback is still lower than rental and only somewhat above the sampled marketplace offer, which keeps ownership reasonable if you want a book you can keep marked up for later CJ coursework.
I would lean toward MindTap for a short-term course need, especially if the platform is tied to grading. I would lean toward print for criminal justice students who expect to revisit policing concepts in later classes or exam prep.
