We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption in an American City
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- Create Date：2022-06-14 08:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Justin Fenton
- ISBN：0571356621
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Summary
NOW A MAJOR SKY ATLANTIC SERIES
'Unputdownable 。 。 。 fantastic and terrifying。' Nihal Arthanayake， RADIO 5
The astonishing true story of 'one of the most startling police corruption scandals in a generation' （New York Times）
Baltimore， 2015。 Riots were erupting across the city。 Drug and violent crime were surging， with homicides reaching their highest level in over two decades。 For years， Sgt Wayne Jenkins and his elite team of plain-clothed officers - the Gun Trace Task Force - had been the city's lauded heroes， working to get drugs and guns off the streets。
But all the while they had been stealing drugs and money and gaming the system。 Because who would believe the dealers， the smugglers or the people who had simply been going about their daily business over the word of the city's elite task force？
'A work of journalism that not only chronicles the rise and fall of a corrupt police unit， but can stand as the inevitable coda to the half-century of disaster that is the American drug war。' David Simon
'Unputdownable 。 。 。 fantastic and terrifying。' Nihal Arthanayake， RADIO 5
The astonishing true story of 'one of the most startling police corruption scandals in a generation' （New York Times）
Baltimore， 2015。 Riots were erupting across the city。 Drug and violent crime were surging， with homicides reaching their highest level in over two decades。 For years， Sgt Wayne Jenkins and his elite team of plain-clothed officers - the Gun Trace Task Force - had been the city's lauded heroes， working to get drugs and guns off the streets。
But all the while they had been stealing drugs and money and gaming the system。 Because who would believe the dealers， the smugglers or the people who had simply been going about their daily business over the word of the city's elite task force？
'A work of journalism that not only chronicles the rise and fall of a corrupt police unit， but can stand as the inevitable coda to the half-century of disaster that is the American drug war。' David Simon
Reviews
Dan
，
Great book， great mini-series， glad most involved are in prison
Ellen
，
A fascinating investigation of police corruption in Baltimore。 Definitely worth reading before or after watching the series based on it on HBO。
Colin
，
In real life there are often too many characters to keep track of， but this book is too riveting to put down。 Admittedly， I watched the recent HBO Series WE OWN THIS CITY。 I was mesmerized by the WIRE。 I read the books this series was based on as well。 I would also recommend the documentary CHARM CITY。 It's essential that we understand what we consider evil or "other，" the nuances and the causes。 The HBO series is constrained by the medium。 The original book overcomes this by providing depth to In real life there are often too many characters to keep track of， but this book is too riveting to put down。 Admittedly， I watched the recent HBO Series WE OWN THIS CITY。 I was mesmerized by the WIRE。 I read the books this series was based on as well。 I would also recommend the documentary CHARM CITY。 It's essential that we understand what we consider evil or "other，" the nuances and the causes。 The HBO series is constrained by the medium。 The original book overcomes this by providing depth to the perpetrators， giving them the complexity they deserve。 It challenges the reader to ask how initially idealistic， former Marines serving the country can devolve into such self-serving and morally twisted individuals。 The book does a great job building the backdrop of Baltimore， the industry， the diminishing population， the efforts to combat corruption and violence。 We're neighbors， so I felt compelled to learn about it， but any American citizen should witness the decline to witness and understand the blight that is effecting more than just Baltimore。 。。。more
Jason Weber
，
4。25 starsI usually do t do this， but I watched “We Own This City” on HBOMax then I read the book。 Good read about a crazy time in Baltimore。 It’s like a reverse “Wire”If you are a true crime fan， and/or fan of the show check this book out。
Colleen Royer
，
I lived in Baltimore for much of the time period that this book covers， so I had a lot of interest in reading this as I didn’t know a lot about it at the time it was happening。 This book was written by Baltimore Sun investigative reporter， Justin Fenton， covering the corruption of an elite team within the Baltimore Police Dept， the Gun Trace Task Force （GTTF）， who was stealing money and drugs， planting guns， doing illegal searches and more。 The author did a great job of weaving together so many I lived in Baltimore for much of the time period that this book covers， so I had a lot of interest in reading this as I didn’t know a lot about it at the time it was happening。 This book was written by Baltimore Sun investigative reporter， Justin Fenton， covering the corruption of an elite team within the Baltimore Police Dept， the Gun Trace Task Force （GTTF）， who was stealing money and drugs， planting guns， doing illegal searches and more。 The author did a great job of weaving together so many individual stories about people who were affected by the GTTF。 It was amazing how many people these men harmed and how long their widespread corruption went undetected。 Their actions had last effects， including death of innocent people and the release of many dangerous criminals in the wake of their convictions。 Definitely recommend this book if you’re in to true crime or investigate reporting。 Very informative and easy to read。 。。。more
Kate
，
Excellent reporting！ And even as a Baltimore native， I was yelling in disbelief walking around listening to the audiobook。 Jesus the corruption and the brazen criminality！
MM Suarez
，
4。5 shocking⭐'s， definitely recommend to anyone who still believes there is no systemic corruption in some of our police departments， textbook case right here in modern day Baltimore。 4。5 shocking⭐'s， definitely recommend to anyone who still believes there is no systemic corruption in some of our police departments， textbook case right here in modern day Baltimore。 。。。more
Matthieu Glrn
，
Incredible book。 I struggled with 50 first pages but as soon as the foundations were laid， I coulnd't put the book down。 Incredible book。 I struggled with 50 first pages but as soon as the foundations were laid， I coulnd't put the book down。 。。。more
Kevin A
，
An absolutely fascinating and brilliantly put together piece of journalistic work that dives into the world of boldly crooked Baltimore cops。 Fenton does a fantastic job of being concise and informational while maintaining a storytelling narrative to connect different details。 Couldn't put this book down。 An absolutely fascinating and brilliantly put together piece of journalistic work that dives into the world of boldly crooked Baltimore cops。 Fenton does a fantastic job of being concise and informational while maintaining a storytelling narrative to connect different details。 Couldn't put this book down。 。。。more
Jessica
，
3。5/5！
Nico Garcia
，
I first heard of this book when I saw the HBO series we on the city。 I think it’s an incredible story of police corruption。 I live in Maryland and I remember the story like it was yesterday。 The riots， Freddie Gray， and the aftermath of Baltimore city。 The story truly rings home。 I believe the author did great research in telling this story。 Highly recommend five stars！
Chris Kutalik Cauthern
，
An excellent accompaniment to the HBO series for deeper background and social context。
Brad Deakos
，
Well written and informativeI enjoyed this book。 A complicated case with many different characters brought together into an understandable format。 I bought the book after stumbling onto the HBO series of the same name。 The series was confusing although well acted。 The book clears up the confusion I felt while watching the episodes。 Should have read it first
False
，
A friend told me she had been trying to get into the television series based on this book， after three tries and still no success。 I told her I wasn't able to put the book down。 I remember these incidents and the scandals that unfolded in the aftermath。 It doesn't sound like some of the criminal police have learned anything from this， behind their sentenced walls， so you wonder why they didn't just give the maximum and seal them away from the rest of humanity。 A terrible tale。 Very believable。 I A friend told me she had been trying to get into the television series based on this book， after three tries and still no success。 I told her I wasn't able to put the book down。 I remember these incidents and the scandals that unfolded in the aftermath。 It doesn't sound like some of the criminal police have learned anything from this， behind their sentenced walls， so you wonder why they didn't just give the maximum and seal them away from the rest of humanity。 A terrible tale。 Very believable。 I was sorry there weren't some photographs to add toward the detailed research。 。。。more
Christine
，
I picked this up because I am watching the adaption on HBO （it is excellent）。 Fenton does an excellent job in reporting and in the case of the unsolved aspects of the story - the death of a detective - presents both main sides - suicide vs murder。 He also examines the what the impact is on the community。
NCHS Library
，
From Follett: Baltimore， 2015。 Riots are erupting across the city as citizens demand justice for Freddie Gray， a twenty-five-year-old Black man who has died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody。 Drug and violent crime are surging， and Baltimore will reach its highest murder count in more than two decades: 342 homicides in a single year， in a city of just 600，000 people。 Facing pressure from the mayor's office--as well as a federal investigation of the department over Gray's dea From Follett: Baltimore， 2015。 Riots are erupting across the city as citizens demand justice for Freddie Gray， a twenty-five-year-old Black man who has died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody。 Drug and violent crime are surging， and Baltimore will reach its highest murder count in more than two decades: 342 homicides in a single year， in a city of just 600，000 people。 Facing pressure from the mayor's office--as well as a federal investigation of the department over Gray's death--Baltimore police commanders turn to a rank-and-file hero， Sergeant Wayne Jenkins， and his elite plainclothes unit， the Gun Trace Task Force， to help get guns and drugs off the street。 But behind these new efforts， a criminal conspiracy of unprecedented scale was unfolding within the police department。 Entrusted with fixing the city's drug and gun crisis， Jenkins chose to exploit it instead。 With other members of the empowered Gun Trace Task Force， Jenkins stole from Baltimore's citizens--skimming from drug busts， pocketing thousands in cash found in private homes， and planting fake evidence to throw Internal Affairs off their scent。 Their brazen crime spree would go unchecked for years。 The results were countless wrongful convictions， the death of an innocent civilian， and the mysterious death of one cop who was shot in the head， killed just a day before he was scheduled to testify against the unit。 。。。more
Norton
，
Descriptive book on the lead up and aftermath of the Freddie Gray uprisings， focused on police abuse and corruption。 Could have been more entertaining and written more as a novel rather than simply stating the facts。
Maksim Karpitski
，
Perhaps not a great book， but a very solid work of investigative journalism which is unfortunately likely to remain relevant for a long time。 Well-written， too， and not for the sake of just showing off that Justin Fenton can do some creative writing。 The story itself isn't always straightforward， and it's more honest， less Hollywood-like this way， since it's more that just a Sgt Wayne Jenkins story， the corruption is deep-rooted and has multiple unforseen consequences， so it makes sense to let t Perhaps not a great book， but a very solid work of investigative journalism which is unfortunately likely to remain relevant for a long time。 Well-written， too， and not for the sake of just showing off that Justin Fenton can do some creative writing。 The story itself isn't always straightforward， and it's more honest， less Hollywood-like this way， since it's more that just a Sgt Wayne Jenkins story， the corruption is deep-rooted and has multiple unforseen consequences， so it makes sense to let the plot diverge and go all meandering sometimes， and to let some ideas just hang in the air。 After all， it's not fiction and the conflict can't be resolved with just getting one squad on trial。 。。。more
Mikki Coleman
，
I started reading this book after I started watching the HBO series。 It gives so many interesting details and adds a lot of context to the show。 I’m not surprised at how corrupt those officers were， but shocked that they were so brazen and had disregard for that they were doing to people。 It really highlights that the criminal justice system needs a overhaul。
Robyn
，
3。5 stars。 I found the book engaging， but just felt it was missing something。 Maybe I just cannot believe the level of corruption。
Ross Cumming
，
To be perfectly honest prior to reading this astonishing book the only thing I knew about the Baltimore Police Department was through watching the fictional television series The Wire。 If the revelations disclosed in this book were presented in a fictional novel or screenplay they would be laughed at， as they are so far fetched but unbelievably they are true。 Justin Fenton， a crime reporter with the Baltimore Sun， has produced a truly shocking but highly readable account of crime and corruption To be perfectly honest prior to reading this astonishing book the only thing I knew about the Baltimore Police Department was through watching the fictional television series The Wire。 If the revelations disclosed in this book were presented in a fictional novel or screenplay they would be laughed at， as they are so far fetched but unbelievably they are true。 Justin Fenton， a crime reporter with the Baltimore Sun， has produced a truly shocking but highly readable account of crime and corruption carried out within the force over a number of years by a select group of plainclothes officers。 They carried out thefts， robberies and frauds and in a lot of instances planted or fabricated evidence to gain convictions。 Their victims were usually criminals who were very likely unwilling to report the crime or if they did they were unlikely to be believed。 I also think what makes the story even more shocking was that the specialist squad was held is such high regard by their superior officers due to their high success rate。 Possibly one of the best ‘true crime’ novels I’ve read， as despite the complexity of the story， Fenton has produced a truly engrossing read that must have taken years of painstaking research to compile。 。。。more
Daniel
，
"We Own This City: A True Story of Crime， Cops and Corruption in an American City" - 4 out of 5 stars。 Solid， well-researched storytelling， compelling narrative， smart， and unbelievable。I received this books as part of a Goodreads Giveaway。 I want to thank Random House Book Club for the opportunity to read and review this book。"We Own This City" tells the story of the Gun Trace Task Force: a plainclothes unit of the Baltimore Police Department who for years used its position of power and authori "We Own This City: A True Story of Crime， Cops and Corruption in an American City" - 4 out of 5 stars。 Solid， well-researched storytelling， compelling narrative， smart， and unbelievable。I received this books as part of a Goodreads Giveaway。 I want to thank Random House Book Club for the opportunity to read and review this book。"We Own This City" tells the story of the Gun Trace Task Force: a plainclothes unit of the Baltimore Police Department who for years used its position of power and authority to victimize the citizens of Baltimore。 While the narrative focuses mainly on a few specific officers， on a macro scale the book exposes systems of corruption within police forces and the policies， attitudes， and failings that allow widespread lawlessness to proliferate within law enforcement departments。Overall， I found this book to be a fascinating， enlightening read。 As a story， it was interesting and engaging。 Justin Fenton has a knack for storytelling， using interviews， records， and testimonies to bring the people involved in this scandal to life。 I found him to be a fair author - he humanized all of the people involved， both police and criminals， suspects and victims， by sharing more than just the stark facts of the cases。 "We Own This City" was also well-researched。 Many times throughout the telling of events I found myself baffled at the actions of the rogue cops and frustrated at the utter failure of others to hold them accountable。I was particularly interested in Fenton's wider message。 While he focused the narrative on those officers directly involved in the corruption， he also widened his lens， calling out the culture within many police forces that allow this level of corruption to persist。 Most surprising was the fact that after the scope of the criminal activity of the GTTF came to light， police leadership was quick to reimplement many programs and policies that led to the scandal。 There was still little oversight of officer activity， aggressive policing tactics continued to be championed， and elite， independent police squads were relied upon to combat crime in the city。The actions of the GTTF， and Officer Jenkins in particular， took place over several years。 In constructing the plot， Fenton chose a narrative style that allowed him to move through time rather fluidly。 While this may have helped with the pacing of the book， I did find it confusing at times。 He often moved through the years only to move back in time in the next chapter。 Because of this choice， there were times when I was confused about the sequence of events。Overall， I found "We Own This City" to be an important and illuminating read， and I think the book should be read by many。 To see how the actions of this small group of officers profoundly affected the lives of so many people is breathtaking。 Additionally， it helps to explain how easy it is for corruption to fester in a dysfunctional department。 The book shines a light on both sides of the law enforcement line - both the lives of the criminals and those of the officers， and how the actions of both can help or hurt a community。 。。。more
Julia Doran
，
Unbelievable read， I couldn’t put it down。 This is the best book I’ve read all year。 Even if you don’t live in Baltimore， this should be at the top of your list if you’re interested in both true crime or criminal justice reform。 READ THIS BOOK！
Kate LeBlanc
，
We Own This City highlights the problems with police corruption and policy brutality。 When an institution wields weapons and has zero fear of being held accountable for illegal actions， this is what happens。 I am a firm believer that we need to minimize the amount of weapons we have in America， and the first and most successful place to start is with our police forces— this includes lessening our military equipment stockpile。 The police is not the military。 The military is the military。 The poli We Own This City highlights the problems with police corruption and policy brutality。 When an institution wields weapons and has zero fear of being held accountable for illegal actions， this is what happens。 I am a firm believer that we need to minimize the amount of weapons we have in America， and the first and most successful place to start is with our police forces— this includes lessening our military equipment stockpile。 The police is not the military。 The military is the military。 The police need some serious rebranding because when I hear the word， I don’t think of help or safety; I tense up because I’ve seen too many walking Egos with a badge to know better than to let me guard down。 This is especially true for the black and brown citizens of America — particularly black men。 I don’t believe defunding the police is the answer either， however， the way the police forces use the funds needs to be seriously altered。 The police are community protectors， and as a result， they should have the proper education to deescalate all types of problems。 There needs to be mental health awareness， EMT training， and most of all compassion。 If one person was required to go through the same type of schooling as a doctor， or a nurse， or a psychiatrist， or an addiction counselor， then the credibility of the officers would begin to shift to gain the trust of the people they’re meant to protect。 I’m not sure what the educational requirements are to become an officer， but I know it’s not enough。 。。。more
Nick
，
Bitchin' good。 Bitchin' good。 。。。more
Tom Mooney
，
Excellent
Sally
，
Delightful read about seditious behavior and it's inevitable outcome。 Not for everyone but certainly for fans of The Wire and The Departed。 Delightful read about seditious behavior and it's inevitable outcome。 Not for everyone but certainly for fans of The Wire and The Departed。 。。。more
Wayne
，
Standard liberal trash written by a person that has no clue what he's talking about so he can make excuses for the violent criminal culture of a certain group of people and sell a book to the masses of imbeciles that want to feel morally superior rather than admit the cold hard truths of the world。 I'd love to put a gun and a badge on all of you， send you into the heart of the ghetto， and see how long you last before you realize why these cops are trigger happy when they're surrounded by armed c Standard liberal trash written by a person that has no clue what he's talking about so he can make excuses for the violent criminal culture of a certain group of people and sell a book to the masses of imbeciles that want to feel morally superior rather than admit the cold hard truths of the world。 I'd love to put a gun and a badge on all of you， send you into the heart of the ghetto， and see how long you last before you realize why these cops are trigger happy when they're surrounded by armed criminals that want to kill them just because。 Society would crumble in hours with you people running things 。。。more
Will
，
Excellent reporting！ 1312！
Paul Butler
，