8 episodes

In Baltimore, Maryland, an elite group of plainclothes officers called the Gun Trace Task Force gets hundreds of illegal guns off the streets every year. Secretly, however, these detectives are also robbing people, selling drugs, planting evidence and framing innocent people. When some of the officers go too far, it triggers an FBI investigation that reveals the Gun Trace Task Force as one of the most corrupt police squads in American policing history. Jessica Lussenhop tells the story of the rise and fall of this once-powerful unit of officers, and its leader Sergeant Wayne Jenkins. And she asks: why do good cops go bad?

Bad Cops BBC World Service

    • News

In Baltimore, Maryland, an elite group of plainclothes officers called the Gun Trace Task Force gets hundreds of illegal guns off the streets every year. Secretly, however, these detectives are also robbing people, selling drugs, planting evidence and framing innocent people. When some of the officers go too far, it triggers an FBI investigation that reveals the Gun Trace Task Force as one of the most corrupt police squads in American policing history. Jessica Lussenhop tells the story of the rise and fall of this once-powerful unit of officers, and its leader Sergeant Wayne Jenkins. And she asks: why do good cops go bad?

    7. The golden boy

    7. The golden boy

    Wayne Jenkins, now serving 25 years in prison, tells his side of the story. What do the crimes of the Gun Trace Task Force reveal about the city of Baltimore?

    • 32 min
    6. The fallout

    6. The fallout

    A shocking tragedy occurs. Conspiracy theories spread. The trial of the Task Force officers begins, but who will speak out?

    • 24 min
    5. The takedown

    5. The takedown

    Is the FBI's cover about to be blown? Agent Jensen suspects the Task Force is onto her.

    • 23 min
    4. The man behind the curtain

    4. The man behind the curtain

    He earned a formidable reputation. But Sgt Wayne Jenkins is leading a double life. Not all the drugs he's seized are making it to the evidence room.

    • 23 min
    3. The warning signs

    3. The warning signs

    How many red flags were missed? Years of complaints come to light. Victims of Task Force members share their stories.

    • 22 min
    2. The wiretap

    2. The wiretap

    One name stands out as the FBI gets to work. Why does a member of the Gun Trace Task Force have links to a major heroin ring? A whole new level of criminality is revealed.

    • 22 min

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