Leonard Freed’s photograph depicts a New York police officer seated in a gym, his ankle revolver still strapped in place. The close framing on the weapon — juxtaposed with the setting of exercise and routine — reminds us that the realities of danger and preparedness extended far beyond the street.

Part of Freed’s seminal project Police Work (1972–79), the image reflects his interest in the psychological burden of policing during a turbulent decade marked by crime, financial instability, and social tension. Freed sought not only to capture moments of action, but also the quieter symbols of constant vigilance. The ankle holster, almost incongruous against the backdrop of the gym, encapsulates the vulnerability and resilience that defined daily life for the NYPD at the end of the 1970s.