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Podcast: Crime Writers On...
Episode: Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
Description: New York’s police department says its mission is to protect and serve, but its long forgotten origin story says something different. Before they carried weapons and wore uniforms, the city’s loose affiliation of constables and watchmen hunted escaped enslaved people and made arrests for a fee. New York eventually formed a police force, one less focused on solving crime and more to serve the mayor’s political interests. In the 150-plus years that followed, police reforms and counter reforms shaped how the NYPD uses its authority. But the debate continues on how modern law enforcement interacts with the com...