Outside The Law

Growing up in Elkhart, Indiana, Bruce Davidson always wanted to be a police officer. After graduating from high school and serving honorably in the Marines, he managed to reach his lifelong goal at the age of 23 when he was sworn in as a patrolman for the Elkhart Police Department. The job was everything he dreamed it would be. Day after day, he worked tirelessly to remove dangerous criminals from the streets and protect the citizens of his hometown. His devotion to duty and commitment to upholding the law earned him the respect of his fellow officers, and he rose quickly through the ranks to become president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

What Davidson didn't realize at the time was that there were powerful forces working against him. City politics, marital troubles, financial difficulties and a broken legal system were beating him down. And as his professional and personal life fell apart, he would lose his job, his marriage and his promising career as an attorney. Ultimately, he would be forced to turn his back on everything he ever stood for, violating the principles of right and wrong that had always governed his life. The cop became a criminal. The lawyer became an outlaw. And when his secret was finally exposed, his only option was to run – as far as he could for as long as possible. In his 7 ½ months as a fugitive, Davidson would travel across the United States 2 ½ times, and see things he'd always wanted to see, all with the FBI in hot pursuit. This is his story.