Already a subscriber? Log in
And the stories are striking. A woman is falsely accused of sleeping with students by a bitter colleague, a woman terrorised by a vengeful ex. Each is trapped, being asked to prove innocence despite information being withheld, and despite punishment being doled out arbitrarily. Viren is careful in her framing of these stories, giving dignity to people who have been through hell and have not been able to talk about it for a very long time, while also maintaining the overall focus on the failures of the system itself. It’s a tough listen, but rewarding.
Also tough listening is the BBC’s investigation into the Gun Trace Task Force of the Baltimore Police Department, a gang of cops who stole money from citizens, who committed murders, who sold drugs and planted evidence on innocent people, and were allowed to operate with impunity for years. It’s called Bad Cops, and it’s a wild ride.
It’s also a hot story right now — there’s the very good book, I Got a Monster, by journalists Baynard Woods and Brandon Soderberg, and there’s an upcoming HBO miniseries — but if you prefer your true crime investigations in podcast form, Bad Cops does its job very well. (One can only wish for a slightly less corny name next time.)
After the protests that followed the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, and the acquittal of the police officers involved in his death, the Baltimore police department pulled back and reduced its engagement with the community. Crime rates went way up, and the narrative put forth was that Baltimore needs its police department. Look, if they don’t do their jobs, the city falls into chaos. The real version of events was that a lot of those crimes suddenly plaguing Baltimore were being done by these cops.
The city of Baltimore is currently trying to clean up this mess of corruption and crime. Bad Cops does a good job of outlining this period of mutual hostility between the community and the police force, the history of abuses and harassment, showing how a grand city has been neglected and mismanaged, leading to an opioid crisis, poverty, and a very high homicide rate. And through these problems, how corrupt police were allowed to take advantage of an already shaken populace and go on a crime spree without anyone noticing for years.
Because you read about america
Also by Jessa Crispin
Latest
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in