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Browse transcriptions: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9

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The Wire S03E07-12

- All quiet today?

- Keeping it like that, boss.

We rule where we stand.

Police sitting on all corners

over these parts.

- Likely because we been dropping bodies.

- Yeah, they do like that.

But, you know, tomorrow some other

nigga'll stop a bullet somewhere else...

and then they'll go stand on a new spot.

Boy Marlo closed up shop.

Word is, he wholesaling

his packages for now.

He don't have no crews out here at all?

How about his avenue corners?

Nigga give up quick, didn't he?

Damn, I was just beginning to respect

the little motherfucker for showing heart.

All right, listen. When them police roll out,

y'all step in there and take my corners.

I'm on it, B.

- Cheese steaks from Bill's.

- Nah, I did that Tuesday, man.

f**k it then, you pick.

- No, f**k me.

- What?

- Mope in the truck.

- What about him?

Think I locked him up.

- Yeah?

- Yeah. Avon what's-his-face?

Big player from the projects.

He was the target on that detail...

I worked a couple of years back,

the one I told you about.

- Motherfucker's out already.

- Why, what'd he pull?

Oh, six, eight years.

Who the f**k can remember?

And he's out in two?

Maybe I got the years wrong.

My point is, guy's an a**hole.

Locked him up, is all.

- Pit B from the market.

- See, now you're thinking like police.

Change in plan.

Bell, you recognize.

Second target is a Marlo Stanfield...

who's apparently warring

with Bell for the West Side corners.

- What about Kintel Williamson?

- That case is on hold for now.

On hold? We just managed to ID

the cell phones on two of his people.

- Be that as it may...

- I mean, why not take a few more weeks...

so we can put together

what we got on Kintel, you know?

We send the case to grand jury

and then we start up this West Side case.

Otherwise, we wasted

more than two months...

Change of target comes to us from

the Commissioner and the Deputy Ops.

The Department is in a reactive mode...

trying to get the murder rate down

by any means necessary.

Kintel was dropping bodies

two months ago.

Today, it's the West Side

that's got the bosses spinning.

Look, I know y'all thought

it was nothing for me to sit on that roof...

day after 90-degree day...

dodging swarms of cicadas and s**t,

but, damn, this is fucked up!

And all the assets work I did on Kintel,

his cars, his cash flow...

just put that in a drawer?

Someday, I wanna work

for a real police department.

Just to see how the f**k they do it,

you know?

McNulty. In my office.

Hey, Prez, can you

run something out for me?

What?

I need to know who rented this room in

the downtown Hilton, Thursday before last.

Who rented the room?

Address, credit card details,

whatever you can pull.

- How's it fit with the case?

- It's hard to say just yet.

Hey, my man. I'm done mowing.

So?

I figured I'd use this to edge

the weeds around the fence.

- It's gas-powered.

- Means I gotta prime it.

You ain't gotta school me but once.

Get some water

before you go back out there.

All right.

You been going hard at it.

You keep showing up at the spot,

I'll keep putting you on.

Good, 'cause I ain't got nothing else.

You walked back through them old doors,

didn't you?

- Tried to.

- Yeah. I had took you for gone.

Man, parole officers, employment agencies.

s**t, I just felt like I was an interruption

to their lunch break.

No family?

None besides my grandmother.

She put me up in her basement.

That's plenty to ask

of the old girl right there.

You could use somebody to talk to

besides your grand-moms.

What about

one of them social worker types?

I hooked up with one dude. He was cool.

- But, I wasn't ready.

- You look like you're ready now.

I mean, you found an ear to bend,

you wouldn't have to talk to me.

s**t, I know you gonna get tired

of looking at my ugly-a** grill.

Drink that too fast, you'll cramp up.

- You're asking?

- I am.

Lieutenant, I didn't...

Because I got no problem changing targets

if that's what the bosses tell me to do.

Unless it's personal,

like when Kima got shot...

I don't care

where we spend our time and money.

Bell, Williamson, whoever.

It's all just police work to me.

And I understand that people

above my pay grade...

have the right to make decisions

that are theirs to make.

- And if they're wrong?

- Then they're wrong.

And time will tell, won't it?

Now, I'm asking you for the truth.

- You went to Colvin behind my back.

- I'd have gone to the devil himself.

Which way you were standing, Lieutenant,

had not a f**king thing to do with it.

You piece of s**t.

I did it 'cause it had to be done.

Just like it had to be done two years ago

when we were first detailed.

Stringer was the target then,

he's still the target now.

Lieutenant, you know, as bosses go,

you're better than most...

and I know you went out of your way

to get me off that boat.

I know that,

but now we're back on the right man.

Detective McNulty.

When the cuffs go on Stringer,

you need to find a new home.

You're done in this unit.

Your count right?

Yeah, went almost to Richmond

for this here batch.

Yeah, I'm holding.

- You did like we say, right?

- Yeah.

Give him that.

We're gonna need another 60 more

in a couple days.

- 60 more?

- You know how we do.

So, don't be crying, Bernard.

- You must have left something out.

- f**k, no.

I got the part ones from every sector,

every post.

- We're down about 2%.

- No, where exactly are we down?

Larcenies and burglaries are steady.

But shootings and agg assaults

are both down.

Drug arrests, too,

but I guess that won't look so good.

I mean, where geographically are we down,

in the district?

Well, the posts near the designated

drug zones are up, almost all of them.

That ain't pretty,

but everywhere else it's down.

In some places as much as 4%.

- Bosses gonna love you.

- It's too soon to take any credit.

This might be, what you call that?

A statistical aberration.

You ain't gonna let them know that

your little experiment might be working?

Not yet, no.

But I'll tell you what we are gonna do.

Starting next week,

I want you to pull one car out of service...

in the quiet posts in every sector,

all three shifts.

We'll take those nine guys...

then use them and double up

on the high crime posts.

If we handle less of it...

we ought to do better

with the crime we got, right?

- Can I get two Trac disposable phones?

- They're on special.

- Four for $180.

- Just the two.

The late show out at Westview is 8:45.

We could make that

if we don't make the whole damn run today.

Seem to me one phone

is as good as the next.

Only a fool would drive all over the world

when there ain't no need.

Keep on with that s**t

and I'm gonna leave your a** in Baltimore.

I don't trust no man on the road

by hisself, okay? I'm not stupid.

Stupid-a** f**ker. Commissioner!

How goes it?

It went a lot better before the Mayor's

cabinet meeting, I can tell you that.

He rip you?

Says we need to finish under 300

for this year, regardless of how it happens.

- Now, I tried to tell...

- Erv, let me ask you.

Where do you guys stand

on this Witness Assistance thing?

What?

Overhauling the city's

Witness Assistance Program?

Nobody from the Mayor's office

called you...

regarding this problem

of witnesses getting killed?

I got a call from Chief of Staff

a week ago, yeah.

But all he said was I should try not

to have any more witnesses get killed.

But overhauling the program?

Unless someone wants to spend

a lot more money...

there's not a whole hell of a lot

my people can do.

And you haven't talked

to the Mayor directly on this?

You're not gonna f**k me on this?

As it is, I got the Mayor's teeth in my a**.

Your name does not get mentioned.

Mayor didn't say a word to me.

Thanks.

... is nothing.

This is DC 's number one, WPGC 95.5.

Where the f**k we at now?

Just buy four or five, Bernard.

Do it like that and it'll go twice as quick.

I want a Shrek Slurpee, Bernard,

and some Krispy Kreme.

All this

from one disposable cell phone, huh?

And a dead one, too.

It was used by Marlo's people

and picked up off the ground by Kima's CI.

Problem is it's just raw data.

We need to firm up...

what we know about Marlo's operation

with surveillance and CI info.

On the other hand...

if we had a burner that we knew was used

by one of Stringer's players...

we could use what we know

about that organization...

to make all kinds of connections.

Get us one good phone,

we'll give you the network.

- That's the good news.

- And what's the bad?

It's all historical.

We can give you the network, no problem...

but by then it's a week old

and they've dumped their phones.

And how we get a wire up on that,

I haven't figured out yet.

Well, see that you do, Detective.

Oh, yeah, you keep this job,

I'm gonna gain some serious weight.

- Just the two?

- Just the two.

Nigga, you ain't never heard

of buying in bulk?

You could be saving them people

all kind of money.

Better still, spending it on me.

- Why you got a gun, Bernard?

- Oh, you ain't heard?

- Avon's home, so we tooling up.

- You ain't the only one on parole.

- You riding my last good nerve.

- And that ain't the only thing I can ride.

Just get me back to the interstate.

Big white bag, got the big white bag.

- Which one is he again?

- Broadus, street name of Bodie.

He used to be in the low-rises.

Had a Tower later on.

Big white, got the big white.

How many more minutes you think

he's got on that phone?

- f**k this, let's hit the bar.

- Lester needs a phone, man.

No, there's an easier way.

I'll show you tomorrow.

Come on.

I'm buying.

Big white bag, got the big white bag.

She just wants me to be happy, you know?

And I mean,

I do the same for her when I can.

Like this thing with the police detective.

Brianna says she wants me

to go downtown with her and...

I don't know, hear the man out about D.

And I know there ain't nothing to it,

but she is all upset, you know?

And I tried to tell her what you told me.

But, she say she wanna go down there

and talk to him herself, I guess.

- You told her about the cop?

- What?

About the detective.

What you told me, you told her?

It's her son, right?

I mean, ain't she got a right to know

what's going on?

- Look, I just thought...

- What?

Why the f**k you gonna get her all upset

over some bulls**t?

Here we are a f**king year later,

everybody forgot about the s**t...

you go running your mouth

about nothing at all?

- But, String...

- What, and she gonna believe that s**t, too.

I mean, what moms is not gonna believe

her son didn't kill hisself?

- String...

- Huh? She gonna take that s**t...

go half-crazy with it.

- I just...

- You just what?

Sorry!

- When you tell her that?

- About a week ago, I guess.

When is she gonna go see the cop?

Think she gonna talk to a lawyer first,

ask him how to play it.

- Who, Levy?

- I guess, whoever.

- The lawyer.

- Levy?

- I guess.

- Oh, you didn't ask that?

And this f**king Royce just lets it slide.

I mean, I go to him, right?

Not to make points,

just to do the right thing...

what does he do

but blow smoke up my a**.

"I'm glad you came to us with this, Tommy.

"Oh, I'll light a fire, don't you worry.

We gotta move on this."

I never thought he'd have the balls

to just f**k the dog on it.

- And you were doing the right thing.

- f**k, yeah.

What?

You went there hoping

that Royce would disappoint.

You want to know that you're better,

that you deserve his chair.

If I lie down on this couch,

do you charge by the hour?

Thanks.

You're not naive. Neither am I.

A man doesn't run for office

without being a bit self-righteous first.

Self-righteous? Me?

So, what are you gonna do now?

Call a reporter or two, rip the Mayor,

maybe on background...

maybe go on the record, I don't know.

Rip him now?

With the primary next September?

Tommy, no one's gonna remember

a dead witness a year from now.

Better if you go to Royce,

confront him, not angrily...

give him a chance to explain

or maybe take action.

If he does do something,

then a problem got fixed...

and you can feel special for helping.

If he doesn't, you sit tight.

I don't know. Maybe you document

your meeting in a letter...

expressing your concern and regret.

Then you're set

if the next witness gets killed.

Win-win.

- Unless you're the witness.

- I know, you're right.

But he's taking on a two-term incumbent.

It's all gonna be ugly from here.

All right.

Yeah, it's cool.

- Need another 30 by Monday, all right?

- All right.

Yeah.

Forgot this.

b*tch, everything I say,

you hear backwards.

Stupid motherfucker.

Got them T's, white and bright!

- One for $3, two for $5.

- Blue tops, got them blue tops!

I got them T's.

White, bright, one for $3, two for $5.

- I got this, man, $5. New.

- No, thank you, man.

- It's only $5.

- No, thank you.

f**k you, then, man, f**k you. f**k you.

I got them...

I got them. I got them T's.

Red tops, red tops, got them red tops!

Rockefeller, got some Rockefeller, hey!

Hey, seller man, what you got?

Got the long white T's for the young ones.

You ain't got no candles?

I'm looking to buy candles...

and toilet paper for the s**t-bucket, too.

- You be back here tomorrow?

- I can't leave.

- I leave, somebody grab my stake.

- I'll be back tomorrow.

Yo, Johnny.

What's up, Bubs?

s**t, Johnny, man.

Just been chasing the pipe, you know?

s**t's got me all digging and scratching

in my arms.

You know, it's cool.

All right.

Come on, man, you need a break, all right?

I'm serious, man, you need a break.

Come on, man.

No, man, look around you.

It's a soldier's paradise, man.

I'm a Viking, Bubs.

Are you a Viking?

f**k, not again.

- You two coming?

- Major said to bring them down here.

He didn't say s**t about playing nursemaid

to a bunch of goddamn animals.

Push it back. Get back,

push it back.

- Should we cuff them, Sarge?

- No, cut them loose.

The f**k we tell you

about fighting down here?

Only rule is no fighting,

no cutting, no shooting!

Y'all still f**k it up.

Next time you make me come down here,

see if I don't call for a 10-38.

Just so you know, d*ckhead,

that's an ambulance.

Break it up, break it up, break it up.

- Did I wake the baby?

- You would know if you did.

3:00 in the morning.

Nice of you to check in.

- I went out after work to unwind.

- Yeah, you look unwound.

Well.

I figured you had everything under control

on the home front.

What the f**k is wrong with you?

What's with the sarcasm? How come

you can talk to everybody else but me?

Do you really want to know?

I'm listening.

I miss us.

Do not blame that baby. Do not do it.

- I'm not blaming anybody.

- I didn't do this by myself.

- We discussed it, all of it.

- We talked about it, yeah.

But...

I didn't have

as much to say about it as you.

- And why not?

- Because you...

You wanted this.

I just...

I didn't want to disappoint you on it.

Well, I don't think I could be

more disappointed than I am right now.

You need to go.

How much you got?

Quiet overnight?

Midnight shift had to toss a crew

that was casing the place.

Other than that...

Too many damn children.

What do you need lookouts and runners for

if the s**t is legal?

A lot of them have been cut loose

by the dealers.

It's like one of those nature shows.

When you mess with the environment...

some species get fucked

out of their habitat.

Did you just use the word "habitat"

in a sentence?

I did.

- Letting your lookouts go, huh?

- My runners, too.

s**t, what's the point?

So, here you are

making money hand over fist...

and you're too damn greedy

to take care of your workforce.

- I don't need them.

- But they need you, right?

You was all they had

when you couldn't work a corner...

except for touts and runners...

then it was cool to have them cut school

and work out.

- Okay, new tax initiative, my brother.

- Say what?

If you wanna sling

in Hamsterdam after today...

you and every other knucklehead,

you each got to kick in $100 a week.

- Oh, so you trying to get paid, huh?

- Not me, not for me.

Get the cash up, I'll be back.

Green tops! What's up? Green tops!

Got the green tops.

But it ain't something

I'm gonna go to jail for, right?

I mean, it ain't nothing like that, is it?

- That one?

- No, it was more black than silver.

This one, I think.

I can see y'all got some real ugly s**t

planned for me.

I can see it.

You just bumped up against

a clever police is all.

Course, he gonna try to shame you

with the dead girl...

or some mess about children looking up

to Omar and his sawed-off.

All he can do...

especially since you backed down

what he had for a witness.

He working you with guilt, boy.

Yeah, but that fat man gave me

a itch I can't scratch, Butchie.

Oh, everybody in this world does

what they going to.

Me, you, the police.

Everybody in this world

got their own place.

And a man in your line of work start

worrying about how other people see you.

Playing to other people

instead of to hisself, he gonna get dead.

I still feel like I owe something, Butch.

I had a uncle down Carolina, he dead now...

but I remember he was grieving real hard...

real hard over chasing his ladyfriend away.

So, he put himself to punishment.

Took a knife to his little finger,

then his ring finger.

With them all bloody on the table,

he pulled up short.

For the rest of his life...

I remember him saying, "The b*tch wasn't

worth more than a pinkie."

But it was too late then.

You can try that if you got a mind.

I don't know, Butch.

A little something less dramatical.

You feel me?

You told Brianna

she could go downtown with this?

D'Angelo's her son,

how was I gonna stop her?

Look. Look, there's no harm done if

she keeps her mouth shut and just listens.

No, it's fucked up.

There ain't no call

messing with Brianna with this bulls**t.

- What can you do?

- I don't know.

File a complaint against the detective

or some s**t. I don't know.

Harassment?

Look, this is the same motherfucker

that had Avon's case.

Same motherfucker that's coming at me

in my print shop, talking s**t...

and now, he coming at Brianna

with this bulls**t?

A complaint's not going to do anything.

And the fact is...

if the cops are saying

her son might not be a suicide...

Brianna's gonna hear this out, regardless.

I suppose Avon should know

about it, though.

Yeah, well, I'll handle that.

- Not much slinging going on here.

- Western boys are sitting on the real estate.

Yeah. All right. All right.

That'll work too. All right.

Yo, Shamrock says we should take some

of our people...

down to Hamsterdam and sell off there.

At least, until these narcos roll up

off some of these corners.

- Come on.

- Yeah. Yeah. Come on.

- Car stop, maybe?

- Why not?

- Hey, motherfucker.

- Got it right here, yo!

Get that pink top, yo.

Not yet, you f**king rodent!

Y'all can't do this, man.

We headed to Hamsterdam.

You come off that car again...

you headed to Bon Secours

emergency room. You hear me?

Yo, Officer, we got immunity from y'all.

We going to the free zone.

What the f**k's a free zone?

Package for sale.

I'm saying, straight up. Why you think

we was headed there in the first place?

- Get down. Headed where?

- Hamsterdam.

Suck my d*ck!

- Hey, y'all wanna see a wagon?

- f**k y'all!

Will you shut the f**k up

and cut this s**t out now?

Like you said.

That's your receipt.

$244 for the hoop comes back to me...

rounded to $250 for my gas money.

This repays me.

And the rest of this?

Use it to pay them hoppers for the week.

Whether you use them or not,

you pay this money out.

This s**t is like unemployment insurance.

Every employer gotta pay in.

If I find out anybody been holding out...

then he's out of here,

back in the street getting his head busted.

The least you all can do

is look after your own people a little bit.

What are you, a f**king communist?

23-04. Need a couple of 10-16s

to Fayette, west of Vincent.

- That's right around the corner from here.

- 10-4. Units responding.

- What the f**k happened?

- Car stop.

I got a g-pack from beneath

the passenger seat.

Yo, we was on our way to Hamsterdam.

The man say we don't get no hassle

coming in or going out. What's up?

- What the f**k is Hamsterdam?

- Lying-a** police!

I can't let you do this.

- Carv, they got a g-pack.

- On the way to the free zone, they did.

- You know the rules.

- Yeah, man...

- and I was trying to tell these people...

- Just shut the f**k up.

... to any unit at the scene

at Fayette and Vincent.

- Yeah, boss?

- You got a situation there?

- I can't believe this bulls**t.

- Yeah, bulls**t is right.

- I told you to shut the f**k up.

- Yo, man, you gave us y'all f**king word!

You know you did, man.

This is some f**king bulls**t.

Y'all some f**king liars, man.

Carv, will you please tell me

what the f**k is going on here?

Major said he's on his way.

Carv?

Oh, man.

- You sure that's the one?

- Reesie say that was the one.

Who am I to say different?

Tell him I ain't gonna pay

till it proves itself, though.

I told him that already.

He say $1,500 for his troubles.

Damn.

Conscience do cost.

I seen him, Bernard.

You hadn't even gone past the damn door...

and he threw all them papers in the trash.

- You lying now, I could tell.

- You is the only one who gives a f**k...

and if you hadn't been the stupidest

motherfucker that I ever gone out with...

you just would have bought

a whole bunch of them things at once.

I only need like six more.

We be done in like a half an hour.

How about we make one more stop,

you get six of them s**ts...

and I suck your d*ck

for the next 20 minutes.

Got you.

Oh, f**k.

Oh, f**k you all.

- s**t, I worked a double, man.

- Yeah, right.

- Bunk, line three.

- All right.

Tack it to the board, Mike,

you know the rules.

- Detective Moreland.

- Heard you looking for something.

Let me get some

of them Trac phones activated.

Eight of them bitches.

This one's for Sector Two.

Sector One, I'm using

that empty low-rise housing on Winchester.

- Sector Three, the old Koppers plant.

- And it's legal to sell here?

- Sector Three, the old Koppers plant.

- And it's legal to sell here?

It's not legal.

- We just look the other way is all.

- How? How can you?

Look, I know it hurts your head

to think about...

but before you decide

to lose your mind on this...

take a moment, ride around to my corners,

my worst drug corners.

Edmondson and Brice. North and Pulaski.

Hollins and Payson.

They're empty. All of them.

District-wide, my crime is down 5%.

- But do the bosses know?

- No, the bosses don't know s**t about it.

Look, this is just a District Commander

taking initiative on his own.

Jesus Christ!

I knew it was a matter of time...

before I bumped into somebody

from downtown about this.

And I know your natural impulse is to take

what you saw back downtown with you.

- But I got to ask you...

- You legalized drugs!

Look, this is a tactical deployment.

We just wait for everything to get

settled down here in these three zones...

and then we move.

Look, we make a big show of locking

everybody up and then we shut it down.

I'm sorry I had to f**k you up

on that arrest.

And I'm sorry you had to see me

give that runt back the g-pack.

That was ugly, I know.

But I'm just trying to save what's left

of my district any way I can, if I can.

And the longer I have before I have to brief

the bosses about this deployment...

We got all we needed

from the car stop, Major. Don't sweat it.

Let me get a word with my old Commander.

I don't know, Major.

Whenever you bust this place up,

they'll go back to their same corners.

Besides, you were never much

on making a big show.

If this doesn't work, Jimmy,

I mean, it's just back to usual.

I'm out the door on pension anyway.

Jimmy, I need more time.

I need to be able to rely on you

and your people to keep this close.

Bosses don't know, huh?

f**k the bosses.

You the man who called?

I did.

You witnessing or what?

I'm afraid I'm blind.

Legally.

Something you need to see, though.

Glock .40, I believe.

I suppose you ain't going to tell me

who brought this here, right?

Like I said, I'm blind.

I thought you might know, though.

You can tell him from me...

I'm hoping he might need this

in court some day.

Man, narcos might come back.

They might.

But until they do, this your corner to hold.

- What about Marlo's crew?

- Look, Avon's home...

and you on a Barksdale corner.

You feel me?

- Avon ain't here now.

- You got muscle.

Don't worry about that, little man.

Hey.

The burner of young Bodie Broadus.

Still has minutes left.

Speed dial?

Caroline.

You wouldn't have an extra room

at your place, would you?

Just for a night or two

till I can get my s**t together.

- Ain't no fixing it?

- It's fixed pretty good, I think.

Thanks.

Credit card was a business account

listed to a Theresa D'Agostino.

Yeah, that's her.

What kind of business?

Democratic Congressional

Campaign Committee.

Billing on the card goes to a business

address in northwest Washington.

I called the switchboard and she's listed.

D'Agostino doesn't sound much like

a West Baltimore name to me.

Me, either.

Truth is, I don't know what I want.

I know I'm looking for something,

but I can't even tell you what it is.

- I understand you found work.

- Ain't no payroll job, but it'll do.

You ain't here for a job

or the GED program.

So, you looking to join the church?

I just...

I've had this feeling for a long time...

and it's like I'm standing outside myself...

watching me do things

I don't wanna do, you know?

Just seeing me like I'm somebody else...

but never, ever

being able to stop the show.

I'm tired.

It's Cutty, right?

No, man.

Dennis.

- She's left, huh?

- She's out of the office.

I figured that,

'cause I'm supposed to meet her, actually.

Tonight, yeah.

Right, exactly.

Well, I was going to pick her up

and take her to that, but I'm running late.

- Her plans may have changed.

- Yeah, yeah, I know.

Where is that exactly?

I'm not real familiar with that part of...

It's on the corner of 15th Street and...

Okay.

Too many damn

scheduling conflicts, unfortunately.

But we have put it on the agenda

for the next meeting...

of the Coordinating Council

on Criminal Justice.

You're sentencing it to committee?

Mr. Mayor, we're probably only talking, like,

a few hundred thousand to start.

I'm not saying we should

create new identities for these people...

send them to New Mexico like the Feds.

We just need to get them out of harm's way.

Let me tell you something, Councilman.

I can't lay my hands

on several hundred thousand dollars...

that's not already spoken for.

- Mr. Mayor, I was not...

- What would you have me do, Councilman?

Should I divert the money

that's already been budgeted...

for snow removal

from the First District this winter?

Or how about I reduce trash pickup

to once a week citywide...

put the witnesses up

at the Hyatt Inner Harbor?

I'm not trying to be difficult.

Tommy, come on.

The city in the financial situation it's in?

Very few friends in Annapolis.

We've done all we could do

with this matter for now.

Okay, then.

Well, thanks for your time. Gentlemen.

Ah, what the f**k.

I don't know, boss. If there weren't

so many f**king kids down here...

I might be okay with it.

- Baltimore police.

- Baltimore?

Baltimore, Maryland.

- Can I get a Jameson?

- Bushmills okay?

- That's Protestant whiskey.

- The price is right, isn't it?

Make it neat.

Excuse me.

- Hey.

- Hey.

- What are you doing here?

- Just asking myself the same thing.

You drive all the way down here...

to look at me from across the room

and then leave?

- That's kind of creepy.

- You looked occupied.

Him? Honey, that's just business.

- This ain't my kind of crowd.

- Definitely not.

Yeah, well, I made a mistake, so I better go.

- 428?

- You live in this town.

- Why book the room?

- I live across town.

As late as these things go,

that's a DUI away.

- Give me two hours, McNulty?

- What am I gonna do for two hours?

Dream on it.

Water fresh?

You keeping them cool?

You got squeakers nesting squabs.

Taking care of the young'uns.

I like seeing that.

Yeah, Marlo, he's real loyal.

- I can't kick him off that nest.

- This is good work.

- This is really good work.

- Police coming off them corners.

I seen.

Gonna keep my name off the package

for a time, gonna keep wholesaling.

You know, step back a bit.

Barksdale gonna think we weak,

not coming out to claim what's ours.

The police leave them corners,

he's gonna be back out there.

I know he will.

- Your turn, girl.

- It's about time. For real.

For starters...

its memory holds the last 10 calls

made and received by the user.

- That's enough to give us a signature.

- Signature?

The phone number's unique

to an individual.

That way we can identify the user

when he switches to another phone.

Sorry, I'm late. Woke up in the wrong town.

Anyway, we ran the tolls

on those numbers...

and we came up with

a rather interesting pattern.

Check this out. This is the pattern

of a closed communication network.

Something you'd expect

from a drug organization.

This particular one so far involves...

- 15 distinct burners.

- 15.

And none of them

list subscriber information.

- You can do that?

- With these burners...

with this particular company,

you don't need subscriber information.

Our data shows that over 92% of the calls...

were made within this network, with

the average call lasting less than a minute.

Again, suggestive of drug trafficking.

Now, this user here,

he serves as a clearing house.

He receives calls and initiates interactions.

He coordinates the show.

- Nice if that was Stringer.

- Now, this is the best part.

This is something that Prez discovered

when he was playing with it.

It has a speed dial feature.

Meaning, someone took the time

to program the phone.

Hell, that's probably the only way these

corner boys can remember all the numbers.

What with these phones

being dumped every few days or so.

I'll bet all the other phones in the network

are set up the same way.

Well, I've heard enough.

We should start writing for the wire.

- When can we get up?

- Get up on what?

They're dumping phones

every couple of weeks on average.

By the time you get a wire up on that,

the phones are dead.

The whole network

shuts down simultaneously.

- Do we have a plan?

- Not yet, we don't.

But, for now, if I could get

a couple more of these dead phones...

it'd probably help corroborate the theory

for the affidavit.

Kima, maybe you could ask those

Western boys to pick up what they find...

- on the ground for the next few days. Huh?

- Yeah, sure.

Damn, boy, you smell like sex.

- You didn't take a f**king shower?

- I was late for work.

- Forgot my Newports, didn't you?

- Oh, s**t, man, I did, yo.

Let me do these chips

and then I'll go get your cigarettes.

3- 1 on shooting of this number one male.

- We're gonna need 10-100 down here.

- Copy that... I'm on my way.

- Roger, 700.

- Back so soon?

I thought you guys had enough

of our happy district yesterday.

Just need a favor.

Lester wants you to scoop up...

any discarded cell phones

you find on Barksdale corners.

You want Barksdale's license plates.

Tag numbers and all?

Whatever, sure.

'Cause I saw big man

riding in a truck the other day.

Missed the tags, but if I see him again...

- Stringer?

- No, the other guy.

- What other guy?

- Big boy, the one we locked up.

- Avon.

- Avon Barksdale?

Jesus, Herc. He's at Jessup,

down for four or five at least.

- What, we all look alike to you?

- Lf you don't believe me, f**k it.

No f**king way.

But the fact remains, we would not

be returning this service weapon...

to this officer without help

from the citizens of Baltimore as well.

And on that note, I think our Mayor

would like to say a few words.

Thank you, Commissioner Burrell.

I just want to take this opportunity

to commend our department...

on successfully resolving this case...

and to wish Officer Dozerman

a speedy return to duty.

Officer Dozerman,

the citizens want you to have this back...

and to thank you for your service

in defense of our city.

And I especially want to thank

all of our concerned residents...

who called in to the hotline.

We would not be here today...

- Lester.

- Lieutenant, you gotta see this.

Big joke.

Got that reddies, son.

Two for one, two for one.

I got that Rasheed and Beno.

Rasheed and Beno.

Put some ice on his nuts.

Tried and true,

that s**t always bring a nigga back.

Where we gonna get ice from down here?

- Walk him up to Bon Secours.

- Rasheed and Beno. Rasheed and Beno...

- Can you give me an eight-ball?

- A eight-ball, huh?

So, how you doing today?

No offense,

but can you just get the eight-ball?

All right, all right. Just being social.

Got it right here, yo.

Thank you.

You hear Mack Man jewelers

got took off last night?

Got all this s**t in the row house.

Down yonder.

Like a must-move situation.

Fifteen on the dollar.

Y'all want some slamming ice,

go inside and tell my man Rafik sent you.

Lighters, pipes, matches. Pipes, lighters.

You need them, I got them.

Right here, pipes.

Reddies. Two for one, two for one.

Ask me if it's loaded, b*tch.

Reddies, son, two for one.

- Anything up?

- Just a good package.

Three OD's.

Last one didn't look too good

before the ambo came, neither.

Oh, s**t.

Hey, I'm a cop.

There's more inside, Carv.

Goddamn!

Can't you ever get a f**king police

around here when you need one?

Okay, on that burner?

I called Trac, gave them the serial number.

Trac Corporation told me

that they sent it to Northland...

a purchasing corporation.

Northland tells me they sent it

to their distribution center in Hagerstown.

Hagerstown tells me

they sent it to Buddy's Mondo Mart...

at 1440 Propane Road,

Falls Church, Virginia.

That's where it went out into the street.

What?

Did Buddy have them on display

to the left or the right of the cash register?

How would I know that?

All right.

As for the numbers

in the phone's speed dial...

we got one local number.

One number that tracks

to Bodie's grandmother's house...

on West Baltimore Street...

and six other numbers

that are all assigned...

to Trac disposable cell phones.

And those phones

were all purchased outside the city.

One each in Catonsville, Laurel, Bethesda...

and stores in Virginia...

at Springfield, Dumfries and Lakeside.

Everything's along l-95,

from here to almost Richmond.

They're driving 200 miles

every couple of weeks out of sheer caution.

It's beautiful.

What is?

The discipline of it.

In your life, did you think...

you would ever again see

Mount and Fayette like this?

Those ain't touts you're hearing, brother.

Those are birds chirping.

- How?

- I'll show you.

You said no whistles,

no muscle, no flexing.

You supposed to be all over that s**t, man.

You even said it's supposed to be

like the Valley of Eden.

- To serve and protect, motherfuckers.

- Call it poetic injustice.

I want to file a report.

- Say what?

- You heard me.

You want to make a complaint to us

that you were selling drugs...

- and someone took your money?

- f**k, yes.

- Here.

- Fredericksburg?

They're going all that way

to buy cell phones?

One here, two there.

No wholesale purchases.

They've been dumping phones

every two weeks or so...

and still they're worried

about catching a wiretap.

Just 'cause you're paranoid doesn't mean

someone's not out to get you, right?

Lt'd be nice to know who's buying

all those cell phones, though.

I'll drive.

Yo, yo, yo, yo. You up, old man?

They do have a point though, right?

I mean, we tell them to come down here

without the guns...

and then we fall down

on providing protection.

It's like the stickup crews

have these hoppers...

feeling like they live in a lamb pen.

They see one more gun,

Gandhi-world falls apart, this I guarantee.

So what are you doing about it?

I sent a few of the vics

over to the district with Herc.

Let them play with an Ident-A-Kit,

but you know how that goes.

Can I be honest?

It's not just the wolves circling the corral.

We got 50, 60 kids on the inside...

been fight or flight

since they popped out the chute...

and right now

they're just thumb-up-their-a** hanging.

All these ex-runners, ex-lookouts.

That s**t worries me

as much as any carnivores out there.

If you want to neutralize a threat,

give it a job.

- As?

- Auxiliary cops.

Keep an eye out for the predators.

You got the dealers paying them

to do nothing no-how anyway.

- Kill two birds and all that.

- Right.

Throw them some bikes,

maybe police radios.

- We could do that.

- I was being... You're serious?

What in God's name did you do here?

WMD. Got that WMD.

Hey, how you doing?

We're looking for a guy who came in here,

ten or eleven days ago...

dropped cash

on a couple of disposable phones?

- Ten or eleven days ago?

- Yeah.

- Black, most likely.

- That really narrows it down.

How about we just check on

some of your security tapes?

From ten days ago?

Unless there's an incident,

we reuse those videotapes every week.

- Every week?

- It's Mondo Mart policy.

That went well.

- Yeah?

- Briana Barksdale called for you.

- Who?

- D'Angelo Barksdale's mother.

- You get her number?

- You got a pen?

410-718-9433. Got it?

All right.

- You gonna call her?

- I don't know.

- It's all yours.

- Thanks, Jay.

Hey, check it out.

Mondo Mart, Mondo Mart,

Mondo Mart, Mondo Mart. We're fucked.

Until we get here.

BaBa Jani Food Mart, Dumfries, Virginia.

We're gonna go 100 miles on the off-chance

this guy has a memory or a camera?

Do you really wanna go home early

and disappoint Lester Freamon?

Who was that who rang?

Guess who's calling Homicide

looking for me on D'Angelo Barksdale?

- His mama.

- Yeah?

s**t, I forgot I even tried

to press that thing.

Now she's calling up asking questions.

Waste of her time as it was mine.

Kind of like this road trip.

He do look natural.

That motherfucker Marlo.

We gonna have to get deep on this nigga.

I mean, it feels like ain't s**t changed

except for a growing lightness in my wallet.

Where's my letter of approval, man,

from the Preservation motherfuckers?

- My right-of-way agreement, my sign-offs?

- Hold on, hold on, hold on.

Everything's right around the corner.

We got both the plumbing and

the electrical inspectors on for tomorrow...

Tuesday, the fire department's

coming out...

and that should do it, String,

you'll be on your way.

And by the way, congratulations.

You are now a minority contractor...

for the light bulb supply

to the Board of Education...

City of Baltimore.

What the f**k I know

about light bulbs, man?

Do you know how to put the words

on a B&B letterhead?

Come on, man, relax,

white guy's doing all the work.

You're just his beard

for the Empowerment grant.

That's an extra five Gs a month

for just laying in the cut.

See how it work?

I'm gonna bring you along, String,

but it ain't gonna be an overnight thing.

We spend this year dealing with the city...

the next doing business with the state.

However, year three...

Then we go for the gold.

Then we go federal.

Then we see the man

with his hand on the faucet.

- What faucet?

- The HUD faucet, the money faucet.

Look, man, I don't know why we got to wait

three years for that s**t.

- I'm ready to run now.

- No. You're not.

I mean, forgive me...

but you still showing

a little bit of that street corner mentality.

Bugging about every dime you spend...

about the permits,

about setting up a PAC...

about dropping cash

into re-election war chests...

which, by the way, is how I get my gravy.

Look, it takes money

to make money, String...

otherwise, hell, every pauper'd be a king.

And I'm saying I'm ready to run now.

Three years.

Crawl, walk, and then run.

- No, man, nappy up there a little bit more.

- Yeah, yeah.

And the eyes... He had little beany eyes.

What the f**k is beany eyes?

- You know, little rat-eyes.

- Yeah, all right. Yo, put a mole on there.

- He didn't have a mole.

- He did, too.

You was just too busy s**tting yourself

with that whistle to your dome...

- to see the motherfucker.

- s**t, f**k I did.

- How do you know how to do this?

- Man, how you don't know how to do this?

Make his ears stick up.

- Why?

- 'Cause I told you to.

Oh, s**t, okay. Give him light eyes.

- Why?

- 'Cause I f**king told you to.

Okay, can you make them crossed?

This is f**king cool.

Check out these knuckleheads

on the Make-A-Face.

Bring that down.

Yeah, hang on.

- My brother, I'm telling you...

- f**k this s**t.

...that is not what this is all about.

Look, I'm just trying

to make my district livable.

I write off a few blocks in a few places,

but I save the rest.

No offense, but you're like the blind man

and the elephant.

It's a lot bigger

than what you got your hand on...

- you just can't see it.

- See what?

A great village of pain

and you're the mayor.

Where's your drinking water?

Where's your toilets,

your heat, your electricity?

Where's the needle truck...

the condom distribution,

the drug treatment intake?

Half these people are dying on their feet...

and the other half's gonna catch

what's killing them.

Look, they ain't no worse off

than when they was all over the map.

- Now they're just in one place, is all.

- And that place is hell.

Look, I'm a police.

So I can lock a man up

or I can move his a** off the corner.

Now, you want anything more than that,

you're in the wrong shop.

Hey, yo, make her hair

a little bit more straight.

Make it long. With bangs.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Now Chinese up them eyes, like Beyonc.

- Get them cheekbones up a little bit.

- No, man, that's too much.

She's starting to look like a pie tin

with hair now, yo.

- Hang on.

- Yeah, all right.

- Pillow those lips a little bit.

- Oh, yeah, hook me up with that.

Yeah.

Yo, you got one of these does asses?

- What?

- Yeah, that's what's up. Hey.

Hey, guys.

How you doing?

We're looking for a cash purchase in here.

Maybe a couple of Trac phones.

Week or so back. Black guy most likely.

Oh, sure, that guy.

Every two weeks for him.

Last time, eight phones. Almost $900.

That's a lot of Ring Dings, no?

- Ring Dings?

- A joke.

You got some kind of transaction record?

Seek and you shall find.

Hang on.

Hang on.

$927.24.

- Can we have the tape for that day?

- No tape. I rewind every day.

- Keep this?

- Sure.

What the f**k do we do now?

Buy this guy a box of videotape?

Or camp out in this shithole for a week,

hoping our boy runs the same route?

I just know I got to put my mind

on something or I'm gonna slide back.

Need to be in control of myself,

you know what I'm saying?

- Take command of your life.

- Something.

- Cultivate some self-discipline.

- Or whatever.

What if I told you

that there's a certain liberation...

not in command or in self-control,

but in surrendering?

Well, that depends

on who you surrendering to.

Oh, that. Hey...

all due respect, you can stow that patter

right here and now.

Look, it ain't about me doing for me,

I don't think.

Might need to be about more than that.

So you're bringing in an overall decline

of 2 percent for the month...

but if I read this correctly,

almost half of that's coming...

from an eight-percent drop

in the Western District?

Major Colvin is himself willing

to acknowledge the possibility...

of a statistical variation from the mean

in his monthly stats.

Variation, huh?

Gentlemen, if I look through

the Western incident reports...

am I likely to find less crime,

or more incidents...

which have been downgraded

or unfounded?

Because this kind of variation

screams manipulation to me...

and if I'm wrong about that, if indeed

there is no manipulation involved...

I would like to know exactly what it is

that Major Colvin...

has learned about police work

that eludes the rest of your commanders.

Councilman, I assure you,

these stats are not massaged.

We don't do that.

I don't do that.

And I won't allow my people to do that.

Our feeling is that

it's genuinely an aberration.

And if it repeats itself next month...

then it bears

closer examination. Otherwise...

Moving on to new business, then.

How are we fixed for witness assistance?

Does the Department have sufficient funds

to ensure pre-trial security...

for any endangered witnesses?

We have the resources

that the city can afford, I'm sure.

I understand you're in no position

to criticize the Mayor.

- Nor would I.

- Nor would you.

So allow me to ask the question.

What is this city willing to pay...

to make it possible for ordinary people

to come down to the courthouse...

and perform the civic duty

of bearing witness...

against gangsters and criminals?

What resources are commensurate

with that kind of commitment?

You can play the good soldier

if you want, Commissioner...

but I want to go on the record here...

in saying that this administration

has passed the buck time and again...

and failed to protect those citizens...

who demonstrate

that kind of commitment...

and put their lives and livelihood at risk.

I would only like to add

that I feel as my colleague does...

that this administration

has failed this community.

Miserably. And we need

to do something about this.

Hey!

Y'all are friends. You're like brothers.

You lose that, you lose every damn thing.

Go on.

Kids messed up a good hoop.

Now they got one

looks like the original peach basket...

and they hanging onto it like a tit.

I don't know.

Maybe I should get up

some kind of tournament.

You play basketball?

Never was much for balls and sticks.

I was all about my hands.

- Boxer?

- Yeah.

Boxing?

I know a place where some of the kids go...

- but it ain't near close enough to here.

- I wouldn't mind taking a look at it.

Get a mental picture at least.

Hey, yo, what the hell's going on here?

Police pushed all the action down here

and a couple other places.

The deacon thinks that

maybe some people should come in here...

and take over the situation.

- Are you that people?

- One of them, maybe.

- Roman, man.

- Dennis.

You should lay back on this one.

Let me go talk to Buford Pusser

in there alone.

Excuse me?

And what it shows people

is that I know my business.

That I will hold people accountable

based on the facts.

- This is about what's right.

- There you go again.

What?

Do you think politics

is only about winning the argument?

That whoever has the right fact

at the right moment wins?

Clinton had facts. Kennedy had facts.

Yeah, but Reagan?

He couldn't have summoned a fact

if his life depended on it.

It's not just facts, it's how you use them.

And Tommy,

when you get hold of a fact or two...

you go smart-a**

and start beating on people.

- Yeah, that's...

- Clinton and Reagan...

when they got up to speak...

they gave everyone in the room

comfort and confidence.

You liked those guys.

You were happy to think

that they even liked you.

You're saying I'm not likable?

Jen?

When you're at home talking with me...

not the Council, not the cameras,

you're great.

When you tell me

what's really important to you, I believe.

You're smart, and you're ambitious,

and you've got a sharper tongue than most.

You can hold court

and you can tell a good story...

and you can win the argument if you want.

All of that shows, Tommy.

And at a Baltimore City Council meeting,

it shows well.

But if you want to be Mayor,

or Senator, or Governor one day...

Show them something more.

Baltimore, huh?

Went up there to the Harbor

with my wife for our anniversary.

- Charged us $12 for two beers.

- s**t, that's the least of it.

The whole damn town's

going to hell in a handbasket.

- And guess who's running the show?

- Who?

Who do you think?

The Department, City Hall, the courts.

s**t, the courts?

You know what they call it...

when judge, jury and perp

all go to the same family barbecue?

- Catch and release.

- No s**t.

May God have mercy on any poor white boy

going to trial.

That's when everybody's got their a**

in the air talking about justice.

Can't wait to throw away the key.

I mean, they're not all so bad.

Actually, there's a lot of good ones.

I'm on the radio if you need me.

My wife, Carol-Ann.

- Some very good ones.

- Is there anything specific...

I can help you with

while you're down here, Detective?

Or is this just a courtesy call?

You know, you should meet my partner.

You'd like her.

Can't go through the front on this boy.

So I'm thinking we're gonna have to

creep around the back.

Get Devonne on it.

I got this for that other problem.

- Who this?

- Remember Fatface Rick, right?

Been going to them co-op meetings

with String. That's his cousin, Trina.

- Oh, you mean, Trina with the big old a**.

- Yeah, you on it.

That's her work number.

You know where she working at nowadays?

She over at the Department

of Social Services.

So you think Omar getting a check?

No, not now.

But, I mean, once upon a time...

before some fool gave little Omar Little

a shotgun.

I mean, c**ksucker

was somebody's child, right?

So I'm thinking,

somewhere down in them records...

is one or two names of Omar's people.

You feel me?

You sure you want us

on Marlo and Omar both?

I mean, Omar ain't come back on us

since we got his b*tch.

- So maybe...

- Look, I'm home, Charles. I'm home.

What's up?

Taking care of business, String?

Me too, man. Me, too.

- East Side wasn't ready for us, huh?

- That's what I'm saying.

Yeah, I know all about BaBa Jani

and his 24-hour turnover.

It's a real pain in my a**, too.

He's got a real problem

with the school kids there.

Every afternoon come 3:00,

they go in there...

crowd him at the counter,

boost all the car and gun magazines.

That surveillance tape's so grainy now...

it's like watching a herd of buffalo

in a snowstorm.

But my insurance man, Bob...

I got him to turn this camera here

right on BaBa's parking lot.

Now, anytime I have a real problem,

I just come to Bob and pull his tape.

I can get a copy of that for you

in the morning.

Your partner there.

Bit of an a**hole.

- For real?

- Yeah.

Yeah, right hand up.

You know what this is? It's moral midgetry.

Turn the f**king world upside down...

and treat these brain-dead corner yo's

like princelings.

You see how clean the corners are?

In every sector,

street traffic is half what it was.

f**k that. It's wrong, and it's wrong.

Like the other way was right

because we were doing so well.

And Colvin's answer is what?

Ride shotgun for hoppers?

Drown them in cash money pay?

Colvin? He's always been good police.

Then he's got to know

what a f**king heartbreaker it is...

to wake up every morning,

suit up for this s**t.

He's got to suit up too, man.

Somebody should dime the brass

about this s**t.

- Or the Sun papers.

- Let me ask you something.

Anybody here ever get jammed up

and not have Colvin go to the wall for you?

The man is trying something.

It may be hard to stomach, but it's working.

After 30 years, don't you think he's earned

the right to some elbow room on this?

What the f**k.

This thing is on borrowed time, anyhow.

And when we do decide

to jump on Hamsterdams...

they're just gonna go back

to their regular corners, right?

If we ever jump out on it.

I don't know that we're gonna.

All I'm saying is let's give the guy

the same backup he's always given us.

That's all I'm saying.

I swear, as soon as the sun comes up,

we grab that damn tape and go.

This place makes me want to cry.

Hey, I spent half my marriage

in rooms like this.

- How could you do it?

- What?

- Go nonstop hound on your ex like that.

- It's easy.

Just tell her I was on the road

working an extradition.

Lots of extraditions.

Brought back something like 500 fugitives

in a three-year period, I think.

- That's not what I meant.

- Right.

So, you're back in the house, huh?

Ate some s**t and she took me back, yeah.

I ain't sure I even want to be back, though.

Extraditions, huh?

- Cheryl would see right through that s**t.

- No, it's easy.

You just keep your cell off,

make sure she can reach your partner.

Partner tells her, "Kima's in court"

or whatever.

Partner calls you in the motel,

gives you the heads up...

you call her back later like,

"Hey, what's up?"

Ain't even got a quarter box

for the Magic Fingers.

Maybe you don't need

a quarter box for that.

- For what?

- Magic fingers.

You know me.

- You hustling?

- Educating.

Are you charging for it or tuition-free?

Tuition will come back to him tenfold

in acquired wisdom.

Besides, nothing in the world's

more expensive than "free."

That's all she wrote.

Let's double it.

No, man, I don't like taking money

from a churchgoing man.

- Triple it.

- Your break, Deacon.

We need to talk

some more about Hamsterdam.

Look, man, I never said it was pretty.

Pretty doesn't even come close

to the problem.

We need to talk.

I've got a COMSTAT meeting.

I'll drop by later on.

- So we good with the permits?

- Yeah, this week, so far, so good.

- All right.

- Look at you.

- Who?

- Chunky Coates.

- Who's that?

- You don't know Chunky?

He's got the properties down the block

and over on the even side of Paca Street.

When I first met that fat man,

he had an office so small...

you had to leave the room

to change your mind.

Then two years ago he started running

with your man, Clay Davis.

Look at you now, you big sassy b*tch.

That better?

Hey, Special Agent Fitzhugh,

if that is in fact your real name.

FBI in on this?

I am only loved for my toys.

Lester called and I delivered.

You got the tape?

Date of 10l10l04. 15:04 hours, 30 seconds...

by the register tape.

Mama Barksdale?

D'Angelo's mother.

She cold-called McNulty

about her son on the jailhouse hanging.

She's calling us on that weak s**t?

Is this Briana? Right.

You called about your son.

I'm returning that message.

Nothing there.

It's so tiny. No mere mortal can...

You see what he just did?

What? He did it again.

Who is this man?

Where does he come from?

Can anybody stop him?

Please don't hurt us, please.

My eyes! My eyes!

It's so big and clear and bright.

I'll be at Homicide.

Sometimes you still scare me,

you know that?

In my world,

do you have any idea what I had to do...

to get where I am today?

And when I say I'm ready,

you best believe it.

Through the effective use of resources,

and increased police presence...

and an intensive reach-out

into the community...

we've been able to have

a significant impact on these areas...

to the effect

of a 12-percent decrease overall.

- Twelve percent.

- Cumulatively.

- Over four weeks.

- Major, I know I gave you s**t...

when your stats took a jump

a few weeks back...

but now you're gonna shove the numbers

right up my a**?

It's kind of pouty of you, isn't it?

Twelve percent. I didn't cook them then,

I ain't cooking them now.

Seriously, Bunny, I already got

the City Council asking questions...

about the eight-percent drop

you posted last week.

We just want to please the Mayor,

not go to jail behind this s**t.

You know,

sometimes the gods do listen, sir.

Not in the Western, they don't.

Lieutenant Daniels?

- Sir?

- You want to take credit for any of this?

Your unit's been working in that district

a couple of weeks.

We're barely up on anything.

In fact, the crews we're looking at

are still beefing, still dropping bodies.

Amazing. Crime is down

and no one wants to take any credit.

What is wrong with this picture?

You don't mind

if I have Planning and Research...

pull all your CC numbers.

Make sure there's not a decimal point

missing between the one and the two?

Pull everything, Deputy.

That number will stand.

I called because I heard

you went and visited Donette.

Told her my son's death

couldn't have been no suicide.

- Is that right?

- I did do that.

D'Angelo hung himself.

Not with the belt

they found around his neck.

Not at that distance

between the doorknob and the floor.

So what are you saying?

- What am I saying?

- No.

Nobody would've dared.

- My brother, his uncle, would have...

- I agree with you.

Nobody would've dared.

Unless...

- Avon and D was family.

- Family, right.

This is just you talking, right?

- I mean, anyone else saying it?

- No, just me.

- No one else cares.

- Right.

It's just, I don't know, on the inside...

if somebody's going after you,

has got a beef, sees red, they use a shank.

It's quick and it's over.

D'Angelo was strangled, which is planned.

You need the time, you need the isolation.

Look, I'm just sorry I brought

this whole mess up to begin with...

'cause frankly, no one's gonna do s**t

about it anyhow.

Whoever killed him

wanted to pass it off as a suicide...

and the cops are happy enough

to have one less murder to investigate.

On top of that, the Anne Arundel

State's Attorney doesn't give a f**k.

I'm not supposed to give a f**k, so...

I guess your son

just got squeezed between the sides.

Squeezed between what sides?

Look, two years ago...

we hung more wire

on your brother's crew than AT&T...

and at the end,

D'Angelo was this close to flipping...

giving up everybody, everything.

But you know all that, right?

You were the one

who went down to that detention center...

and talked your son out of a deal.

I kind of liked your son, you know?

All things considered,

he was a pretty decent kid.

And it grinds me

that no one ever spoke up for him.

Seems to me that nobody ever will.

But, mostly at this point,

I'm sorry I bothered his girl...

and I'm sorry she bothered you.

Why go to her?

- Why not come to me first?

- Honestly?

I was looking for somebody

who cared about the kid.

I mean, like I said, you were the one

who made him take the years, right?

Red leader to red boys. Red two come in.

Cheese steak has a problem, b*tch.

Save me some fries, yo.

You want fries?

I suggest you bring some cash up here.

Can you believe this?

No muscle, it's all out in the open.

No, no, no, man. This right here, boy.

This too good.

Hey, yo, this some kind of

full-tilt setup, man...

to catch a master scoundrel.

Capone and whatnot.

Boy, they probably got police behind

every one of them row house windows.

Hit this? You must be tripping.

Home, James.

I'm gonna tell you, boy, you better keep

your head back in the game...

or you gonna land us both in the pokey.

- What you looking at?

- You.

Yeah?

I like your eyes. They're like cat eyes.

- Who you here with?

- Them.

That's it?

What kind of cat?

- What?

- What kind of cat are my eyes like?

A big cat.

- You here with them and no one else?

- I said that.

- You want to dance?

- Hell, no.

- You want a drink?

- No, I don't do that neither.

What do you do?

Gene, this spot I'm telling you about?

We're talking TB, HIV, syphilis...

herpes, lice.

It's like a five-acre petri dish.

You get in there now...

you can run every health program

or social program you want.

Hell, every kind of liberal-a** project

never got off the page it was written on.

Jurassic Park.

So, you're saying that this is

a sanctioned open-air drug market.

No, it's not officially sanctioned.

It's more like it's tolerated.

That's why we came to you

and the Public Health School...

not the City Health Department.

Needle exchange, drug outreach,

condoms, HIV testing.

Y'all ain't never gonna reach more people

in the same spot.

So if the city doesn't know about it

then that makes it...

- Complicated.

- That means temporary.

You move it or you lose it, boss.

That was nice.

It worked for me.

- You free tomorrow?

- Tomorrow?

You could come back to my crib.

Nobody's there but my grandma.

Get us a real bed. Take some time with it.

Give me your number.

The reason I'm saying tomorrow,

not to push...

but day after that

I got to go visit my aunt in Florida.

We hook up tomorrow...

I got something real nice to think about

on that long-a** bus ride.

After you.

- What was it again?

- Devonne.

This guy's running his route

every five days.

- That's a shitload of burners.

- I don't get it.

They were so careful

spreading out the purchases...

up and down the three states...

you'd think they'd also

switch up rental agencies.

Maybe the guy felt bad for us.

You got a copier, right?

Damn, girl, what, you lose some weight?

- Excuse me?

- It's just a compliment.

Yo, that's Mrs. Omar?

Yeah, his grandmoms.

So what, we jack her and make her talk?

Fool, she probably got no clue

where he lay his head.

No, man, we sit and we wait, right?

Man, wait on what?

Stupid motherfucker.

Now, see, if we go upstairs,

we'll spook him.

So he's coming down. All right?

Russell Bell.

I know B&B

like I know a thousand other outfits...

but I don't know him.

Why should I talk to him?

Because Russell's a good man.

And he's ready to run.

- Then let him run for you.

- Hang on.

Wait a minute, partner.

I don't think you know

who you're dealing with here.

You know who that is?

Got your running shoes on? You're in.

That's the faucet?

s**t, as far as the federal money's

concerned, he's everything.

The faucet, the goose.

- What goose?

- The one that lays them golden eggs.

Madison Square Garden it ain't.

But it could work.

You're gonna need a little help

with the cleanup.

I'll piece that together.

This my trip, man.

Need to go from A to B all by myself.

... am I likely to find less crime,

or more incidents...

that have been downgraded

or unfounded?

Because this kind of variation screams

manipulation to me...

Slow your words.

Try to lock your eyes

on whoever you talk to.

Make them think they matter.

Use open, warm phrases.

Nothing sharp, nothing that bites.

- Where's the fun in that?

- Do you want this?

What is this city willing to pay

to make it possible for ordinary people...

- It's me.

- Hey. How you, Cat Eyes?

- Yeah, when you say you leaving again?

- Tomorrow.

- Wanna get together tonight?

- Yeah, we could hook up tonight.

- How about coming over to my crib?

- No, not your crib.

- Where then?

- Go to a motel.

You want me to meet you? Which one?

I don't know which one.

I'll tell you when I see you.

- I'd like to see you soon.

- All right, you know Lake Trout?

- Carry-out? Where?

- On Woodland.

- Off Reisterstown Road?

- That one.

Later this afternoon?

- I'll be there. What time you want to meet?

- Like 5:00.

And 5:00 mean 5:00. I don't truck CP Time.

5:00 and change, I'm gone.

- I ain't gonna be late.

- All right, then.

See you then.

What you think about that?

I don't know.

Might be walking into something

a little later.

So I'm gonna need for you to go up there

and get me a read up front.

- Where's my brother?

- Shut the door, man.

- Yo, we at war right now, sis. So he on that.

- I need to get with him.

Well, he ain't on the cell phone.

Soon as I speak to him,

I'll get him to you, all right?

I can't believe this s**t.

Look...

Heard from this cop.

He's saying D was murdered.

Oh, that'd be McNulty.

How you know?

Well, Levy figured

he couldn't talk you out of the meet...

but I sure wish he tried.

- I need to get with my brother.

- Oh, come on.

This f**king cop.

He trying to drive a wedge up in here,

man. You can't see it?

Look, I can imagine

how hard it is for a mother...

to have to deal with some s**t like that.

No doubt.

But the fact is these places,

they press on niggas.

D just figured a way

to get out of there early.

Ain't nothing nobody can do about that.

I mean, how do you protect

a man from himself?

Where Avon at? I'll go to him.

I told you.

We beefing for corners right now.

As soon as I speak to him,

I'll get him to you, I promise.

A cop shouldn't mess

with a mother's pain like that.

No one should.

Yeah, let me get four trout on white,

extra mayo on one...

hot sauce on two

and the other with ketchup.

And four orange sodas.

This clown-a** nigga went and got

four sandwiches and four sodas, man.

- You heard me?

- Cool.

Niggas don't roll out in a few minutes,

we onto something.

Drop one, get one!

- No, baby, this one's sentimental.

- Here, it's bleach.

Soak your works and you're good to go.

Drop one, get one.

Drop one, get one.

Get the other girls to come by.

Wait.

Just pass these out for me, okay?

Yo, I just rolled for peanut butter.

You got anything else?

- The f**k I look like to you, Chef Boyardee?

- Who?

Hey, when all this bulls**t falls apart,

I'm gonna kick your f**k...

Go by them slow.

Oh, s**t!

Oh, my God!

- You hit?

- No.

Drive, motherfucker, get out of here!

Now your man better be as good

as his word. Or your word.

If you are still in possession

of that kind of mentality...

then you are definitely not ready.

- String...

- Not now.

- It's Avon.

- Shut the door.

Let's do it.

I'll be in touch, partner.

- What is it, man?

- Avon's been hit.

- Where?

- In the shoulder.

Tater got killed. Avon still breathing, man.

But Briana all over me, calling me, man.

I need to tell her.

- No, f**k Briana.

- What?

Just keep the b*tch away from me,

you hear me?

If you put them pit bull-style stitches in me,

the next patient's gonna be you.

- For real.

- What, you don't like rawhide?

Marlo!

We finna get back to old times, baby.

Hey, Anthony. Where you at?

First floor, 1034 North Mount, sir.

Good.

They're expecting us to hit back wild.

That's what they're just waiting for,

and we're gonna sit back on it for a while.

- Let them sweat on it.

- Yo, we got to talk.

Hold on.

I mean, he got to come out on his corners,

that's how he make money, right?

We gonna see

who got the bigger war chest.

Avon?

- Straight to the mattresses, huh?

- Whatever. What you want, man?

- "War", man, we past this bulls**t.

- Yeah, I forgot.

You know, I knew I forgot something.

We the Trump brothers.

Man, you don't give this s**t up...

you're gonna turn everything

we built to s**t.

No. The Chump brothers.

You know what the difference is

between me and you?

I bleed red, you bleed green.

What you been building for us?

You know what, I look at you these days,

you know what I see?

I see a man without a country.

Not hard enough for this, right here.

And maybe, just maybe...

- not smart enough for them out there.

- Not hard enough?

No offense,

but I don't think you ever really were.

- You got skills, yeah, no doubt, but...

- What?

What, 'cause I don't shoot up a block,

indiscriminate, I ain't hard enough?

Because I think before I snatch a life,

I ain't into this bulls**t?

Snatch a life?

What life you snatch, huh?

You know, Briana went downtown, man,

saw that detective.

Man stoking her head saying

that D'Angelo's death was no suicide.

Yeah, so?

Man ain't wrong about that.

What?

Yeah.

I knew you couldn't do it...

and Briana wouldn't do that s**t.

But there go a life

that had to be snatched, Avon.

Yo, man, I took that s**t off you,

and put it on me, man...

because that motherfucker

was out of pocket with that s**t!

Twenty years above his f**king head.

He flip, man, they got you and me

and f**king Briana!

No f**king way, man. Hell no!

Now, I know you're family.

You loved that nigga.

But you want to talk that

"blood is thicker than water" bulls**t...

take that s**t somewhere else, nigga!

That motherfucker would have taken down

the whole f**king show...

starting with you, killer!

He was f**king everything and everybody!

Let me up.

Let me up.

Oh, s**t.

- Hello.

- Hey, what're you doing?

Oh, hi.

- Are you sleeping?

- No.

- Oh, you're not happy to hear from me.

- No, I'm glad you called.

I wanna see you.

- What, now?

- Yes, now.

- Where are you?

- Same place as before.

Peabody.

- Are you sure you're not sleeping?

- No, no, I was up.

You liar. Come on, get your a** over here.

Yeah, okay. I mean, yeah, what the hell.

- Room 210.

- Fine.

- Sean, Seanie.

- What?

I have to go out and see a friend

for a little bit.

I'll be gone for an hour or two, okay?

I put my cell phone on this slip of paper.

I'll put it on that top shelf, okay?

What did I just say?

You're going out to see a friend

and your number's on the top shelf.

Attaboy.

The Kerry camp had an early opportunity

to capitalize on jobs and the economy...

as an issue,

and tag the President with it.

The pre-election polls show

that a significant number...

of undecided and persuadable voters...

thought Kerry over Bush

offered a better chance for jobs.

Jobs may have been

a marginal issue, Kate...

in some of the Rust Belt

battleground states.

But, ultimately, this was a referendum

on the leadership of George W. Bush...

on the war against terror

and the war in Iraq.

You're so full of s**t.

Nothing mattered in the red states

but the economy.

I've been saying that for months.

Hey, I'm not tossing you so quick tonight.

I got nothing to do tomorrow.

Well, I'm tossing myself.

I gotta get home.

You know what, not that this wasn't fun...

but it might be nice to have dinner first.

Dinner and a movie.

- I got to Baltimore late.

- No, I'm saying next time.

We talk some, then we f**k our brains out.

It's different for girls like me.

You need to be cuddled, McNulty?

No, but we make a date, I don't feel like

I have to charge by the hour.

A date, huh?

I'll call you.

In the daytime.

I think we can all agree

that foreign policy and...

... while the United States was reeling

from the attack on Pearl Harbor...

... wonders of wood carving...

He wrapped himself in the American flag

at the convention and never looked back.

Come on, Kate, that's a little harsh,

don't you think?

No, I don't, I'm serious.

And I think it was great strategy

by his handlers, too.

You don't think that when John Kerry

kicked off... In his acceptance speech...

at the Democratic National Convention

he said, "I'm here under Old Glory"...

that he wasn't trying

to wrap himself in the flag, too?

No, I don't think he was trying

to wrap himself in the flag.

I think he was trying to defend the

people in the battleground states.

The ones who...

... 1942, the US 1st Marine Division

stormed the shore at Guadalcanal...

seizing a nearly complete airfield

at Lunga Point...

which was renamed Henderson Field...

and an anchorage at nearby Tulagi...

that would later be known

as Iron Bottom Sound...

because of the number of ships

sunk there in battle.

The landings of the first day

put nearly 11,000 Marines...

on the island. Minimal resistance...

- Deep into it, I see.

- Yeah, we getting there.

You looking correct.

Sunday morning.

I'm on my way to hear the Word, you know?

You paying those guys out of pocket?

Boiler in there's working

and the pipes are okay.

I should have it all cleaned out

by tomorrow, I think.

All you gonna need is the permits.

- Permits?

- Yeah. Permits.

- Yo, was that him?

- s**t.

If it ain't, we'd only be wasting a bullet.

Only problem is it being Sunday

morning and all, you know?

- Who you calling?

- Slim Charles, man.

You told me we supposed to bring

our beefing before the group, right?

Here it is you warring

with the young boy, Marlo, over corners.

Marlo ain't in the group.

Be that as it may, all this shoot-em-up s**t

is bad for business.

We got cops on half the West Side corners.

And what corner they ain't holding, I can't

have my people standing on for fear...

they gonna be mistaken as one

of Barksdale people and catch a bullet.

Look, man, I tried to talk to the

young buck myself, but...

You try talking to Avon.

Because that's half the problem right there.

No doubt, exactly.

- Yeah.

- That's it.

That's what I'm saying, man.

Nigga probably sleeping in.

Fact is, Stringer, your man

needs to reconcile himself...

to this new way of thinking.

Now, you could remind him that,

like everyone else in this room...

he benefiting from my connect

and from the wholesale price...

- we got by throwing in together.

- I mean, he know that, come on, Joe.

Well, so, now we coming to him for help

with a little something.

He need to just back the f**k off

and let the young gun keep his corners.

Now, you said yourself

it can't be about territory no more.

- Old habits die hard.

- Who this?

Yeah, it's me.

Yeah, we on the house where

the dude is, you know...

- Talk, nigga.

- s**t, man, I'm trying not to use names.

Look, this Gerard, man. And we're on Omar,

he gonna come out the house.

As you know, I ain't trying to lose

no niggas on them corners, either...

but it's a two-way street, you know?

Go ahead, man.

Gerard and Sapper

got their sights on Omar.

Tried to reach Slim and he ain't answering.

- So?

- It's church day, String.

Sunday morning, you know?

- They sure it's him?

- Omar, yeah.

All right, do it.

Do it.

Gerard. They right there, come on.

All right, here you go.

Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!

This time, I definitely hit him.

District-wide, it's 14%.

A drop like that in the Western felony rate,

that's unheard of.

But God knows what happens

when you let go of your secret.

Hey, what happens, happens.

I mean, if they want to keep

my little experiment going...

or they want to go back to business

as usual. That's on them. But me?

I'm out of here, D, I'm gone.

And Hopkins came through.

I got a contract offer

on that security job yesterday.

- You really gonna retire?

- Always planned to.

What?

You started something.

You ain't gonna finish it?

- What do you mean?

- On a battlefield you can't do much...

to help anybody with anything.

But you managed a truce, Bunny.

And making the game street legal

takes the heart out of it.

Keep it going,

we gonna reach some of those people...

chasing dope and coke,

and maybe even some hoppers, too.

You might at that.

But what happens when you turn

your district over to the next man?

Or people get wind of this thing and

there's no one to defend it? What then?

- How's the contrast on that?

- Good for daylight.

Yeah?

On a Sunday? What the f**k, Lester?

Could say the same of you.

Elena's taking the kids to her mother's,

what the f**k else am I gonna do?

No life, no marriage, no kids.

No problem.

What's with the video?

Gonna put it up in one of the windows

across from Stringer's print shop.

Catch him coming and going.

- Hey, you need help?

- You're a known face.

I figure me and Prez do it on a Sunday,

shop is closed...

you know, looking like working men.

You know something, Lester? I do believe

there aren't five swinging d*cks...

in this entire department

who can do what we do.

I'm not saying, like, all chest-out and s**t.

It's just, I mean, you think about it...

there's maybe, what, 3,000 sworn, right?

Hundred or so are bosses,

so there's not a f**king clue there.

Few more hundred is

sergeants and lieutenants.

Most of them wanna be bosses one day,

so they're just as fucked.

Then there's 600 or 700

f**king housecats, you know?

Deskmen. And the patrol division?

There's probably a little bit of talent there,

but the way the city is right now...

that's 1,500 guys chasing calls

and clearing corners.

I mean, nobody's knowing his post,

nobody's building nothing, right?

And CID's the same.

Catching calls, chasing quick clearances,

keeping everything in the shallow end.

I mean, who is there out there,

can do what we can do with a case?

How many are there really?

Don Worden, Ed Burns,

Gary Childs out in the county...

John O'Neil and Steve Cleary

over at Woodlawn.

Oh, they bring it in, but there's not many.

There's not many.

We're good at this, Lester.

In this town, we're as good as it gets.

- Natural police.

- f**k, yes, natural police.

Tell me something, Jimmy.

How exactly do you think it all ends?

- What do you mean?

- A parade? A golden watch?

A shining Jimmy-McNulty-Day moment

when you bring in a case...

so sweet everybody

gets together and says...

"Oh, s**t, he was right all along.

We should've listened to the man."

The job will not save you, Jimmy.

It won't make you whole,

it won't fill your a** up.

- I don't know. A good case...

- Ends. They all end.

The handcuffs go click and it's over...

and the next morning it's just

you in your room with yourself.

Until the next case.

Boy, you need something

outside of this here.

Like what? Dollhouse miniatures?

Hey, hey, hey. A life.

A life, Jimmy, you know what that is?

It's the s**t that happens while you're

waiting for moments that never come.

- On a Sunday morning?

- We called to ask.

And Shamrock said to go.

On a Sunday morning,

y'all try to hit a nigga...

when he taking his

wrinkle-a** grandmas to pray.

And y'all don't hit the nigga, neither.

All y'all kill is grandma's crown?

And by the time Sham say go,

Omar damn near in the cab.

Ain't enough y'all done violated

the Sunday morning truce.

No! I'm standing here holding

a torn-up church crown...

of a bona fide colored lady.

Do you know what a colored lady is?

Not your moms, for sure.

'Cause if they was that...

y'all would've known better

than that bulls**t.

Y'all trifling with Avon Barksdale

reputation here.

You know that?

Is she all right, though?

She got cut on her face from the glass

and she sore from where I fell on her.

But other than that, though.

You saved her a**, huh?

I damn near got that woman killed, yo.

Y'all should've seen me in Sinai Hospital

while they stitching her up...

lying about why somebody

wanna shoot me down in the street.

That woman think I work in a cafeteria.

- Cafeteria?

- At the airport, yeah.

The airport? Why the airport?

'Cause I know she ain't never gonna

go down there to go dining, that's why.

Hey, yo, Kimmy, this ain't funny, yo.

That woman raised me!

And, for as long as I been grown, once a

month I been with her on a church Sunday.

Telling myself ain't no need to worry

'cause there ain't nobody...

in this city that low-down

to disrespect a Sunday morning.

Y'all know I was gonna walk away, right?

Y'all know that, right?

I mean, after Tosha, I was

gonna leave them people be, yo.

- Avon home now.

- Oh, Barksdale got to go.

Stringer, too. This thing got to end, man!

I swear to God, yo, on a Sunday morning,

they near shot her best crown off, yo.

I mean, no shame, them niggas!

Man, y'all feel me?

I'm out.

If you back to dealing

with Barksdale people, I'm out, yo.

I'm in it for the money.

It's easier out there than that.

Just you and me then. Like it was.

No, yo. This one about me.

- And nobody else.

- Hey, I'm with you.

Not on this one, you ain't.

Okay, guys.

We are maybe a step and a half away

from being up on a wire on these people.

All we need is to firm up the PC...

showing the disposable phones

are being used in a drug conspiracy.

McNulty and Greggs, you're on that angle.

You need to walk either

an undercover or a wired CI...

up to one of the Barksdale crews.

Lester, you and Prez

start typing affidavits...

because when the probable cause

comes in...

we're gonna want to get

the application in fast.

Detective, you're the chaser

on our boy Bernard.

When he goes out for cell phones,

we're right behind.

The faster we get ahold

of the new numbers...

the faster we're up on those phones.

Now, when Caroline comes back

off vacation...

she's gonna be on the mini-cam.

From here on out we keep a log

on any movement by Stringer...

and we keep an eye out

for Mr. Barksdale as well.

Try to get a line

on where he spends his days.

As for me, I'm off to do battle

with the wireless company.

They a problem?

Have been since

the damn things were invented.

Okay, then.

Remember that with this wire,

everything is a race against the clock.

Anything we get up on is only temporary.

- You reach Bubbles?

- Yeah. He'll be waiting at Mount Clare.

- Lee, where's the DNR log?

- What?

The log.

Never mind, I got it right here.

All Stringer, all the time.

Theresa D'Agostino, please.

- Can you hold, please?

- Yeah, I'll hold.

I'm sorry, she's not in the office now.

You wanna leave a message?

No, I left one already.

- A boxing gym?

- For kids and all. An athletic club.

"Gyms, reducing salons, public baths are

permitted only in properties zoned...

"B2, B3, B4 or B5."

All signed and sealed

by a registered architect and engineer...

Floor framing plan,

including the load criteria...

Hydronic piping and equipment layouts.

Six copies of your fire protection plan...

with emergency exits

and sprinkler system noted.

Health Department since

it's a physical culture and health service.

A license from the State Athletic

Commission up on Calvert Street.

- Mid-size or full?

- Mid-size.

You should upgrade

and get one of them Escalades.

They got that XM radio and all.

I'm saying if we gonna be in that damn car

all damn day, it's worth it, Bernard.

- You ticklish, Bubs?

- The chills, Kima.

You do that to me.

Here's the buy money, Bubs.

Remember, this is all on tape.

I hear you.

So, down there on Vincent Street, they

don't even hide the ground stash anymore.

You watch and wait,

see when they're running low...

and ask for 30 or so. Enough so that

they have to call for a quick re-up.

That's the important thing.

We want him to use his burner.

- All right. I get to keep the 30.

- Thirty'd kill you, Bubs.

You get to keep the money we hand you...

once you come back here

with all of that product.

- I was just asking.

- Just telling.

- It can't be done.

- Excuse me?

The activation information

you're gonna want?

That stuff's not accessible from the

business office until it goes to billing...

and that takes a few days,

sometimes a week or more.

But, more than that, we have dozens of

law enforcement inquiries every month.

We get to them in the order received

and currently the turnaround's 30 days.

Thirty days?

Let me understand something.

Your company is in business

selling disposable cell phones...

to people who don't have to give

any subscriber information...

- at the time of purchase, correct?

- Correct.

They buy these phones

and as far as you're concerned...

they use them anonymously,

pre-paying for their minutes...

From the retailers, yes.

And while they're using these phones

anonymously, for whatever purpose...

they can't be monitored by

law enforcement because your company...

can't react within a month

to a court order for a wiretap?

- We do the best we can.

- This is bulls**t.

You're selling a phone that you know

is effective for drug trafficking.

Lieutenant, our prepaid inventory is there

for young people...

college students and such, people who

can't afford a permanent cell phone plan.

What college student

can't afford a cell phone?

They can afford the f**king college,

they can afford the phone that goes with it.

I resent the suggestion.

Just so I'm clear, you're telling me

that even if by some miracle we are able...

to get up on a drug dealer's disposable cell

phone in time to catch him talking...

you're gonna take as much as a month

to activate our tap.

Well, if you have a problem with that, your

office can contact our general counsel.

That's all I can say.

How about this? How about

the State's Attorney for Baltimore City...

calls a press conference

on the courthouse steps to declare that...

Bay Wireless is in league with the most

violent drug traffickers in the city...

preventing their apprehension and arrest

by law enforcement.

Four to five days turnaround.

Best we can do.

I swear, I felt like a damn balloon

with air rushing out my a**...

going from desk to desk.

This is our new man, huh?

- Frank Reid.

- Dennis Wise.

Reverend, our man Dennis spent all day...

down at the Benton Building,

trying for permits.

- On the new gym?

- Yeah.

You use my name?

You use anybody's name?

Hell, man. There was a time I'd have used

Smith and Wesson.

No, look, man, I'm just saying, how y'all

regular folk get it done in this town?

Doreen, ring Delegate Watkins, please.

- Yellow tops, yellow tops.

- Obliged, man, obliged.

Keeping it close, you know?

You tell a friend, okay?

Too hot for them black tees, right?

- What's up, papa, what you hawking?

- Body bags.

All right, let me get 30. Thirty pills.

Thirty? Where the f**k your raggedy-a**...

come up with $300

in motherfucking cash, man?

Well, I've been selling these

T-shirts for weeks now, you know.

I mean, I might be raggedy,

but I'm in a cash business.

You want my money or no?

Yeah, we out. All right.

Shouldn't be long.

A bulk purchase justify a discount, right?

- $250 or so?

- $275.

- And a couple of them whiteys.

- Yeah, that'll work.

- That'll work.

- Bubs just made another $25.

- Theresa D'Agostino, please.

- I'm sorry, but she's not in.

- Can I take a message?

- No, I'll call back.

- So, how's that working?

- What?

- Your new ho.

- So far, so good.

- You got the receipts, man?

- Yeah, most of them.

A few blew out the damn window

on the interstate.

What, y'all waiting to see Avon?

Man, I hear y'all shot the crown off

an old lady's head yesterday.

Good, y'all made it.

Yeah, we putting in some work.

Come on upstairs so we can talk.

Back with numbers.

- How many?

- Twenty-four Trac phones.

Two each from Mondo Marts in Catonsville

and Sykesville and four from Frederick...

and then eight each from two stops

over the river in West Virginia.

Those bumper beepers?

They work great, man.

- He went out l-70 this time.

- Can you blame him? The scenery's better.

Twenty-four, huh?

We're gonna have a lot of DNRs up.

But with any luck...

one of these phones leads

to young Mr. Bodie Broadus.

- You wanna call Pearlman?

- All right.

Who's hungry?

- How about Chinese?

- Sounds good to me.

- You guys call it in and I'll go.

- Let me have some of that lo mein.

You take a turn typing this s**t

and I'll go with him.

- Make mine sweet and sour.

- Lo mein for me.

Get rolling?

So y'all get with Charles,

he gonna give you all the details on it.

- Who that?

- East Side niggas.

Be willing to soldier up for us on retainer.

Milton put me up on them.

Man, we gonna be back where we was,

String. You know, I can smell it.

We just got to get this boy Marlo

and then we spread out like we do.

Them co-op boys, man, they ain't

too happy about this situation, man.

Yeah. They say they got cops on corners

where they wouldn't have otherwise.

- Everybody nervous.

- Man, f**k them niggas.

I mean, Prop Joe said he'd mediate.

You know what I mean?

Go to Marlo, talk on it.

Yeah, well, if he take a gun with him,

maybe it could work.

Let me ask you something, though.

Did you tell them discount-a** niggas

that they could pop off at Omar grandma?

Oh, man. Sham come to me

in the middle of the meeting...

and talk about they got their sights on

Omar.

They say nothing about no grandma.

No church hat, nothing like that.

I hear the c**ksucker's name, I say, "go."

- On a Sunday morning?

- Yo, I don't give a f**k, man.

I hear that c**ksucker's name, man,

I ain't thinking about a church day.

The Sunday truce been around

long as the game itself, man.

I mean, you know what I'm saying,

you can do some s**t...

and be like "what the f**k,"

but, hey, just never on no Sunday, man.

I mean, it's just like people

was talking on us and all...

and the stories are

getting bigger and bigger.

Like, I swear to God, Fatface Rick heard

that our people went and shot...

Omar granny in the a**

on purpose, and all that.

And that pulled their d*cks out,

pissed on her crown and s**t.

No, I mean, I heard the same bulls**t.

Prop Joe gave me an earful.

But, yo, what can I say, man?

Good help is hard to find.

If it wasn't, you think I'd be paying

East Side niggas for s**t?

Yeah. Yo, we still off them corners?

Yeah, got to be.

We gonna be off them corners

till we take care of Marlo.

Yeah, maybe we should

put a couple more crews...

on them free zones them cops got.

You know what I mean?

Take the profit where we can.

- You trust that s**t?

- I mean, so far.

And if they running game, man,

they ain't gonna get...

nobody higher than a crew chief

to take a charge, right?

What you gonna do with them two niggas

you got waiting downstairs?

I gonna make them buy the lady a new hat.

What're we waiting for? Sweet and sour?

You do the cookie first?

What's the difference?

"A new friend makes himself known."

Himself?

If it was "herself,"

then you'd have a fortune.

s**t, I'm married with lawn furniture, man.

The technology's out of control,

no question.

But that's nothing new.

The way these guys are using disposables

nowadays...

we cannot get a working wire up in time.

By the time we get subscriber

information and papers served...

They're dumping phones.

Cellular carriers tell them they need

nearly a week to process the paperwork.

They're only half-scared of us,

but a visit from the Feds?

- You all have profile enough to push them.

- I don't know.

If you've got them down to five days,

you're doing about as well as we can.

Once again, guys, the Bureau's

a little busy with counter-terrorism.

And our US Attorney here...

he only touches himself

at the mention of political corruption.

Ghetto drug stuff just doesn't rate.

I'm sorry to say.

s**t always smells best in the car,

going home.

Unit 13. In the alley in the rear,

East Side, 800 North Montford.

- That's five blocks, up and over.

- Go.

What's the cross street?

What's the cross street?

Shots fired.

Sounded like it was west of Milton.

I'm police! He's 10-7, call it in.

A Glock.

I saw the gun as he turned.

It's Derrick. Jesus Christ.

You killed Derrick. It's Waggoner.

You f**king killed Waggoner!

- Greggs.

- Prez shot another cop.

What?

It was an accident in an alley,

a little while ago.

- No.

- I'll call you back.

- You here for Barksdale?

- I'm here for peace, man.

- There's some senseless s**t going on.

- But Barksdale ain't sent you?

No, Stringer knows I'm here, man.

If I can bring something respectful back,

they most likely to show the same.

Tell the boy he can come in with the co-op.

If he takes our package, which by the way...

is better than the best

he putting out there now...

he'll keep his corners. Guaranteed.

He might listen. But the boy got ideas.

And he's thinking Avon weak right now.

You ever know Avon Barksdale

to back down from anything?

A plainclothesman in a dark alley,

with his gun out and shots fired.

Look, no one wants to burn anybody...

but the fact is

there's a racial component to consider.

- The appearance of it...

- Has he seen a lawyer?

- Lieutenant.

- What?

He's in a situation where

you can't compel a statement...

out of him until you read him his rights,

and we haven't done that yet, so...

I'm his commanding officer.

I just want to know if he's all right.

Okay, okay, there's just...

It's a legal question at this point.

Can I get you anything?

You should call the union, Roland.

Talk to a lawyer

before you say anything further.

I'm not saying anyone's gonna

charge anything criminally.

Everyone knows you had no intention of...

But administratively...

you need to be careful

because of the racial thing.

You see that, right?

There's gonna be people in the Department

who see this that way.

- You see that, right?

- I wasn't scared, I wasn't angry.

I didn't give a s**t he was black

or whatever...

Or maybe I did.

How the f**k do you know

if that's in your head or if it's not?

- But you saw the gun.

- Yeah.

Yeah, he turned toward me and...

'Cause you shouted, right?

You shouted, "police" and he turned, right?

No, I don't think so.

I don't think I said anything.

I don't think he did.

I was a couple steps in the alley

and he turned and I saw the gun.

That's all.

- Did he have kids? A wife?

- I don't know.

They won't say.

They won't talk to me about him.

Call the FOP. Get a lawyer, Roland.

No, sir.

I'm done.

Let the lawyer talk for you.

Lieutenant...

tell Lester I'm sorry.

Call the union.

He wants a lawyer in there with him.

Whenever he's done here,

you need to send someone home with him.

For tonight at least, he's a suicide watch.

Lieutenant. You'll back him?

What I mean is, if this thing should turn...

into some kind of a black-white thing,

you're his unit commander...

he can count on you, right?

You all right?

Lo mein.

What a clusterfuck.

- How many years on for Waggoner?

- Six and a half.

Two commendations,

16th on the current sergeants list.

Pretty much the exact opposite

of that goof in there.

You know what's in that guy's jacket?

Motherfucker flaked out,

shot up his own radio car.

They were gonna charge him

with false report until Valchek weighed in.

You know he married

Valchek's daughter, right?

f**king goof had nine lives

behind that s**t.

Eight up, and the rest still to be activated...

whenever the cellular company

gets to our subpoenas.

You did good, detective.

So we're looking for what?

Looking for one of these phones

to give us a signature on our man Bodie.

Calls to his girlfriend, his grandmother.

The numbers we pulled off the burners.

We see that, we know it's his phone.

We know it's his phone,

we know he use it to sell drugs.

We know all that.

Then we get a tap up and pray like hell

he doesn't throw it away anytime soon.

Prez would love this.

I ain't gonna lie to you all.

I don't know about nothing

except the boxing part.

That's all I was thinking.

- Were you a pug?

- Yeah, I was.

But I got sidetracked, though.

Well, Reverend Reid seems to think

you'd be quite a draw...

for some of these corner kids that we got.

They didn't think so downtown?

Well, the fact is you're looking to put

your gym in the Fourth District.

So your councilperson

would be Eunetta Perkins.

Do you know Miss Perkins?

Well, few of us do anymore. Few of us do.

Well, since we can't really

rely on Miss Perkins...

Miss Daniels here will go with you.

She's here because constituent service

is the life of a city councilperson.

- She needs to get a taste of that.

- At least I hope I do.

If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Watkins.

Why are you doing this?

Do you know who Reverend Reid is?

Well, the voters in my district do.

This came today?

Well, now, see, this is fucked up.

Oh, I give you $250,000

to have them tell me my paperwork...

is insufficient enough to certify me

as a developer in the empowerment zone?

- Yeah, yeah, you could call it fucked up.

- Look, I know we touched the right people.

Just let me get with them,

clear this mess right up.

- Get with them.

- Hey, I'm on it, String.

You got the light bulb franchise, right?

That came through. Now...

You talking about $30,000 coming back.

I'm talking about

the $250,000 that you took.

Now, you need to call

Mr. Goose, Mr. Faucet...

whoever the f**k you gotta call because

I gave you money to run, remember that?

It ain't like no drug deal, String.

Hell, man, you don't put your money...

on the street and have it come right back.

It don't work like that.

- Oh, it don't, huh?

- Patience, my man.

Sometimes with the bureaucracy...

the one hand don't know

what the other is all about.

Yeah, well, you know what I see?

I see one hand in my pocket...

while the other hand seem

to have grabbed your d*ck.

f**king Prez.

I don't even feel like working.

- Sanny, baby.

- Welcome to the Western, guys.

That thing with Pryzbylewski?

Jesus Christ. So f**king sad, man.

- So you humping a wagon, huh?

- f**k, yes.

- How's that working out for you?

- Jimmy, I love this f**king gig.

The best thing Rawls ever did for me

was to knock me back to a district.

No stress, no struggle.

I work eight-hour shifts.

I take nothing home with me.

No, really, I couldn't be happier.

All those years knocking my head

against a wall on homicide and for what?

The same f**king pension

with twice the heartburn.

Well, I'm glad you landed

on your feet, Mike.

- Hello.

- You called my office?

- Yeah, I did, several times.

- Really, why?

- Why do you think?

- A sleepover. You wanna get dinner first?

- How about tonight?

- Georgia Brown's down near 15th Street.

That'll work.

You want me to make a reservation?

- No, I can always get a table there.

- All right, whatever.

- Let's shoot for 7.:30.

- I'll see you then.

- Bye.

- Bye.

You in?

- What do you think?

- Nice colors.

- You got a platform?

- Schools.

- Thought I'd be the education mayor.

- Well, good luck, Tony.

- I mean it.

- Thanks, man.

- When do you announce?

- Next month, I think.

You know, get out there early,

start raising money.

In fact, I thought I'd make the rounds

of some people...

before then, you know? Feel them out.

- What, Watkins?

- Hey, he seems to like me.

What, you really think Odell Watkins

is gonna split from the Mayor's camp?

What you could do is, you know,

feel him out on an issue or two.

You go in that way, it's more subtle.

You know, you gotta charm the guy first.

Talk to him about the issues

and then down the road...

see if he's willing to throw

sunshine on your a**.

- I like that. We should do that.

- We?

I was thinking maybe you would ticket

your white a** up with me.

Make a run for council president.

Me at the top of the ticket...

an emerging black leader,

handsome, well-spoken.

You, the great white hope,

the new voice of civic reform.

We could give Royce a run, man.

And what makes you think

I'm interested in council president?

What the hell else you got going?

Think about it.

Look at them.

Like roaches when you turn the lights on.

- What's it look like?

- Head and torso.

- You got two casings over here.

- Hold the call.

So much for the

no-violence-in-Hampsterdam theory, huh?

Herc...

- help them move the body.

- What?

Just up the block, just out of the free zone.

Carv, you lost your f**king mind?

Before the ambo gets here

to pronounce him, we can do it.

- Why?

- Because if homicide gets here...

if they do any kind of canvass...

they're gonna get wind of this s**t

on the sixth floor downtown.

- Good.

- Herc, come on.

No way, man. No way.

f**k those stripes. f**k them.

Hey, Toke, Gil, help me move this guy

out of Hamsterdam.

I'll be first officer at the scene.

It's my responsibility.

Don't forget the casings.

Make sure that you call me.

- I will. Thank you.

- Let me know, okay?

- Take care.

- All right.

Yes!

7-60 to KGA.

Go ahead, 7-60.

Have 700, 10-11 me on Vincent Street,

below Fayette.

10-4, Vincent south of Fayette.

Hey. You say you worked with this guy?

Three shots, no warnings.

He scared of black people or something?

s**t.

- The s**t's gone too far, man.

- Hey, you're telling me.

Yeah, I need the number

to the newspaper, The Sun.

Yeah, the number for the reporters.

The newsroom, yeah.

- So, you ain't gonna say nothing on it?

- What is there to say?

- Avon, this is blood. Family.

- I know it.

And I'm telling you that someone

may have done this to us, Avon.

- To our family.

- The cop's just saying that s**t.

- To mess with your head.

- Exactly.

Why?

That cop don't know me for s**t.

What the hell am I to him?

He know you're gonna

wanna think this thing...

that D, you know,

he wouldn't do what he did.

I do think it!

Was it some beef he had?

Someone on the inside?

That cop said it was someone

who didn't want you to know...

and so they made it look like it did.

Nobody did nothing.

- But the cop said...

- He's lying.

He paid to lie.

Avon, you are my brother.

I need to know this more than anything.

D did not roll on us.

He came to the edge,

but he turned around and walked away.

And I know he was willing to do

what he had to for his family.

For us.

But I need to know that you know that.

That you saw him that way.

What? What you trying to say?

- Lf something happened...

- The f**k are you even thinking?

That I had something to do with it?

I could do that to my own kin?

Is that what you f**king think?

The f**k is in your head?

I ain't do nothing to D.

I ain't had s**t to do with it.

To do with what?

- To do with what?

- Whatever happened.

Whatever it is that happened, Brianna.

You think I don't know my business?

Is that what you think?

Look I understand. I can see

the body was moved from the block.

I can get him to you tomorrow morning.

Just let me see if I can find him.

Look, I'll make good on this.

Take care of this.

What'd he say?

They found a blood trail

going back up the block.

- So maybe...

- Smeared, with drag marks.

And they also found

a third casing at the other end.

s**t.

So what's the deal?

The deal is, we turn this into a dunker

by tomorrow morning...

or he starts typing a report for ISD

and the Deputy Ops.

- f**k me.

- No, f**k me!

Look, you didn't move that body, Sergeant.

Look, you didn't move that body, Sergeant.

I moved the body. You understand?

Look, I respect that you did

what you did on behalf...

of what I'm trying to do down here,

but the responsibility is mine.

Well, so what do we do?

He basically said he wasn't gonna commit

any new resources...

though he has placed it on the agenda...

of the Coordinating Council

on Criminal Justice, for what that's worth.

Poor Clarence. He's looking tired.

So we're looking for help

from the State House.

If the city could get

a couple hundred thousand...

we could afford an overtime detail

to protect these folks.

I know this is an easier sell

with the Mayor involved, but...

- Could you convince him?

- Clarence?

- He barely listens anymore.

- Jesus, tell me about it.

I mean, I been a councilman

for three years now...

that's a long f**king time to be ignored.

I'm saying the rules got broke.

My people kept their promises...

they did what they said

and they were as good as their word.

Y'all, y'all ain't keep up your end of it.

Wasn't my people.

Look, I ain't making

those distinctions right now.

The fact is, somebody brought a gun

up in the free zone and used it.

And both those things

against the promises made.

Now, I can't justify this s**t

if I got dead bodies up in there.

So, what I'm saying is this,

come tomorrow...

if I don't have a shooter in bracelets...

this whole Hamsterdam affair is over,

it's finished.

I'm gonna take my people

back up on the corners...

and we gonna f**k y'all every way we can.

You hear me?

Yeah, it was good while it lasted, huh?

You had cash on the barrel

and you ain't never need no bail money.

And hell, I had clean corners

everywhere I looked.

But all that gonna be gone tomorrow,

unless y'all bring me my shooter.

You think that'll work?

Do you?

That's good food.

- How'd you know about this place?

- It was big when Clinton was in.

This and the Red Sage.

Now it's all steakhouses and cigar bars.

So you live here, but you spend

a lot of time in Baltimore, right?

I have work up there.

And the alumni stuff

with St. Mary's on the Hill.

I went to UM Law,

so I still have connections there, too.

- Actually, I grew up in Homeland.

- Yeah?

Lauraville for me.

- Where'd you go to college?

- Loyola. Only one year.

My girlfriend got pregnant, so...

- So?

- So...

So you became a cop in Baltimore.

- How's that working for you?

- It's pretty good.

You know.

I do a lot of high-end drug stuff. Wiretaps.

Prolonged investigations

of violent offenders, that kind of stuff.

Fact is, there's not a lot

of guys in the department...

who can do that kind of thing.

You know, it takes a certain...

I don't know, you gotta love it.

Thrill of the chase and all that.

- So, you do what in politics?

- I do political campaigns.

- You mean like a campaign manager?

- More of a strategist really.

Not so much the day-to-day stuff...

but the strategy

of how a candidate can win.

A consultant of sorts.

- You strategizing for anyone in Baltimore?

- I shouldn't say.

I mean, he hasn't

officially announced anything yet.

He any good?

Hey, if you're for him,

I'll throw the guy a vote. What the hell.

Who'd you vote for this time?

What?

You mean Bush and what's-his-name?

Kerry.

You didn't vote for president?

I thought about it, yeah, and, you know...

Bush seemed way over his head, I know...

but he wasn't gonna win

in Maryland, anyhow.

Besides, these guys,

it doesn't matter who you got.

None of them has a clue

what's really going on.

I mean, where I'm working every day...

the only way any of these guys

is even gonna find West Baltimore is if...

I dunno, Air Force One

crash-lands into Monroe Street...

on its way back to Andrews.

It just never connects.

Not to what I see, anyway.

Hey, that's just me, though.

The man Colvin say

he want the boy locked up...

or the free zone shuts down tomorrow.

All she wrote for Hamsterdam.

- Colvin?

- From the Western.

- Sham, who is this kid, man?

- Some young boy from Tuckie's crew.

He connected? Kin to anybody?

No, he only been on

for a couple months or so.

What he use the whistle for?

Some nigga in one of Ghost Kane crews

laughed at his shoes.

Do it.

I'll be out in a minute.

No, he needs to put those

in the departmental mail.

Yeah.

What do you need?

- To turn myself in.

- For what?

- I shot a boy.

- Oh, yeah?

Need another bag.

- Mike, where you at?

- Yeah, over here.

Drug war?

Barksdale's coming back

on my boy Marlo, huh?

s**t.

Got it.

Man, I don't know where we at.

We are in Baltimore, Lamar.

Baltimore, Maryland.

That's the second crib of mine

them motherfuckers cracked this week.

Stir up a hornet's nest,

no telling who gonna get stung.

- All paranoid and s**t.

- Gotta be.

They got Latroy.

Hey, what the f**k

is y'all on the streets for, man?

Don't y'all know

there's a f**king war going on, man?

Get the f**k in the truck, man.

What happened to all them towers?

Slow train coming.

Reform, Lamar. Reform.

We should be up on this s**t,

hearing voices.

We get a signature number

on Bodie's phone, we will be.

We got enough PC off the burners alone.

Every time these f**king pen registers

click out a call...

it screams drug conspiracy.

I'm not the one taking the case to court.

Pearlman wants a specific link

to a known drug trafficker.

These drug crews, they're dumping phones

every couple of weeks at best.

So when we do get a wire up,

it's gonna be a limited run.

And dumping phones doesn't meet...

the cellular company's definition

of "exigent circumstance," right?

What's your boss willing to do?

Demper? He's a bit too focused

on next year's re-election fight.

How about the feds?

They say they can't do anything for us.

And if you look at how they use

the Federal Communications Act...

they're not lying.

For national security stuff,

they use the Patriot Act.

Everything else gets shorted.

The fact is,

the industry has all of us by the balls.

Pardon my French, Your Honor.

All right, I'll tell you what.

Best I can do for you is this.

You give me a boilerplate affidavit

with the PC from the court report.

And then, as you get fresh numbers

for the new disposables, you call me...

anytime, day or night, to jump phones.

That helps.

But we're still gonna be

getting up on their phones...

- even as they're coming down.

- Yeah, probably so.

- This is so totally...

- Fucked up.

Judge Phelan has you on his mind.

How long has that been going on?

Started with my first jury trial in his court,

I think.

I bet you won all your motions.

- You wanted to see me, sir?

- Have a seat.

I wanna thank you

for the loyalty you showed...

moving that body.

It wasn't the most sensible thing,

but I appreciate it, nonetheless.

You're a good man, Sergeant.

You got good instincts...

and as far as I can tell,

you're a decent supervisor.

But from where I sit...

you ain't s**t when it come to policing.

Don't take it personal.

Ain't just you, it's all our young police...

whole generation of y'all.

No, you think about it.

You've been here over a year now, Carver.

You got nobody looking out for you,

nobody willing to talk to you.

That about sum it up?

Now, that's a problem.

And I didn't think there was any way

I was ever gonna get my head around it...

but then Dozerman gets shot

for some bulls**t.

And that's when I about reach my limit.

And that's when the idea of the free zone,

of Hamsterdam, come to me...

because this drug thing,

this ain't police work.

No, it ain't.

I mean, I can send any fool with a badge

and a gun up on them corners...

and jack a crew and grab vials.

But policing?

I mean, you call something a war...

and pretty soon everybody gonna be

running around acting like warriors.

They gonna be running around

on a damn crusade...

storming corners,

slapping on cuffs, racking up body counts.

And when you at war,

you need a f**king enemy.

And pretty soon, damn near everybody

on every corner is your f**king enemy.

And soon the neighborhood

that you're supposed to be policing...

that's just occupied territory.

You follow this?

I think so.

Look here,

the point I'm making, Carver, is this.

Soldiering and policing,

they ain't the same thing.

And before we went

and took the wrong turn...

and started up with these war games...

the cop walked a beat,

and he learned that post.

And if there were things that happened

up on that post...

whether they be a rape

or robbery or shooting...

he had people out there helping him,

feeding him information.

But every time I come to you,

my DEU Sergeant...

for information, to find out what's going on

out there in them streets...

all that came back was some bulls**t.

You had your stats, you had your arrests,

you had your seizures.

But don't none of that amount to s**t...

when you talking about

protecting the neighborhood, now, do it?

You know the worst thing

about this so-called drug war...

to my mind...

it just... It ruined this job.

Major.

- What you got?

- Incoming.

A Sun paper reporter.

Been to the free zones, all three of them.

Meet you at the car.

I was thinking,

maybe we rewrite the affidavit...

add some of the stuff

we're getting from the pen registers...

build the case that way, take it to the judge.

You have a law degree?

If you did, it would be your call to make.

Who would pretend to be a lawyer

that wasn't?

I'm just saying,

I think we're being too cautious on this.

We're going the extra mile for Phelan.

A shortcut now could cost us later

in motions hearings.

We drew Phelan on this wiretap?

That two-faced hack sold me out,

the last go-round.

Relax, he's not running for a new term.

He'll be fine.

Yeah, he's a piece of s**t.

We're all pieces of s**t

when we're in your way.

That goes with the territory.

Point taken.

So it's these warehouses,

the old Winchester Homes...

and the dead blocks

down by Vincent Street?

All three.

And they're just supposed

to let it go on like this?

Colvin told us

to push the street dealing in these areas...

and then we would start locking people up.

But so far, not a single f**king arrest.

And they know about this downtown?

I don't think

they have a f**king clue about it.

But I'd love to be there

when you pop the question.

This is just...

Tell me about it.

- Got the place looking good.

- Yeah.

Now all that needs doing

is to go out and get you some kids.

Come on, man.

You making it sound easy...

but, tell you the truth...

I ain't got no idea

how to go at these hoppers.

Oh, I wouldn't lose any sleep over that.

Nobody else does, neither.

We got one.

His grandmother.

- Looking for me?

- Look, boy...

there's no reason

to leave your clothes in the washer.

How many damn times

do I have to tell you?

Dag, Mee-maw.

I'm sorry. I just forgot, okay?

But I did pick up the laundry soap.

I picked it up.

Laundry soap, that's definitely a code.

Now let's listen to an intercept we made

of Bodie Broadus...

when we were up on those payphones

a couple of years back.

Look, I'm telling y'all, I saw the boy.

He saying he ain't got that thing.

- Same voice, no question.

- I'll let the judge know.

Reference the voice comparison

in the court report.

We're up.

Yeah.

Got it right here, yo. Yeah, that's right.

- Major Colvin, Western District.

- Banisky, Sun papers.

So, this your idea?

Got one, get one.

Mind if we walk?

Apocalypse. Apocalypse.

Got that Apocalypse.

Right here, shorty.

You got dealers selling with impunity...

addicts shooting up on the street...

people down here doing outreach,

giving out needles and all.

I mean, who knows about this

down at headquarters?

Look, Command is

well aware of the situation.

While there was some initial concern...

But they feel

that the cases we're gonna bring in...

- Cases?

- Yeah, prosecutions, sure.

Your officers say

no one's being locked up in the free zones.

Look, my troops are only involved

in pushing the trafficking...

to designated areas.

I mean, they're completely ignorant

of the investigative aspect.

That's run out of CID downtown.

Yeah? Who's the lead detective?

Look.

I already said more than I should.

The bottom line is,

you start throwing calls around right now...

they're gonna s**t blue,

thinking there's a leak.

They're gonna come up on the case early,

and we won't get all we can...

out of this good work we did down here.

You're telling me

all this is an enforcement strategy?

What the hell else could it be?

I mean, you think we would

actually let this happen otherwise?

Come on, Banisky.

I mean, look. Look at this mess.

Any other reporter gets on it...

I give it to you,

and you run with it right then. Absolutely.

A week. But then I gotta run something,

no matter what.

- Purple Haze, Purple Haze.

- It's understood.

Right there.

So, brother, what brought you back?

It disturbs me to leave business unfinished.

Heard you was shot

before you even got started down here.

Not like you to get played.

Betrayed, you mean.

I am looking for the man they sent.

From his accent, he's homegrown,

raised on the street.

Skilled, intelligent, late 20s, dark...

but with a scar across his face, like so.

- You down with this nigga?

- I know him.

Not to speak to...

but you can't be anywhere near the game

and not know the motherfucker.

- He with Barksdale?

- He with himself.

Except for

when he running with a young boy or two.

Ten months to the primary, and you

right now should be all about money.

I know, I know. Dialing for dollars.

You start this week, and you don't stop

until you hit your numbers.

We're gonna need $1 million

just for television.

Do you really think this is doable?

The odds aren't great, but, yeah.

I think it can be done...

as long as the thousand things

that can go wrong, don't go wrong.

Even for a white guy?

Even for a white guy.

Speaking of which...

I notice

a certain monochromatic effect here.

One thing we're gonna need

is black faces...

and we're gonna need them

in prominent positions.

You're right.

You gotta start thinking

about endorsement by black leaders.

Ministers, community people,

elected officials.

Here comes the hard part.

Splitting the black vote

is the only way to make the math work.

So, Tony Gray's gotta get in the race.

He's gotta stay in the race,

and he's gotta stay viable in the race.

Guy's kind of a lightweight, ain't he?

- He's a good guy, all in all.

- Great.

He's a good guy, but we need him

to siphon votes from Royce.

I don't know. This thing with Tony...

It's not personal, Tommy. It's politics.

Live with it, or lose.

Yo, yo. That boy with the sharp nose,

he going, you know...

- He going to the Apollo.

- The Apollo?

Yeah. He gonna need two tickets.

Damn. Tweety Bird working that s**t.

Motherfucker, how many times

I gotta tell you not to use no names?

- Oh, yeah, right. So I holler at you?

- Yeah. All right.

- Apollo, like the theater?

- Like 125th Street.

125 grams, one-eighth of a kilo.

Two tickets means "twice that."

- The only new code so far is Hamsterdam.

- Hamsterdam?

We're thinking it might have

something to do with the stash house.

Well, I'm gonna hook up with Kima,

catch the Tweety Bird meet.

You're happy with what we're getting?

Another week of calls like this...

and we'll have their network fleshed out

and plenty more phones to go up on.

I need a moment with the detectives.

Sure.

IID picked up Prez's shooting.

It's to be expected.

The racial thing alone is tense enough

that they gotta react.

No luck at all to that boy, huh?

For the supervisor's report...

I need to ask

if either of you had any indication...

that Prez harbored racial prejudices.

Well, he harbored some weird s**t,

no doubt, but I never got a racial vibe.

Lieutenant, you seriously asking?

Not to start no s**t, but you think

Waggoner gets shot if he's white?

- Description called for a number one male.

- I'm just saying.

The good Lord set Sunday morning aside

for churchgoing.

Even Kenny Bird and Peanut,

when they was warring...

had the good sense to respect the truce.

You know them Barksdales sent a hat?

A church crown?

Walked up, rang the bell,

and set it down on the porch.

'Cause they ashamed.

Is Miss Josephine mending?

She bruised up still,

but she all right, though.

But you ain't.

Not until I settle this for good.

Hey, yo, Butch, I want you

to go inside my bank and spread the word.

Omar paying cash money

to get at them people, you feel me?

Hey, save your money.

- Come on now, Butchie, I got to do this, yo.

- I'm saying you ain't got to pay.

Thomkins, up on McCulloh.

What, the funeral home?

You mean to tell me all this time

you had a scope on them clowns...

- and you ain't let loose a mumbling word.

- Caught myself looking out for you.

Fact of the matter is, your chances

of going up against that mob...

and coming back

is as slim as a garter snake.

I can't help that now, Butch.

What the f**k? Where's my people?

Slim Charles pulled them.

Hired new muscle.

Slim Charles? When the f**k did he...

How's the count?

Down bad for the third straight week.

And the shelf-life of the s**t we got,

it ain't gonna last, String.

I know. Slim said

they're to stick to you for protection.

- Give it here. Give it here.

- Nice shot.

Dribble it back out. Dribble it back out.

Get your dribble on.

f**king hack.

Yo, yo, easy, easy.

Y'all just hacking my man up.

Foul machine.

Nice drive.

Kind of unschooled, ain't they?

What the f**k you cherry-picking for?

That observation meant

as just a casual curbside, "f**k you"...

or are you looking to step up,

maybe help out here?

I'm gonna give it a try.

I'm looking

to get some kids interested in boxing.

Boxing?

Look here. This is my time-out corner.

Where I send children

who can't play nice together.

Listen up.

This man's starting a boxing program.

And from the looks of some of y'all,

signing on might be a good thing.

You gonna need it.

The only thing he know how to do

with his fist is wrap it around his c**k.

f**k you, man! Gonna kick your a**!

Come on, motherfucker, you ain't s**t.

Ease up. Sit down, sit down. Sit down.

Come on, man. Sit down, man. Sit down.

My man, you dropping your right.

See, if young'un there was trained,

he'd whip you.

Look like he the one that got beat.

Stand up, let me show you something.

Come on, man. I ain't gonna hurt you.

Yellow tops, yellow tops,

got them yellow tops. Yellow tops.

See that?

All right, sit down.

Look, if y'all wanna learn more...

I got a gym down on Gilmor

in the old tire plant.

Y'all are all welcome. All right?

I saw Tweety Bird parked up there.

All we gotta do is wait for the re-up.

I hope these f**ks don't d*ck around

and make us sit here all day.

What, this is eating at you?

No, I'm good.

Yeah, I can see that.

Remember that woman I was talking about?

Politician woman? How's it going?

It ain't. Turned to s**t.

Feel like I don't even belong

to any world that even f**king matters.

'Cause you're a cop?

Nah, it's not just that.

It's like, I went to meet her once.

She was in a hotel room, the top floor.

I punched the button on the elevator.

It doesn't even go there, 'cause you have

to have some f**king special key...

to even get to that special f**king floor.

So I go to the front desk,

some sneering f**k calls upstairs...

to give me permission to go get laid.

I listen to the s**t she talks about...

first time in my life,

I feel like a f**king doormat.

Like anyone with any smarts would do

something else with his life, you know?

Earn money or get elected.

Like I'm just a breathing machine

for my f**king d*ck.

I'm serious.

I'm the smartest a**hole in three districts...

and she looks at me

like I'm some stupid f**k...

playing some stupid game

for stupid penny-ante stakes.

She f**king looks through me, Kima.

Yo, stay in the car, man.

Tall man said to stick to you like...

Tall man gonna be there

when I stomp on your f**king head?

Stay in the car.

Yo, make it short, man,

I got a meet to make.

Oh, f**k the meet!

You harder to get at

than my fat wife's cu*t, nigga.

Yeah, you high-and-mighty Barksdales

can afford to sit back and play low-key.

But some of us gotta work

for a goddamn living.

What, you think

this mess ain't f**king up our business?

That means Avon's willing to sit down

and talk with Marlo, work this s**t out?

Well, if that don't happen, String,

I got you some bad news.

Me and the boys had us a sit-down.

Got a quorum and took a vote that says...

if y'all don't quit this war,

we have a mind to shut you out.

And when I say out, String,

I mean out the package.

The boys don't wanna

extend the good s**t...

if it's gonna keep you and your peoples

out on them corners, banging.

What about the boy? What the f**k he say?

Vinson say Marlo willing to talk

if he can keep his corners.

Now hear me on this, String,

we ain't no ingrates.

We all recognize your contribute

to the co-op.

But the feeling is this.

It ain't right for you to be at the head of

our table when you can't call off your dog.

Call it a crisis of leadership.

You're gonna tell them?

Got to.

Between the health-care workers, the

reporter, and my own pissed-off troops...

it's gonna come out.

Either tomorrow or the next day.

We should make a few arrests,

make it look tactical.

Nah. You know what happens if we start

locking people up in Hamsterdam?

The whole rest of the district goes back

to being a shithole.

Nah. If Rawls is gonna hand me my a**...

at least give me a chance

to tell the man my story first.

Devonne.

What was that?

It needed doing.

Somebody just got shot!

What you want I should give the snitch

that clued us to the Denali.

I mean, we didn't get Marlo, but still...

No, he kept his end up. Go it all.

Avon, I need a word, man.

Let me holler at you.

Get them niggas out of here, man.

Check it out, String.

This s**t got the kill range of, like,

50 meters.

Slim got this from some soldier

coming back from wherever.

You know, I spoke to Prop Joe's people.

- They think we can work this out.

- A sit-down?

It's the perfect time for it, man. I mean...

you done represented yourself, man.

Your name ringing out...

now that you done taken Marlo

down a notch or two, man.

So why not quit while we's ahead?

Just let me get this thing right, man.

Then, you know,

we get back to business as usual.

They gonna cut us out, Avon!

Prop Joe and them niggas, man,

they took a vote.

They gonna cut us out.

We ain't gonna have that dope,

so even if we win, we lose...

'cause we ain't gonna have no product

to put on them f**king corners, B.

Avon, look at you.

f**king shooting dope

without a f**king needle right now, man...

getting high on a power trip,

playing f**king soldier.

Yo, you gotta sit back, man,

and think about our business.

What the f**k you want?

That motherfucker. He good.

What happened?

You know, Avon, you gotta think about

what we got in this game for, man.

Was it the rep?

Was it so our names could ring out on

some f**king ghetto street corners, man?

Nah, man,

there's games beyond the f**king game.

Avon, look, you and me, we brothers, B.

We didn't think we'll make it this f**king

far, but f**k if we ain't standing here...

right now, with the whole world at our feet.

The whole world, man,

not these f**king corners.

The whole world, B.

You know what Slim just told me?

Devonne come up dead.

She was shot,

one in the mouth, one in each tit.

You still wanna talk truce, String?

You right when you say

I need to learn more discipline.

But this? You could do this better.

You're the perfect bait, Lamar.

They'll see you as conflicted.

Your homophobia is so visceral.

You see that?

I ain't even stepped inside the joint yet,

and you calling me a c**ksucker already.

You in the right place?

I'm looking for someone named Omar.

No last name. Scar across his face and s**t.

Scarface named Omar?

Sounds different, but I can't help you.

You drinking?

Maybe you wait four years.

No. It has to be now.

It's gotta be a three-way,

and Tony's gonna go this time.

I'm just...

Tony's my oldest friend on the Council.

Well, couldn't you go talk to him first?

Put it on the table?

You know, "May the best man win"?

Truth is...

he can't win alone against Royce, either.

He's got the bumper stickers,

but not much else.

Wants to run on education.

I mean...

where do you go with that?

If I level with Tony and he gets out,

then I can't win.

I need him in the race.

I feel like s**t. I really do.

Don't look like much.

- This don't look like s**t.

- Hell, yeah.

- This some weak-a** s**t right here.

- Hell, yeah.

Man, we got lockers, got gear.

- It's all peeling and s**t.

- Go long.

Hey, hey, hey, pass it here.

- You getting me all dirty and s**t.

- Hey, f**k your jeans.

- f**k you.

- b*tch.

We clocked the meet with Tweety Bird,

stayed on him overnight...

tracked him to a possible stash house...

and then home to nest in Woodlawn.

Got photos, his tags...

- What happened?

- They ditched their phones.

The DNRs and the wire all died around 3:00.

We were online just shy of 30 hours.

I thought we had them on their burners

for a couple of weeks.

Not anymore. It's a week at best.

We just spent $9,000 and change

for 18 intercepts...

five of them non-pertinent.

That's close to $700 per drug call.

Until we see which way this goes...

shouldn't we get back

on Bernard and his girl?

I mean,

get a line on the new phones at least.

But that'll only give us

what we just had, 30 hours.

Any way to get ourselves

ahead of the curve?

If there were some way

to pre-wiretap the burners...

And what then?

Stick them on a rack at Baba-whatever

and wait for Bernard to show up that day?

The problem is the wireless people.

They claim it takes a minimum of four days

to process a court order...

and that's only after I had my office

threaten to go public on them.

Four days to hit a couple of keystrokes.

bulls**t.

Well, what if...

No way.

I know what you're thinking.

I just thought the same f**king thing.

All right, look, man.

When I tell you, put your left foot out, boy.

- Hey, Unc patting my man's feet.

- Yeah, he smelling up my a**, too.

Stop with the damn clowning, man.

How the f**k you gonna learn something,

acting like a damn fool?

Yeah. Ain't no big mystery

why your face got tattooed.

s**t, that man can't talk to you like that.

I seen his raggedy a** up at the spot,

copping vials.

Yeah, probably pimps his a**, too.

- Listen, motherfucker...

- Yeah, b*tch, touch me.

Touch a juvenile, see what happen.

Let's bounce. b*tch-a** motherfucker.

Faggot.

- Punk-a** nigga.

- Chump a**.

Lester.

First time I seen him smoking.

Tough habit.

And pacing like a motherfuck, too.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Bay Wireless Connect 411.

What city and state?

Baltimore, Maryland.

- How may I help you?

- Baltimore police.

- Any particular department?

- Western District police.

- Is this an emergency?

- No. Non-emergency.

Man, they did you with the bum rush.

That's what they do.

They past experts at plucking nerves.

You just gotta remember

they barely housebroke.

I'm telling you, man,

you wouldn't believe it.

They was all wild and s**t. Wouldn't listen.

Andre, I want you to crowd him.

- Yes, sir, I'll crowd him.

- All right.

Time!

You just gotta set your mind

to stick with it.

When those two stumbled in here,

they was wild as wild.

Now they come in every day.

"Yes, sir. No, sir."

Still pretty rough but, you know,

with the right breaks, they gonna make it.

How?

Well, try as they might, I won't let them fail.

When you do that,

it messes with their mind.

Pretty soon,

they run out of their little bag of tricks.

What do you think of that?

Pretty weak.

He ain't weak. That's the starting point.

Nah, nah, I can't put a name on him.

But I seen him around.

He's off the West Side.

He ain't no drug dealer,

unless he's doing it on the q.t.

You can't go at him, game him?

I don't know, Kima.

I mean, it'd be pressing.

What about her?

Little Squeak off of Lanvale.

Yeah, she used to boost

for Turtle Wells' old mob.

She's lost a little bit of weight, too. I mean,

looking a lot better than I remember.

And I remember a lot about that girl.

Damn, Bubs, is there anybody

West Side you don't know?

Just citizens and s**t.

My CI knows the girl.

- He can work her?

- He's smooth, yeah.

Check this.

That's Western District.

- What, Stringer's calling the Western?

- Maybe he's surrendering.

After all the work we've done,

I'd never forgive the son of a b*tch.

Go down. Go down and out.

Oh, sweet! Look at the hands!

What's up? My knuckleheads didn't post?

Yeah, they did, but they left.

Over here!

Looking for a discount, old man?

Nah, but I'm looking for you.

Why, something come up missing?

Came past to apologize.

I'm new at this coaching thing

and got us off on the wrong foot.

I ain't gonna leave it between us,

with you thinking I gave up on y'all.

Motherfucker's memory weak as s**t.

We the one bailed out on him.

Anyway, I'm here now.

Let me understand.

You wanna sell drug traffickers

a series of cell phones...

that are pre-approved

for telephonic intercepts.

And you want me to sign off

on court-ordered taps...

on a bunch of phones that,

at the time I'm signing the order...

have not been used

for any illegal activity whatsoever.

If you're looking for precedents,

Your Honor, there aren't any.

It's circumstantial PC at best.

What the hell, let's do it.

Let the Court of Appeals sort it out,

if it even gets that far.

Quite the legal mind.

Buy you a drink?

- Why the f**k you coming up behind me?

- I'm sorry.

Bushy top.

He called.

I didn't know if I'd find you here so late.

Just getting ready for COMSTAT tomorrow.

So what's up, Major?

So your unit is still working a drug war,

right?

Working it hard.

Does the name Avon Barksdale

do anything for you?

- He's a player?

- He's the main guy.

We thought he was down,

but he popped up in September.

You add him to the equation, it goes

a long way to explaining the violence.

So it wouldn't be a stretch if he got shot?

You heard he got shot?

You know when or where?

I could run it out quick.

Nah, ain't gonna make no difference.

He didn't post up at any emergency room...

from what I hear.

Major, I'm gonna be straight with you.

We're running wires into his people.

But we're barely above the street.

So far,

we haven't even put an eyeball on him.

Supposed to be laying his head there.

I need you to check that out,

get back to me as soon as you can.

You got a CI, huh?

You wanna see

if your man's creds are bona fide.

Don't try to play me, bushy top.

I didn't say male. I didn't say female.

All right.

I'll get surveillance going right away.

According to my source,

Barksdale's name is on the paperwork.

No s**t.

Now, you get me a confirmation on that

and call me back on the cell.

- Good luck tomorrow.

- Yeah, right.

Sham.

Shamrock.

Run these over to Levy for me.

Tell him I want a read on it.

A read?

Fresh eyes. Tell him I'll call him tomorrow.

All right.

Come on, Mr. Bodyguard.

And so we're gonna come at her like that.

So you're gonna give me

these phones to sell?

The money comes back, Bubs.

All of it?

- Is that Beadie Russell?

- Looks like.

Whoa, yo, you can't turn from this lane!

Sweet Beatrice Russell.

I was just gonna say hey.

North and Pulaski.

That photo was taken at 4:00 p.m.,

prime time for the street-level dealer.

That is Riggs and Calhoun.

Mount and Fayette.

Edmondson and Brice.

That's your old foot post, Deputy.

I know where it is, Major.

What I don't know

and very much want to know is...

where is the West Baltimore drug trade?

I hope, Major, these are not staged

photographs you're showing us.

No, sir, they are not.

No, Deputy, I found another approach.

I'm all ears, Bunny.

- I moved them off the corners.

- God damn it!

Don't be coy with me, Major. I can see that.

What I want to know is

how the f**k you managed to move them...

and where the f**k they are now.

Deputy...

I don't know quite how to put this,

but we...

I mean, I...

I began by identifying

those areas of my district...

where drug trafficking was least harmful.

I proceeded to push

all street-level dealing towards those areas.

Now, at first...

dealing with the juveniles on them corners,

I had little success.

But ultimately...

by rounding up

all the mid-level dealers in my district...

and making them

an offer they couldn't refuse...

- I was able to...

- You made them an offer?

Yes, sir.

Either they move their people

to one of three designated areas...

where drug enforcement

was not a district priority...

or they face the wrath

of every able-bodied soul in my district.

Major, I don't understand.

The only time we can hold a drug corner

is when we assign officers to stand there.

Your slides don't suggest

any concerted deployment on any corners.

How were you able to...

Jesus Christ, you nit,

don't you see what he's done?

He's legalized drugs!

Actually, I elected to ignore them.

You lost your f**king mind.

He's lost his f**king mind.

You, in my office. Now!

Okay.

That's it, gentlemen.

- She's a go.

- Showtime, Bubs.

Oh, s**t.

- Sister Squeak.

- Bottom-end Bubbles.

Where you been, girl? Been a long time.

T-shirts?

- What the hell kind of money is in T-shirts?

- Girl, you just don't know.

But how's your game?

I heard you was locked up.

s**t, I been on paper for a year.

I got some things going.

- Yeah, I can see that. Looking all good...

- How's he doing?

- Talk a cat off a fish cart.

- All right, Bubs, I gotta get.

I'll see you later on.

Yo, Squeak, Squeak! I about forgot.

I can sell you one of these real cheap,

if you got use for the s**t.

I'm f**king dead.

You mean, we're f**king dead.

We're all dead behind this s**t.

Jesus Christ.

You know, what I did,

I did knowingly and on my own.

I mean,

my men had nothing to do with this.

They thought

it was part of some elaborate trap.

So if you need me to fall on that sword,

I'm good with that.

You're good with it?

Hey, you know I got my vacation time,

and that's 30 in a couple of months.

So if you need me to fall, I'm ready.

But don't let me hear that you're taking

any punitive action against my people.

Because I can get on the soapbox,

and I can lie as good as the next man...

if I have to.

Are you threatening me?

I believe I am, sir.

My apologies.

Bunny, you c**ksucker,

I gotta give it to you! A brilliant idea!

Insane and illegal,

but stone-f**king brilliant, nonetheless.

After all my putting my foot

up people's asses...

to decrease the numbers,

he comes in and in one stroke...

gets a f**king 14% decrease.

f**king shame it's gonna end our careers,

but still...

Look, y'all probably

tired of hearing from me, but...

I brought these letters...

I brought these letters...

from community associations,

ministers, business people, citizens.

And they're all positive.

They're all happy

that the dealers are off the corners.

You think that's gonna save our asses,

do you?

No, I guess not,

but that and my badge is all I got.

I might have your badge, Major,

but not today.

I don't wanna draw any attention

to this s**t...

before we're ready to speak to it.

So if you have any vacation time,

you're taking it now.

Do not report for a shift until notified.

One more thing, sir.

A Sun reporter is aware of my deployment.

I told him an investigation was pending.

He promised to delay the article.

How long?

About a week, tops.

I was with Superstroke on the pool circuit

in the early days...

but mostly it was

pickpocketing and short cons.

I did the long-distance access card heist

before cell phones got popular.

You crypt numbers?

Yeah, I favored the airports, yeah.

- Can you still read numbers?

- Whoa, whoa, what's up with this?

Your man think

I brought him bad merchandise?

'Cause if that what he think,

we can just beat feet right now.

Damn, Bernard, why you acting all CIA

and s**t? We trying to make money here.

If you had to answer to the people I do...

your a** would be damn more sight

cautious, too, that's all I'm saying.

I appreciate caution,

'cause I'm hanging out here, too.

Give it a go. Use a cell phone.

Marlene, you send that copy off to Paris?

Thank you, darling.

That will work.

I'm at the airport. The shuttle, yes.

3-1-0...

4-4-8-16...

91-7-7-8...

3-1-2.

Now, that last number might be a seven.

I'm not too sure

with these small keypads and all.

We can do business.

That's it. One-two, one-two, one-two.

One-two, that's it. One-two, there you go.

All right, there it is. Now you getting it.

Keep that left hand up.

All right. Watch your balance now.

Don't lean forward.

Don't lean too much.

Don't lean too forward, all right?

All right, let's go.

Don't lean too forward, that's right.

One-two, pivot.

You're kidding. Tell me he's kidding.

You're kidding, right?

- He did it without our knowledge.

- Without your knowledge.

Well, that's worse.

You're the Commissioner.

Was the Commissioner.

You think the buck's gonna stop

in this office, you're wrong.

If I might...

these are letters from people in his district.

Ministers, business people, voters.

All glowing reports.

And there's the 14% reduction in crime

in the Western.

That's not an anomaly. It's hard data.

Now, we can clean it up, make it go away.

The press might already have wind of it,

but we can explain that...

as some sort of a new initiative.

Trap high-end drug dealers.

14%.

If we handle this right,

we might all get out from underneath.

No mud on anybody.

No. No.

I trusted you, Erv, I really did.

You let me down.

Now, this thing goes wrong,

no telling the damage.

On this, you walk point.

That's the way things work, Erv.

You know it as well as I do.

Thank you, Ervin.

I'll be over shortly...

to see the detailed plan on

how this s**t gets cleaned up immediately.

If you could call this s**t

something other than what it is...

Don't even think it.

The way it works is this.

If you don't re-up the minutes

on your cell phone before 60 days...

the wireless company recycles

the phone numbers.

And that's where I get them.

I put the word out on the street

that I'm buying tossed-off burners...

paying $2 a pop.

Street people bring me hundreds.

I bring them in here to my niece,

she jiggles the computer...

juices them up another 200 minutes

on a bogus account.

And that automatically extends

the life of the phone for another 60 days.

She charges me $20 on each phone

on her end.

I double it or more on the street

to make mine.

So what you saying?

Baby, a standard Tracfone with 200,

maybe 400 minutes on it...

gonna run you $150, $200 easy.

I charge you an even $100.

You clear $50 on each phone.

That's if you can back them up

with receipts.

I gotta show receipts looking like

they from different places, or I can't play.

Can we accommodate the good man?

Damn, Calvin,

you know I got the bingo tonight.

Look, friend,

I ain't sure you wanna be around here...

and I'm damn sure we're getting

tired of having you. That plain enough?

You should know by now, I don't wanna be

around no bunch of cocksucking faggots.

But I ain't gonna stop coming round

till I run up on Omar.

You might want to get the word out.

For the last time, I don't know him.

Then I'm back tomorrow.

Maybe I can help you?

I don't doubt it for a minute.

That's far enough.

Drop your laundry and turn slowly.

So you gonna rob me now?

I need to remind you who I am?

Omar, isn't it?

Pull it slowly. Then toss it.

Oh, I will move slow.

I ain't tossing nothing, Bow Tie.

So whatever you gonna do, you might

as well go ahead and make it quick.

- I knew you'd come back.

- I trust you didn't lose sleep over it.

Worrying about you would be like

wondering if the sun gonna come up.

I ain't about to wild out over it.

- What I want to know is how you found me.

- Your boy, he didn't give you up easy.

Ain't no sugar-water

run through them veins.

- You kill him?

- He's resting.

- I see you favor a .45.

- Tonight I do.

And I keeps one in the chamber,

in case you pondering.

Nice showpiece you got there.

Walther PPK .380, double action.

- Hear them Walthers like to jump some.

- As will you, with one in your elbow.

That gun ain't got enough firepower

to make my joint useless.

It definitely won't stop me

from emptying out half my mag.

- You might not hit me.

- This range? And this caliber?

- Even if I miss, I can't miss.

- I admire a man with confidence.

I don't see no sweat

on your brow neither, bro.

- I suppose we could stand here all night.

- Suppose we could.

Or settle this once and forever.

I want to ask you something, brother.

Omar listening.

- I'm going to the West.

- All right.

- Peace out.

- All right.

Here we go.

- Yo. I need some face time with the man.

- Hold on, I'll holler back at you, man.

That'd be Shamrock.

Assuming Stringer Bell is the man,

now we wait for the return call.

This is beautiful.

Lester, can you actually believe

we f**king sold the wiretaps...

to the targets.

For a week at least.

Maybe we ducked a bullet.

Maybe we clean this mess quietly...

throw some horseshit

at whatever reporter shows up...

and the Mayor forgives and forgets.

We're ready to move on this, right?

As soon as we get the word,

we shut down all three zones...

toss everyone into wagons.

There'll be nothing left of it

before midnight shift.

So what the f**k are we waiting on

for a day and half?

Why isn't the Hall calling us?

- Mayor's Office.

- Commissioner Burrell for Mayor Royce.

- I've heard enough.

- Hold on, Coleman.

Come on, let the man talk, huh?

Excuse me, Mayor.

I have Commissioner Burrell on the line.

- He says it's urgent.

- I'll bet it is.

He wants to move, Clarence.

He wants to clean this s**t up

yesterday, and so do we.

Tell him to hold. Go ahead, Gene.

Look, I'm not a politician, I'm an academic.

All I know is that

from a public health perspective...

there are remarkable things

happening in the free zones.

Needle exchanges, on-site blood testing,

condom distribution.

Most of all, we're interacting

with an at-risk community...

that is largely elusive.

I mean, we're even talking

some of these people into drug treatment.

And that's just what UM and Bon Secours

have brought to the table.

If this thing were sanctioned...

my department

could put public resources into play.

- You people can't see the forest here.

- Odell?

When the story breaks,

the ministers will surely be against you.

And most of the City Council

will be walking sideways...

away from your administration.

And my guess is

the Governor and the Legislature...

will use this opportunity

to piss on the city from a great height.

And Washington?

Can you imagine how far

the United States Department of Justice...

is gonna crawl up your a** behind this?

Crime is down, Odell.

Medical people

are telling me this could work.

I mean, a 14% decline in felonies citywide...

I might be untouchable on this.

Now, look, we need to think.

See if we can keep this thing going

without calling it what it really is, huh?

- Jesus.

- Now, there's got to be a way.

I want you to talk this thing out.

Hey, Erv, thanks for holding.

Yes, but...

Yes, I understand.

Then I'll wait to hear from you.

We're to hold off

on any action in Hamsterdam.

No arrests,

no movement until further notice.

He says he wants to regroup.

Determine the most effective

course of action.

Translate that for me, will you, Erv?

I don't speak his fucked-up lingo.

Royce is figuring a way to put

all of us in the guillotine...

and keep the blood from

spraying anywhere near the Hall.

s**t, I'll be goddamned

if I'm gonna go out like that.

Bent over in public.

I can spin the story

just as well as that motherfucker.

- You're gonna go to the press?

- Not me.

But I know a slick little bastard...

who will happily

put His Honor's s**t in the street.

Something funny about that?

'Cause I look in the paper...

and I see all these Federal grants

coming down, but nothing for B&B.

- You're expecting what?

- Payout.

A big payout for what we put in, man.

Federal dollars

on them Howard Street rehabs.

You gave money up front?

- $250,000, yep.

- To Clay Davis.

How you know?

What you saying? He's running game?

- No, hell, no, he ain't that brazen.

- Let me guess.

He's told you about the faucet.

Or was it the goose

that laid the golden egg?

You ever actually meet the man?

Did you ever actually see any of your cash

reach anyone in authority?

Yeah, I met the guy at the Federal Building.

Yeah, I met him.

Yeah? What office?

He came down to the lobby.

He rainmade you.

A guy says if you pay him,

he can make it rain.

You pay him.

If and when it rains, he takes the credit.

If and when it doesn't,

he finds reasons for you to pay him more.

- Clay Davis rainmade you.

- No, man...

he got them building permits

in no time at all, man.

I mean, we bribing these motherfuckers.

He got the city contractor's money back.

- How much?

- $35,000 so far.

- On the $250,000 you gave him?

- It's for bribing the motherfuckers.

There are no bribes!

You really think a State Senator

is going to risk his salary...

and his position

by walking into a Federal office...

with a briefcase full of drug money?

I seen Chunky, Chunky Coates.

Chunky Coates gets his grant money

same way everyone does.

He fills out applications,

he makes sure the plans meet spec...

then he prays like hell.

This is an old game in this town,

and Clay Davis?

That ganef was born

with his hand in someone's pocket.

I just wish you'd run it by me sooner.

Now here's Shamrock

returning Bodie's call.

Talk light.

Yo, the man said he'd see you

same time as always.

- You know the spot.

- During the first call...

Sydnor had eyes on Shamrock

over in West Baltimore.

All right? Now look at this.

At the time, Stringer Bell

was at the print shop.

So it couldn't be a face-to-face meet.

We didn't catch a call

between Stringer and Shamrock.

How can that be?

Stringer's phone isn't on the same network

as everyone below him.

- Right you are, ma'am.

- Bell's not using Bernard's burners.

And Shamrock has a separate phone

for calling Bell.

We can't hear those calls

because the system's compartmentalized.

They're some tricky motherfuckers.

A week or so up on Bernard's phones

and we'll have everybody...

up to and including Shamrock,

tangled up in conspiracy counts.

But Bell or Barksdale?

Not unless we can

pluck their cell numbers out of the air.

- Where you headed?

- Toy store.

- He legalized drugs in special zones?

- It's more than that.

Major Colvin

lost the necessary perspective...

that is required for command.

Now, we were all under pressure

to reduce crime before year-end...

and he responded poorly to that pressure.

Pressure by who? Mayor?

I'm just explaining to you...

that the pressure

was applied all down the line...

from Headquarters

to the District Commanders...

to the shift and sector supervisors.

So Colvin's 14% decline was bulls**t.

And they're selling drugs

with police permission in Western?

The Department

is ready to shut that mess down...

with mass arrests.

- I'm on top of it.

- Why don't you move?

The Mayor says wait.

Why?

I think he's gonna make

some kind of show.

Spin it so that I take the weight

for something...

that has nothing to do with me,

and everything to do...

with the pressure that my Commanders

were getting from City Hall.

Going public and putting the responsibility

for this back at City Hall...

is the only move I have left, right?

I mean, I spin Royce before he spins me.

- And you want me to...

- No, no, not you.

Your pal, Tony Gray.

If he's gonna take a run at Royce,

he's gonna need ammunition, right?

I don't have a relationship with Gray.

I do have one with you.

And, Councilman, you owe me.

- What's up, hotshot?

- I got a technical question.

Remember those analog units...

we used to use

to pull cell numbers out of the air?

- CF-something-something.

- Yeah, cell frequency identification device.

- The Triggerfish, yeah.

- That one. It could flag a number.

Right. With the old analog machines,

we used to have to follow the guy around...

stay close while he used the phone.

New digitals?

Bing, you just pull the number

right off the cell tower.

So, you got any down out at Woodlawn

that Daddy can borrow?

- What about yours?

- What?

City has three of them, I remember right.

Homeland Security grant sent them to you,

every big county department in the state.

No f**king way.

Thanks.

- I doubted you, Tommy.

- I told you it was big.

If we play it right.

He wants me to turn the information

over to Tony Gray...

let him use it.

He figures if Tony's gonna be running

against the Mayor...

he'll take aim at Royce

and not the Department.

You may want to bring Tony in on it,

keep him viable against the Mayor.

But right now, you need to find out

what this is all about.

- Firsthand. Do you know this Major Colvin?

- To shake hands, maybe.

If Burrell's painting him the villain...

Colvin might be anxious

to tell someone his side of the story.

McNulty, Major Crimes.

Sullivan, minor irritations.

You got anything back there

that's like the old CFID, but digital?

For catching cell numbers?

- Catching who?

- You know, a Triggerfish machine.

Triggerfish. For cell numbers.

How about I look around there on my own?

Yes, this is Councilman Carcetti

over at the Hall.

- I'm trying to reach Major Colvin.

- I'm sorry, but he's on vacation.

I'm aware of that...

but I'm trying to reach him

on municipal business.

Well, I can put you

through to his voicemail.

No, not his voicemail.

- I said I have to reach him immediately.

- Immediately?

- Right.

- How about his cell phone?

- His cell? Yeah, that would be fine.

- All right.

All right, that's enough.

Yeah, I know, it hurts.

But your fists

gonna be like rocks after awhile.

Justin, come here.

All right.

I want you to push me in my chest.

You ain't got to do it hard.

- That's how you were standing.

- You ain't had no weight on your back foot.

That's right. No center of gravity.

Plus, if you get your stance right...

then you got the means

to put your hip into the punch.

Right?

- That's where your power'll come from.

- Yeah, but what happen when we get hit?

- Say what?

- We get hit, even with this pad...

you gonna get trucked.

- All this stuff falling apart.

- Yeah, the heavy bag, too.

Yeah, where you get this stuff at?

The town of Bedrock?

No, he say, "Nobody."

So you gonna have to wait right here.

What you mean, "Wait right here?"

You know who I am, boy?

Man say he want to see Avon.

Making me wait to see my own partner.

- He new, String.

- f**k that.

Lot of new faces round here, man.

Way too many, you ask me.

Get the f**k out of here.

- Where Avon at?

- He'll be along shortly.

That's good,

'cause I came to see you, anyway.

What you need?

I need you to hit somebody.

- Who we hitting?

- Clay Davis.

The Clay Davis?

Downtown Clay Davis?

Is that suppose to mean

something to me, man?

- That nigga need to be got.

- s**t, String, murder ain't no thing.

But this here is some assassination s**t...

I tell you you getting somebody,

you getting him.

- I ain't asking.

- Damn, String, I don't know...

Nigga, I got to remind you

who the f**k you work for?

Hey, yo.

I think Slim gonna have

to sit this one out, boss.

So you finna

go hit a State Senator now, huh?

Yo, you kill a downtown nigga like that...

the whole world

gonna stand up and take notice.

I'm talking about the State Police...

Federals, all of that.

You need a Day of the Jackal type

motherfucker, basically...

to do some s**t like that...

- not a rough-and-tumble nigga like Slim.

- That nigga took our money, man.

I seen it coming.

- Well, he got to go.

- No, you a f**king businessman.

You wanna handle it like that.

You don't wanna get all gangster wild

with it and s**t, right?

What I tell you about playing

them f**king away games?

Yeah.

They saw your ghetto a**

coming from miles away, nigga.

You got a f**king beef with them?

That s**t is on you.

So, we aim this at the nearest cell tower...

the one that would be

the conduit for calls...

coming to and from our boy, Bell...

and we let rip.

f**king hell.

Looks like Baltimore White Pages

without any names.

But the pattern tracer'll pull that down.

You know, if we know

the approximate time of Bell's call...

we could start just by pulling calls

off that tower at that time.

That could be thousands.

Yeah, that's the base line,

but we get a second hit...

and that list comes down to dozens.

- And after a third or fourth...

- Then we've got his number.

I can't believe that this was

just sitting over at ISD, gathering dust.

We're going to be on these motherfuckers

for real now, Lester.

Well, they don't know

about this technology yet.

For once they can't change and adjust.

It's genius.

Need something?

- Yeah, how much you make, man?

- What?

On them tees? How much you make?

Fair profit. No more than that.

You should

probably sell sweats with hoodies.

Since the season's changing and all.

Where you live at?

Yellow tops, yellow tops,

got them yellow tops.

- Bodie Broadus.

- The man with the hands.

I heard you was opening up a gym

or something.

Yeah, trying to.

- I'm looking to get up with Avon.

- Thought you was out.

Hey, man, that's why I came to you.

I mean, I feel like the way we left it,

I can't just roll up on the man, you know?

Hey, yo, it's me.

Yo, I got that hitter here with me.

Yeah, the soldier that walked in and out.

Yeah, he want to see the top man.

You slam s**t like that,

you gonna fall out one day.

I'm good.

I'm trying to school you, boy,

and you just don't wanna know.

I'm cool. I'm good.

Whitey sale, whitey sale.

One for three, three for five.

Whitey sale, whitey sale.

Whitey sale, whitey sale, whitey sale, here.

One for three, three for five.

Whitey sale, whitey sale.

Whitey sale, whitey sale!

All right, so what

you want me to tell the man?

Yo, I'll give word up, then I'll hit you back.

- Shamrock.

- 4:40 p.m.

- B&B Enterprises.

- We need to have lunch.

All right, hold on. I'll call you back.

- Yo.

- Hey, it's me.

What's good?

Yeah, it's me.

Yo, tell the hitter,

tell him the tall man will pick him up.

- Right.

- 4:47.

Seven-minute window.

There's 892 phone numbers.

That's our base line. We're on our way.

Yep.

Stay the f**k there, man.

Yo.

Jimmy! On the clean phone.

He just hit your friend's number.

The one off the business card you gave me.

- The Western?

- His cell.

Should we be worried about this?

No.

- A boxing gym, huh?

- Ain't a proper one yet.

That's why I asked to see you.

So, what you know

about taking care of something like that?

Not a damn thing.

But I know that sweet science.

And I got some kids who are interested.

But what I got a need for, brother,

is equipment.

Man, these kids gonna get rained on.

They need headgear,

they need guards, cups, you know...

so they can take the hit.

Shoot, you know what I'm saying, man.

I seen your picture on them

Globe posters back in the day.

- Little undercard s**t, maybe, you know.

- Yeah, but still, you was Golden Gloves.

For a minute, but I had a physical defect.

- What, you got a glass jaw?

- No, forehead, nigga.

- Cranium shot'll do you wrong.

- Yo, look here, man.

You see the new heavy bags?

Look, freestanding, man.

All you gotta do is add water.

Then you got speed bags,

right there, right?

You got this headgear right here. It's new.

Look, protect the cheek and the chin,

you know?

And I know I can go around

and collect a dollar here and a dollar there.

But I'm trying to put together

a select group of people, right?

I call them my Gold Circle Club...

and they gonna make

a substantial contribution...

and just get this thing rolling right.

I mean, I'm gonna put their name

and picture up on the wall in the gym.

- What, you trying to get me to join a club?

- No, man, I'm just saying.

There's all sorts of levels.

We got the, the Silver Club,

we got the Bronze Club.

Man, for motherfuckers

who really don't want to dig that deep.

Come on, man, check it out.

No, man, I ain't got no time

for this bulls**t, man.

And you know I don't want

my f**king name and face on no damn wall.

You crazy, nigga?

How much money you talking about?

$10,000.

See him go through all that for $10,000?

Man, Slim, go get him $15,000 cash, man.

Yo...

s**t.

All right. Later, man. Hey, you take care

of them little niggas, you hear?

Yeah, no doubt, bro.

- Yeah.

- Yo, you talk to him?

Fat man wanna parlay.

- All right, you good. Hook me up.

- Yeah, all right.

You check out what I sent you?

Yeah, your information's good.

So, we can talk on the real side now, huh?

- Tell your man I'm good for tomorrow.

- Yo, I'll hit you back.

- Now we're cooking.

- Cutting butter with a hot knife.

Next time Stringer Bell

takes a call off the base line, he's ours.

Game over.

So, it ain't what it might seem to you.

That man there is my brother.

But if it keep on like it been, then...

Oh, f**k.

You got problems?

I stirred up some s**t

with this Hamsterdam mess.

That's 'cause you was behind that...

that made me come to you with this.

Look like you and me

both trying to make sense of this game.

Speak your mind, Russell.

We two good?

Yeah.

We got y'all out front. Let's go, P-Square.

- You look healthy.

- For a man who was gut-shot.

You reached out to a third party...

who engaged me

in the purpose of holding your Towers.

That third person's word was your word,

as he represented you.

That's right.

And I ran those

East Baltimore gentlemen off.

I held up my end of the agreement...

at least for as long as I was physically able.

You did.

Your man then set up

a meet at Butchie's bar.

Your man told Omar Little

that I was responsible...

for the torture of a young boy

who was close to Mr. Little's heart.

Your man, in effect...

sought to have me hit.

Omar told you that

and you believe that motherfucker?

He doesn't strike me

as a man who would tell stories.

Even at the point of dying.

s**t.

Proposition Joe package.

The inner workings

of your organization don't concern me.

If there's a way, I mean, if my man...

If he made a mistake here,

then I'm willing to pay the cost.

How can we fix it? You want money?

- Money?

- Yeah, this is business.

Business is where you are now.

But what got you here

is your word and your reputation.

With that alone,

you've still got an open line to New York.

Without it, you're done.

My man's still on paper.

I can put him in a spot

that got heavy artillery.

I ain't talking about pistols.

I'm talking about mini TEC-9s...

shotguns, they even got grenades

in that motherfucker.

That's a automatic fall.

So, I'm hoping

you could keep that s**t to five.

Look, if you hit the joint...

his people are gonna try

and take the rap for it.

They gonna say all that firepower is theirs.

So all you gotta do

is just hit him with the parole backup.

Look, I can't make no promises.

- It's gonna be a nickel, at least.

- Come on, man.

- Him and me...

- I'm gonna do my best, all right?

He's always at this place?

No, he come and go.

But it's the spot since the war started.

He must have done something to you.

No, it's just business.

Almost forgot.

This came in for you last night.

Said she called your cell phone,

but you didn't answer.

Had a nice voice. Like a kitty cat.

We're on.

- He said for you to be there, half-pint.

- Yeah, okay.

- Stringer Bell, that's him.

- There it is.

Yeah, but for how long?

He could toss that burner at any moment.

- I got Rhonda, you raise Daniels.

- Okay.

- Ronnie? Yeah, we're on Stringer's phone.

- Lieutenant.

You should go straight to the judge.

I'll meet you there with an affidavit.

- Lester's raising Daniels.

- McNulty's calling Pearlman.

Watch that footwork, baby.

All right. Take it to him, now.

Yeah. Take it to him, now.

- I'm a beast, coach.

- All right, boy, don't be gloating on it.

Yo, when we gonna have some real fights?

You know, one of them tournament things.

- Yeah, we gladiators, son.

- Y'all got more fire than skills.

You ain't ready

for no full-blown thing just yet.

But I don't know,

maybe it'd be good for y'all...

to spar with some boys you don't know.

A nigga step in my house,

he getting dropped.

Yo, I met these fellas at that gym

over on Pennsylvania Avenue.

I'll see if they wanna roll through, all right?

- All right.

- All right.

You don't return a Councilman's calls?

I'm off this week.

Taking a little accrued vacation.

Yeah. And I heard why.

I'm here for your side of this story.

If I can't get that...

then whatever comes

out of Burrell's mouth is gonna stand.

You good with that?

What did you do, Major?

And why the f**k

haven't they shut it down?

We've seen that law enforcement's

steamroller approach...

- is just spitting in the wind!

- I really think...

I really think that you're

onto something here, Clarence.

But if you keep it up, before you know it...

they'll be calling you

the most dangerous man in America.

Well, I know it may appear

that we're vulnerable here.

But if we enforce the drug laws

everywhere else in the city...

aggressively...

how can they say

we're not a law and order administration?

Now there's got to be a middle ground here

that we have yet to find.

There's got to be some way

to accomplish this...

without turning everything upside down.

Without turning everything upside down.

This used to be one of my worst corners.

This is the neighborhood

where a cop got shot last summer, right?

- Dozerman.

- Looks quiet now.

So do most all my corners.

G-man.

- So, what's up?

- Shut the door.

In 10 minutes we're gonna have an affidavit

for a city judge to sign.

- It's for Russell Bell's dirty cell.

- It's a good pull.

It is if Bay Wireless

doesn't take five days to process it.

You owe me, Fitz.

That whole port case came down early...

behind some ugly s**t in your house.

Now, I don't care how you do it,

but I need my wire today.

These guys were in radio cars

two months ago, chasing calls...

clearing corners.

I pulled them to do felony follow-up.

More police work, less bulls**t,

and that's why my crime is down.

The numbers are true.

- What did he do?

- Church burglaries, 14 of them.

Let's go.

Mademoiselle.

Is it affiant or affiant?

I've never been...

I've never been clear on that.

You been hunting

this guy Bell for a long time...

haven't you, Jimmy?

A while, yeah.

Name's familiar to me.

That thing that we did

a few years back, was he the...

Yeah.

What's done is done, Jimmy.

Now, for your own f**king sake,

just let it go.

Come on.

As the affiant, do you solemnly swear...

and attest that the information

contained in this document...

That's the most significant drop

in crime in this district...

in recent history.

We still got some

hard-looking boys out on them streets.

And, Sergeant,

you know them little mini-motorcycles?

They keeping me up at night.

We're working on that.

Look, I have been living

in this part of the city my whole life.

And I can tell you something.

We weren't any angels when we were kids.

And those hard boys you talking about...

half of them, they's just playing gangster.

They ain't no different from what we were.

Shirts and drawers a little longer, is all.

The one thing

I do miss about my neighborhood...

I'm talking about the neighborhood

I came up in.

See, we knew the police. See?

We had a white police officer.

Our house was on his beat,

on his foot beat.

And he would be sitting out...

talking to my mother

damn near every night...

I mean, just sitting out

on her stoop, just talking.

And I'm telling you, this man,

his name was Frazier O'Leary.

- He even knew my grandmother by name.

- Yes, ma'am.

Let's move on

to the tip-line information...

I'm so sorry, baby.

I'm real sorry, but I was not finished.

You see, let me tell you something.

I have not seen that face-to-face

policing in a long while.

In a very long while. Until last week.

A young officer, black officer,

came by my stoop. I was sitting out...

gave me his card.

His name is Reggie Ballard,

is his name, right?

And he sat, and he talked to me.

We just talked.

And, see, now I know his name and face

and he knows my name and face.

You see?

And I'm going to tell you something.

That is how it should be.

My son wanna open up

one of them snowball stands on the street.

Do we need a permit for this?

You ever seen a West Side

community meeting like this one?

In fact, the folks downtown

at Minor Privileges tell me...

that stands aren't allowed

in the city right-of-way at all.

Now they do say it is possible

to have a snowball stand...

behind the sidewalk.

Why are you really down here,

Councilman?

- I mean, this ain't even your district.

- I'm interested.

And I have the Public Safety Subcommittee.

You see that building there?

It was the old Stryker building.

It was a funeral parlor.

The last stop before the cemetery

for West Side white folk...

back when there were

still some of those around.

Right about the time

that Jim Crow was breaking up...

back in the early '60s...

somebody asked old man Stryker...

they say, "Stryker...

"you gonna change your policy...

"and start burying black folk?"

And Stryker said...

"Yeah, on one condition.

"That I can do them all at once."

That's sick.

But you know something?

I had a lot of respect for that man.

'Cause, unlike most folks...

I always knew where he stood.

I'm doing my job.

Look, I done showed you the good.

Come on, let me show you the ugly.

Hey.

- How come so quick?

- Stringer Bell's given name.

- Russell.

- For now?

Ahmed.

We're on the top of the mountain.

Red tops over here.

Come get them, come get them.

- This is it?

- One of three.

How did you make this happen?

I just did it.

I got tired of hearing folks

talk about what needs to be done...

or what they would do if it was up to them.

- Bottle rockets, got them bottle rockets.

- So, this is about you making a mark?

No, I ain't analyzed it all that deep.

I ain't claiming no kind of victory, neither.

I will say I'm glad I tried.

Go on, Councilman.

I'll wait for you down here.

You're not coming?

What you gonna see ain't pretty.

- But it's safe.

- WMDs, got them WMDs.

I think you need to take this journey

your own self.

Got those yellow, those yellow tops.

Yellow tops right here.

- I ordered one for you.

- Thanks.

- Surprised I called?

- A little.

After the way we left it.

I'm a type A, Jimmy.

People like me break things.

When I slow down, or when I take

a minute to think about it, I...

Is that your idea of an apology?

I didn't drive an hour up 95 to apologize.

I missed you.

I missed you, too, I guess.

Still, seems a long way

to come just to tell me that...

then turn around

and drive back down to DC.

I'm not driving back tonight.

So what's going on?

Are you working on a case?

It's a good one.

How about you? Anything interesting?

I did hear a crazy Baltimore story...

you know,

through the rumor mill of Washington.

- Really?

- Some...

renegade Police Commander

takes it on himself to...

I don't know,

legalize drugs in the precinct?

Mayor doesn't even know about it?

- Can you believe that?

- Crazy story.

Someone...

I think it's Colvin.

You know him?

No, I can't say that I do.

Still, I think it's funny that some...

water-cooler talker down in DC

knows any Baltimore cop's name.

I was just wondering.

Listen, I'm...

- You're leaving?

- Yeah, I think so.

Good night.

Damn, man, I miss this crib already.

Yeah, well, you spending

a lot of time at the other spot...

- doing what you gotta do.

- Yeah.

Man, it's a shame we got to deal

with this Marlo bulls**t, man.

I mean, if I had taken care

of that earlier, man...

There's always gonna be a Marlo, man.

No Marlo, no game.

But you could've dealt with that s**t

a little sooner, I mean, yeah.

But, you know what I'm saying?

Don't let it lay on you like that.

Tonight, I mean, I'm gonna kick back

and just enjoy this view.

I mean, look at this s**t.

Can you f**king believe this?

I mean, I got a crib

that's overlooking the Harbor.

This is the same place...

We used to run through this motherfucker...

we had every security guard in there

following us.

- As they should have.

- True, true.

- And then there was that one time...

- Toy store?

Hell, yeah, I told your a**

not to steal the badminton set.

What you gonna do with a f**king net...

and a racket and we ain't got no yard.

You like, "Yo, that white boy

ain't gonna jump over that counter...

"and come chase after me."

- He sure did, though.

- Then he said...

- I said, "What the f**k?"

- He was on your a** like Carl Lewis.

Fists was rolled up.

Your a** was running, too,

fast as you could.

Punching yourself in the chest

looking all mad and s**t.

That s**t was crazy, man.

Right here, too, man, right there. Goddamn.

Can you imagine, man,

if I had the money that I have now, man...

I could have bought

half this waterfront property.

God damn it.

Forget about that for a while, man.

You know, just dream with me.

We ain't gotta dream no more, man.

We got real s**t...

real estate, we can touch.

I can't get too fucked up tonight, man.

I got some s**t

I gotta do on the site tomorrow.

Plus, the f**king Polack

we got working for us, man...

I gotta pull his coat.

If he had anything to do

with that Clay Davis bulls**t, man...

I'm gonna have to cut his money,

little faggot.

What time y'all meeting?

What time? 12:00, I think. Why?

You need me to do something for you?

No, I'm just seeing

where you going to be at.

You need to relax more, man.

Well, when the time is right, I will.

You know,

I don't take my work too seriously.

That's right.

It's just business.

Us, motherfucker.

Us, man.

Get him, Andre, go get him.

Come on, Spider, you got him. Come on.

Easy, easy, easy.

- All right?

- I'm good, I'm good.

All right.

- All right, Ditty, you up.

- Why didn't you hit him back, man?

You, Justin.

Come on, boy, I'm calling your name.

All right, listen up.

We gonna have three two-minute rounds.

Watch the low blows. Touch gloves.

And...

Let's go, Justin.

Justin, come on. Come on.

That's good, that's good.

Straight shot, come on.

Get your hands up, Justin.

- Come on, man. Come on.

- You gotta block that.

He leading left and punching right, Justin.

Move towards his weak side.

- He only come up to your waist.

- Man, bell.

- That was a quick two minutes.

- Yeah, I know.

Get you some water, boy, and spit it out.

- You all right?

- Dizzy.

That's why the hell

I keep telling you you got to breathe, boy.

So, what? You had enough?

- No, I'm good.

- All right, all right.

- Let's go, Justin.

- Let's go, Justin!

- Come on, Justin.

- Let's go, Justin.

- Let's go, Justin.

- Come on.

Jab, Justin. Gotta jab.

Hey, we're up. Here it is.

- It's me, man.

- You heard from the fat man?

- Yeah.

- We low, right?

- One mark shy of the mark.

- Yeah, it's light.

- Cherry say it's light.

- Tell the man I'm doing what needs done.

All right, I'll tell him.

Oh, and that other thing?

- What?

- Them two hitters you asked after.

- He good with it.

- Not on the phone.

- That's it.

- We got it!

Good work.

I guess this is pertinent.

Yeah!

Ain't no need to go back out.

You ain't got to prove nothing.

Shoot, my momma hit me harder than that.

I still got a chance, he getting tired.

Drink and spit.

- Ready.

- You more than ready, boy.

- You game rooster.

- Let's go, Justin.

Hey, Justin.

- Is there an alley entrance?

- Boarded up on both sides.

So we gonna have to go through the front.

That's a change for you, isn't it?

You just be ready, Bow Tie.

You know what I'm talking about?

Breathe, boy. Breathe.

Touch gloves.

- How'd I do?

- You still got plenty to learn.

But on the heart side? You did good.

Go on home, soldier. You done for the day.

Oh, I can see it all clearly now.

Between you and them subcontractors

and that motherfucking politician...

y'all had me in a spin, right?

- Mr. Bell, I don't know...

- Little man!

We gonna get all this s**t sorted out.

And, hey, if the s**t don't come up right...

one way or another

you gonna pay for this s**t.

Look, I understand you're angry

but at the same time...

you can see

the progress we've made in here.

- Progress.

- Now I honestly don't know what...

passed between you and Senator Davis.

But if you're unhappy

with Clayton's performance...

then you have to work that out...

- s**t.

- Oh, God.

Oh, God, no.

Oh, God, no, no...

I ain't strapped.

Look, man, I ain't involved.

I ain't involved

in that gangster bulls**t no more.

What y'all niggers want, man?

Huh? Money?

Is that it?

'Cause if it is, man,

I can be a better friend to y'all alive.

You still don't get it, do you?

Huh?

This ain't about your money, bro.

Your boy gave you up.

That's right.

And we ain't had to torture his a**, neither.

Well, it seem like...

I can't say nothing to change y'all minds.

Well, get on with it, mother...

- Who's got the scene?

- Massey and Crutchfield are working it.

Norris is on his way to the morgue.

He'll beat the bodies there.

- How about the crime lab?

- Can he get enough oxygen here?

He's getting the full treatment, boss.

We're good there.

Just one witness so far.

And you know what that means.

Right now, it's all BNBG.

It's Andy Kraw's big adventure.

Mayor's office already called twice,

worried sick about the man.

You're kidding me.

That's a whole lot

of campaign contributions...

sitting on the back of that ambo.

- So, what's the scene say?

- Two shooters. Shotgun, semi-auto.

One vic is a West Side soldier

with a pretty healthy sheet.

The other is a major player

in Daniels' wiretap case.

So, a hit. Drug related.

But a big-time developer in the middle?

What's the fit?

Second vic, Russell Bell.

Owner and co-developer of this here.

And other downtown real estate.

Well-propertied man he was.

But you were aware that Russell Bell was

regarded as a major narcotic violator?

How do you think he made his money?

I didn't inquire.

So, you never got a look

at either of the gunmen?

I told you, I saw only the one of them.

He was black, big, I thought...

with a large weapon.

BNBG.

Big negro, big gun.

Two more like it upstairs.

Yeah.

Have ballistics rush comparisons.

Drug-relateds for the last six months.

I caught him, Bunk.

On the wire. I caught him.

And he doesn't f**king know it.

Boxing, yeah.

I know you loved that. I hated it.

I hated watching it.

Yeah, I know you did.

So you're doing good, huh?

- Day to day, I am.

- Because I was thinking, maybe...

I'm proud of you, Dennis. Be well.

Shut that f**king door.

Man, f**k it.

Whatever, I'm ready for this s**t.

These niggas is snapping on us.

You see? Do you believe this f**king s**t?

Some s**t like this would've

never happened with...

Yo, Slim, man. Just say the word.

Say the motherfucking word.

s**t is on.

What's up, B?

You all right?

We gonna bounce back

on the motherfucker, no question.

- Bounce it back on who?

- Marlo, boss.

- Oh, he gonna fall.

- Marlo. Marlo ain't got s**t to do with it.

Marlo couldn't get String like that.

String died 'cause of some other s**t.

What?

He died because of some other s**t, nigga.

I couldn't fix it. I tried.

That nigga, String,

was right about this s**t, man.

That nigga was right. f**k Marlo.

f**k this f**king war.

All this beef over

a couple of f**king corners.

Don't matter who did what to who

at this point.

Fact is, we went to war,

and now there ain't no going back.

I mean, s**t, it's what war is, you know?

Once you in it, you in it!

If it's a lie, then we fight on that lie.

But we gotta fight.

Got this out of his pocket.

I got no idea.

- It's a cell chip from a phone.

- Oh.

- What else did you get off him?

- $200 cash, set of keys, license.

President Street address?

I got Landsman banging out

a warrant for the place.

f**k the politics for a minute.

- What if the man happens to be right?

- Legalizing drugs?

Crime is down in his district and people

on that side of town, they're okay with it.

Look, if you don't exist,

what happens here?

If there's no Tommy Carcetti in this thing,

what's likely to happen?

The Mayor and Burrell,

they shut this thing down.

I figure the Mayor's trying to find a way

to shut it down to make it look like...

it was an enforcement plan

in case it goes public.

Otherwise he'd have moved

to end it already.

Makes sense, but no matter what...

Colvin's little experiment is finished.

Come on, Tommy.

They dealt you a winning hand and

you're acting like you forgot how to play.

Mr. Mayor, call it legalization

and my office can't live with it.

Agreed. No one can.

But harm reduction?

That could sell, provided there's

a reduction in the crime rate.

Harm reduction. Sounds good.

Steven, what if we were able to suggest...

limiting our street-level enforcement?

We were concentrating our resources

on high-level traffickers.

How would that play?

Well, if I could show off

that kind of casework, yeah, maybe.

But they've been doing street rips for so

long now, I don't think a high-level exists.

What if we were able to say

that no major traffickers were allowed...

in the free zone, that all major...

That the major violators were

still being targeted, huh?

Well, are you suggesting some kind

of admissions criteria for the zones?

- How would that work?

- I don't know that it would.

I'm just saying that for the sake

of public perception, huh?

Come on, people,

work with me on this thing!

Fucked up, ain't it?

Marlo need to get his a** dropped,

him and all his crew.

- Oh, they gonna fall, son. You'll see.

- All right, let me know.

That's the word on the wire anyway.

Every mention puts it

on Marlo Stanfield's crew...

which means the war's gonna ratchet up,

no question.

Where's Jimmy?

He went with Bunk Moreland to rifle

Stringer's spot downtown.

- How'd he take it?

- Like Stringer was kin.

- Yeah?

- Bushy top.

- Need to pull on your coat, boy.

- Hey, what's up, Major?

I got something for you all.

Mount Vernon Square in about an hour.

I'm there.

This is Stringer's?

Yeah.

Who in f**k was I chasing?

What's done is done.

Gay-a** gangsters. Please.

I took it for as long as I could.

Let's go, man.

Let's go.

It being your town,

I trust you to do it proper.

- You off today, boss?

- Every day at this point.

I told them over at COMSTAT

about my little experiment.

Bosses went crazy, huh?

Anyway, that's why I called you.

That there is a wartime lay-up

for your man Barksdale.

My sources tell me the man's there

most of the time with a lot of muscle.

Sawed-offs, semi-autos, MAC-11s.

Whole lot of good s**t if you hit it right.

- That's a hell of a tip.

- s**t.

That right there might be the last bit

of police work in a long and storied career.

All right, I'll talk to you, bushy top.

Which one is Ali?

In the white trunks, boy.

- Damn, he look young.

- He was. This the Patterson fight right here!

- Old school.

- Who Patterson? He soft.

- Ali whipping his a**.

- He was a champ, too.

Look, any man still standing at the end

of a round, you can't call him soft.

That's a rule, all right?

From Stringer's place downtown.

B&B s**t, college papers, real estate stuff.

There's no phone extension in the place,

just these.

Cell phone chips. About 100 of them.

So that's why he wasn't taking any phones

from our man, Bernard, huh?

Stringer had his own phone...

he just changed the number

every time he changed the chip.

Shamrock, too, probably,

with whatever phone he used to call Bell.

Cautious man.

- Yes and no.

- Have a look in here.

All different manufacturers.

Thank you.

Before Stringer Bell got aced...

he went out of his way to put in

his good friend, Avon Barksdale.

That's a Barksdale safe house.

Where'd you get this?

Colvin.

- Calls to the Western.

- Where's Daniels?

He's got this thing downtown.

It's for his wife.

You should raise him.

It's not enough to make up for Stringer.

It'll do for now.

Because the neighborhoods

and the residents in this district...

are among the poorest in our city.

And it is these residents

who most need a strong voice at City Hall.

Time has come for a change.

And I believe

I can bring about that change...

by providing a strong voice

for the new 11th District...

if you will do me the honor...

It's kind of cool, the Lieutenant's wife

running for office, you know.

Well, as you just heard...

West Baltimore City Councilwoman

Eunetta Perkins...

is going to have her hands full

in next September's Democratic primary.

Stringer Bell. Damn.

Who could've gotten to him?

I mean, if it wasn't you all on it.

You know Avon's gonna put it

on you, right?

s**t, let him take it on my jacket.

Don't make me no never mind.

I'm thinking it might be what you call

one of them good problems.

Yeah.

I heard Colvin's in deep s**t downtown.

Looking at this right here...

he might not be the only one.

Anything comes up, I'm on the radio.

My man, my man, my man.

Yo, you think I could get like $5?

I need like $5 to get on the bus.

- I look like a tourist to you?

- Man, I swear to God.

Looking like that,

walking into an open-air drug market...

why the hell would I think you'll spend

my $5 on bus fare?

s**t, because I already got my blast, man.

All night, you been drinking

like your a** is candy.

That's shameful s**t.

Twelve-gauge pumpkin balls.

Last time I saw that kind of load was

the Pimlico double.

And I f**king know that motherfucker was

in the middle of that mess.

And if I remember your boy,

he had no love for the Barksdale people.

Execution style,

that don't play like Omar Little.

Besides, the word on our wire is

that Marlo's people did Stringer.

- Marlo Stanfield?

- The heir apparent.

This city's going to hell, man.

We're gonna push past 300 murders

before New Year's.

s**t is fucked.

Hey, Cheryl.

No? My guess is she's picking up

a prisoner.

Yeah, I spoke to her about 10 minutes ago.

Yeah, well, they don't allow...

They make you check your stuff.

Cell phone, money, weapon.

Well, she'll call when she gets the message.

Not at all.

I need more, Jimmy.

More!

- Motherfucker.

- I'm tired, Bunk.

Let's go.

I heard the vanguard met.

Heard they voted to have

a civilian review board look at it.

It wasn't unanimous, and there were

people there speaking for you.

I heard that, too.

So six out of 10 black officers think

I'm just an a**hole racist.

On the other hand,

four out of 10 think you're just an a**hole.

It's an administrative charge.

You can fight it and win if you want.

Failure to properly identify myself

as a police officer.

Sounds like what I was guilty of

most of my career, actually.

I'm not sure I was supposed to be a police.

Not really.

What were you supposed to be, huh?

This is from Major Colvin's CI?

What's the corroboration?

Well, the source knew that Barksdale had

a waterfront condo in his own name.

Gave the accurate location and title info

down to deed of transfer.

Well, that's good, but it puts him

on the legitimate side of things.

What corroboration is there

for illegal activities?

Sorry I'm late. I had to stop in at a friend.

The source knew that Barksdale was shot

last month, wounded in the shoulder.

- Emergency room?

- No, no hospital reports.

We're gonna need better.

Either Colvin goes back to the CI,

or we sit on this address for a while.

- See what we can see.

- Well, f**k it then.

Let's name the source.

Put him right in the affidavit.

- It's Colvin's call, isn't it?

- It's Stringer Bell.

Lester figured it out from the DNRs.

Bell was snitching out Barksdale.

- You're sure of this?

- Maybe that explains the murder.

What's in the wire?

Loose talk about how it was

Marlo's people, but nothing past rumor.

You know, with Bell gone...

Barksdale might have to come down

a notch to oversee the day-to-day...

and maybe that puts him in contact

with some of our monitored cell phones.

If he's as cautious as Stringer, maybe not.

My guess is Barksdale never touches

a cell phone.

Safe house might be our best shot.

All right.

We stay on the wires

until this batch of burners...

goes dead, hoping we have Barksdale.

But meanwhile, we get a warrant

for that safe house and wait on him there.

Thanks for the cover last night.

This is Greggs, Major Case Unit.

Who's the shift leader?

Holy Christ.

- They're all over it, Commissioner.

- Right.

That was Foxtrot.

The cameras have found our little s**t pile.

Finally, your f**king councilman took

his sweet time, didn't he?

Everyone's a critic.

If this doesn't go,

what line of work are you gonna try next?

We're here in West Baltimore...

For more than a month,

police from Baltimore's Western district...

It's just an outrageous development.

It's something I never thought I'd see

from this or any other administration.

Frankly, this is one of the reasons we need

a change in leadership in this city.

Did the Mayor know?

What about the Police Commissioner?

These are questions

for the Mayor and the Police Commissioner.

On central issues

of crime and safety...

the Royce administration is

simply bankrupt.

You still gonna announce

for mayor next month?

I was gonna wait,

but standing here today looking at this...

I can't see how I can do anything else

but put it out there right now.

All I can tell you is

that for more than four weeks now...

the Baltimore Police Department

surrendered portions...

of the police district to the drug trade,

and the Council was not informed.

f**k me.

I f**king had this story all

to myself a week ago.

Police officers for weeks have turned

a blind eye...

What the f**k was I thinking?

... apparently sanctioning

open-air drug markets.

- Excuse us.

- While uniformed police stood by...

... in the so-called free zones,

drug dealers routinely ply their trade.

Mr. Mayor, Commissioner Burrell is here.

Tell the Commissioner

the Mayor will be with him shortly.

... and young children run the streets alone.

The inhabitants of what has come

to be known as Hamsterdam...

had little to say for the camera.

But Channel 5 has learned

that the police were...

- Yeah?

- What are you seeing?

Couple of people in and out.

No sign of Barksdale, though.

- It's quiet here, too.

- Okay.

Need to look at the back.

Our friend Carcetti's gonna run wild

with this.

And from the sound of things,

Gray is gonna run with him.

Tony Gray thinks he's gonna get my chair

behind this bulls**t.

We're throwing you out of the boat, Ervin.

This s**t is on you alone.

Not necessarily.

Not if I talk about how we were

under pressure to keep the crime down.

- To juke the stats district by district.

- We never said that.

About how Colvin, under pressure,

lost his way.

- About how I came to you weeks ago...

- Days ago.

Weeks ago to tell you what he had done

and to assure you that...

we were on top of the situation,

that Colvin would be relieved...

and his plan aborted.

You lying motherfucker.

But you heard about the drop

in Colvin's felony rate...

and you sent me packing.

Brought in your liberal-a** do-gooders

to seriously consider this horseshit...

while Colvin's mistake grew and grew.

My hands were tied, Mr. Mayor.

My department thwarted.

I was a prisoner

of the goddamn politicians.

Or...

I leave your office right now

willing to say a lot less than that.

I put what I can on crazy-a** Bunny Colvin.

And I take the hit.

And if Carcetti or Gray holds hearings...

I'm the wall between them and you.

In which case...

I am your commissioner

for the full five-year term.

- Unit one to unit two.

- Unit two standing by.

Deal's made.

Unit two to sector three,

move on the Winchester Homes.

Ten-four. We're moving.

Unit two to sector two,

move on the Koppers Plant.

Roger that.

Over the top, gentlemen.

About f**king time.

Yo, man.

We gonna run out if we don't got no re-up.

- Where's Tuckie at?

- I don't know.

- Yo, where Tuckie at, man?

- He rolled out.

- What?

- He said the police coming.

Here they come. Let's roll.

Hold it right there, white jacket!

Get the f**k off me!

Stop!

Stop right there! Stop!

Freeze! Freeze! Don't move!

Hold it right there. Freeze.

Outstanding, red team, outstanding.

Give you a case of beer for that one.

Son, this nigga, Stringer Bell, man,

was begging Chris, yo, for real.

Like, know what I mean?

Digging in his pockets, talking about

how much cheese he gonna give us...

I mean, if we just let him walk.

My man, Chris, hollering,

"Man, b*tch, you gonna die."

This nigga just dropped to his f**king

knees like a little c**ksucker, man.

Start crying.

That s**t was worse than f**king pathetic.

Start crying.

That s**t was worse than f**king pathetic.

- Yo, that's Marlo.

- Get on your burner, man.

- Got a line on him.

- The number one? Where at?

Tall man says to tell you all to soldier up.

They up at the rim shop.

Yeah, all right.

Boss, you okay?

- What you want?

- Slim said they got their eye on Marlo.

I'm just saying, you know, all the boys,

they all waiting on you.

Go ahead, man. I'm behind you.

What else you need from us, Deputy?

City Hall wants the bulldozers

through here at dawn...

and then fencing all around the site.

Winchester Homes

and the Koppers Plant as well.

We got it.

Come tomorrow, the television reporters

get nothing they can stand in front of.

Excuse me, Deputy, sir, we found a body.

- Any trauma?

- Can't tell for sure with all the rat bites.

Take him to the OCME in a jail wagon.

I don't want the f**king reporters seeing

any ambos.

s**t!

He just landed.

Him plus one.

- Got it. Sit tight.

- That makes how many?

Including Barksdale, Sydnor counted

10 in and none coming out...

so that's 10 at least.

- 2301 to KGA.

- Go ahead, 2301.

We need QRT to meet us at our 20

for a search and seizure.

Location has multiple suspects

and may contain automatic weapons.

Ten-four.

- Word travels fast, huh?

- s**t.

Burrell called Johns Hopkins personally

this morning.

Dragged your name into the gutter.

Johns Hopkins doesn't need the notoriety.

The chief academic officer

of a major research university...

doesn't want to hear that some new hire

makes up the rules as he goes along.

- Yeah, Colvin.

- Yeah, Major, you're on first.

COMSTAT tomorrow.

I'm up.

- You all taking the door?

- Where's tactical?

- I called for QRT.

- You ain't heard?

They're a little busy tonight tearing down

Bunny Colvin's f**k-up.

With all that going on,

you're lucky you even got us, man.

- Who we hitting on this?

- Avon Barksdale and crew.

I f**king told you he was out.

Didn't I f**king tell you?

I f**king told her.

For more than four weeks now,

the Baltimore Police Department...

surrendered portions of the police district

to the drug trade.

By tomorrow, the story goes national,

and Washington reacts.

Save the best questions for Tony Gray.

He needs to shine even more than you.

- I can't believe he wants us to knock.

- Well, you can't flush guns now, can you?

Well, f**k that.

What about if they open up on us?

These guys are at war with another crew.

We go charging in there,

chances are we will get lit up.

Yo, B.

Sham saying that Charles saying

they still up at the rim shop.

Marlo, his boy Chris and Vinson,

they still eating.

But the rest of the muscle, they rolled out.

No.

- Not the police.

- Narco's out back, too.

s**t.

Let us in! We know you're in there.

s**t.

- Open the door, you f**king c**ksuckers!

- Fucked up, man.

You all ask me, you all ugly a** niggas

shouldn't be in here f**king around...

with all these guns and s**t,

you know what I'm talking about?

Open it.

Come on, Avon. Enough with this s**t.

Open the f**king door.

Open the f**king door, you c**ksuckers!

- Police!

- Police! Police!

- On the floor!

- Search warrant!

- I'm clean, man.

- Get down!

- Lace them s**ts tight.

- Greggs, I'm opening up.

That'd be mine. In fact, all that's mine.

You got a law degree?

Take him.

You fall on the parole violation.

No matter whatever else happens...

you do every day of what's left

of your seven without seeing a jury.

Maybe even conspiracy to murder.

We take this federal,

see if we can't get you 10 to life.

- No parole.

- Whatever.

s**t, you only do two days no how.

That's the day you go in...

And the day you come out.

Yeah, well, here's the warrant.

You read it slow.

In between them two days,

give you something to think on.

Damn. Missed our shot.

Roll, man.

You bend over for us or, I swear to God,

I will spend what's left of my career...

s**tting on every last supervisor

in your district.

From shift commanders down

to sector sergeants, not one of them...

will have any rank at all

if we hear so much as a bark out of you.

Look, my people saw this

as a tactical deployment only!

- The responsibility is mine alone!

- Well, you won't fall alone...

unless you're willing

to fall exactly as we want you to.

After COMSTAT, you go

to retirement services and drop papers.

Going out at a lieutenant's grade.

That's right, you're busted back.

We can't take your EOD away,

but you're not going out on a major's pay.

I can retire with my 30 right now

before you bust me!

- I got vacation time enough to make my 30!

- f**k your vacation time.

You're out today, at the lower grade!

That's against the goddamn contract!

What part of "bend over"

didn't you understand?

- Avon locked up?

- With most of his muscle, yeah.

Good day to get back out on them corners,

ain't it?

- Make some money.

- You bet.

It's not just the $17 million

in federal funding...

for Baltimore Law Enforcement

that you've jeopardized.

Take off another $200 million

of federal money in your operating budget.

Another $75 in capital expenditures...

plus untold millions in pass-through

federal dollars from Annapolis.

All told, we're talking about...

half a billion a year

that Baltimore will be doing without.

Furthermore, the US attorney here

will use all the resources...

of the Justice Department to interdict

and destroy any attempt...

to establish a geographic entity

where drugs are legal.

Washington should know...

that what happened in West Baltimore

in no way reflects...

the policies of my administration.

That was an aberration, Mr. Thomas,

the work of one misguided police official.

We understand your concerns,

but, you know...

for the Deputy Drug Czar to take

the time out to drive 30 miles north...

to deliver that message, hardly necessary.

Rest assured.

What up, G? Where the older ones at?

Marlo got his package back out.

Fire Burrell. This nonsense began

in his shop without him knowing it!

- Fire the man and move on.

- Odell.

I respect your opinion, but right now...

Tony Gray, Carcetti maneuvering,

now is not the time.

No. We get past the primary,

then I'll drive a stake in his heart.

But right now I need him where he is,

if for no other reason than to...

well, to take the hit for this thing right here,

but I tell you what I'm gonna do, though.

I'm gonna shine on that new girl you like

in the 11th.

Yeah.

Give her a spot on the ticket.

Cut Eunetta loose. Eunetta's had her day.

I respect the fact

that you stood by me, Odell.

I respect loyalty.

... and did so without properly informing

his superior officers...

and without regard to the criminal statutes

he was sworn to enforce...

thereby disgracing himself

and his command.

Is any of that subject to any contradiction...

or argument whatsoever, Major Colvin?

- No, sir.

- No argument at all, Bunny?

Not much you can say, is there?

Not to real police.

- Get on with it, motherfuck...

- Excuse me, Major?

Is the admin-lieutenant present?

Major Colvin is relieved of duty.

You are now the acting commander

of the Western District.

Damn, Bernard,

didn't I tell you about these guys?

- Hey, Bunk.

- Hey, Freamon.

- Who's that, Crutchfield?

- No, Norris. Sleeping on a stakeout.

Yeah, that's everyone we heard on the wire.

Yeah, that's everyone we heard on the wire.

McNulty's over there in Number One

with Pearlman. Why don't you say "Hey"?

All right.

You got to be the stupidest motherfucker

that I've ever gone out with.

I can't wait to go to jail.

What? What'd you say?

What the f**k did you say, Bernard?

Hey, Donald.

You heard the tapes.

Look, he came to me and said we could sell

drugs if we move down to Vincent Street.

And that's where I moved my crew.

And you know I did. Because you

the one that popped me with the G-pack...

on my way to the spot

and let me go, remember?

You were selling drugs

in Major Colvin's free zone?

- You can prove that?

- Ask him. He know.

You know, this... This must be

one of them contrapment things.

- You mean entrapment?

- Kid's got a point.

Nineteen in bracelets

from Barksdale on down...

another eight wanted on warrants.

Any way you can tie your case

to this mess with Colvin?

Make it like what he was doing

led to your thing?

I don't see it.

Well, it's good work nonetheless,

Major Daniels.

Call came in from the Mayor's office

half-hour ago approving your promotion.

And now with Colvin,

there's a new vacancy.

- What about my wife?

- What about her?

The Mayor. Eunetta's seat.

- Why would the Mayor...

- Good police work maybe.

Not everything is politics.

- Hey, I'll take two. Western alumni.

- All right, you got it.

Major.

I heard.

How's your family take it?

Lolita done dropped herself 30 pounds

and got herself a real estate license, so...

I guess she's fixing to leave me.

I just wanted you to know that

last tip you gave me was a winner.

Yeah, I heard. That's good work.

Also, I don't know if you know...

Stringer Bell was shot to death

two days ago.

So, anyway, I put his name on the paper

to tighten the PC.

I figured, what the f**k.

Once he's aced, right?

You always did cut them corners,

didn't you?

Seems like you cut a few yourself, Major.

- However it ends, you're good police.

- Look, I just did what I did.

It felt right.

I'm fine with that.

Tony, where's my vest, man?

- Thank you.

- Thanks.

I don't understand.

Drink your wine.

You and me in public.

- But your wife...

- She wins without me.

- On the Mayor's ticket, she wins.

- And you make major?

I think she was waiting for this day

more than I ever was.

And now she's not here.

No. She's not.

From out of nowhere, huh?

Nowhere is right.

Why me?

I guess you don't live right.

- Kari, what was that?

- Nothing.

- What broke?

- Nothing, Mama.

- So...

- Yeah.

- You just drive over here.

- I did.

Why tonight? What happened?

I was in my old district tonight...

which is where I used to feel pretty good,

I think.

I wasn't so angry when I was there anyway.

I don't know, someone said something,

I guess, and...

That doesn't make sense.

- I guess I finished something today.

- A case?

More than that.

It's like everything I poured into a glass

came out the bottom.

And I just kept on pouring,

like the thing had a hole in it, you know?

The things that make me right for this job...

maybe they're the same things

that make me wrong for everything else.

Do you want to come inside for a drink?

Not tonight.

But if it's not too late,

I wouldn't mind meeting your kids.

Major Colvin misled his officers.

They thought that his initiative was

a tactical deployment...

to entrap narcotics traffickers.

There was no mention whatsoever...

of the initiative to any superior officer.

And for five weeks...

all evidence of what he was doing managed

to elude the entire command staff?

Are you kidding, Commissioner?

I take full responsibility, and indeed...

after I first learned of the matter,

I informed the Mayor...

and together we moved immediately...

to relieve Major Colvin of his command.

I'm under the impression that...

this administration gave

serious consideration...

- to proceeding with Colvin's initiative.

- No, sir.

Major Colvin informed you of his effort

at a COMSTAT meeting...

more than a week ago.

His free zones stayed up

for six days after that.

That's my responsibility, Councilman.

We needed the time to conclude

an ongoing investigation...

by the Major Crimes Unit...

a wiretap case that would have been

disrupted had we moved immediately.

Correct, Mayor Royce was aware

of the pending case...

and allowed us to delay

our response accordingly.

But the Mayor was unequivocal...

in his opposition to what Major Colvin did.

What we have here, I'm afraid,

is nothing more complicated...

than a solitary police commander who

under great pressure proved to be amoral...

incompetent, and unfit for command.

No. It's about more than that.

This is more important than who knew

what when, or who falls on his sword or...

whether someone can use this disaster

to make a political point or two.

- Mr. Chairman...

- We can forgive Major Colvin...

who, out of his frustration and despair...

found himself condoning something

which can't possibly be condoned.

We can do that much.

But, gentlemen, what we can't forgive...

what I can't forgive ever is how we...

you, me, this administration, all of us...

how we turned away

from those streets in West Baltimore...

the poor, the sick, the swollen underclass

of our city trapped...

in the wreckage of neighborhoods

which were once so prized...

communities which we've failed

to defend...

which we have surrendered to the horrors

of the drug trade...

and if this disaster demands anything of us

as a city...

it demands that we say "Enough."

Enough to the despair which makes

policemen even think about surrender.

Enough to the fact that

these neighborhoods are not saved...

or are beyond the saving.

Enough to this administration's

indecisiveness and lethargy...

to the garbage which goes uncollected, the

lots and row houses which stay vacant...

the addicts who go untreated...

the working men and women who every day

are denied a chance at economic freedom.

Enough to the crime

which every day chokes...

more and more of the life from our city.

And the thing of it is, if we don't

take responsibility and step up...

not just for the mistakes and the miscues...

but for whether or not we're gonna win

this battle for our streets...

if that doesn't happen...

we're gonna lose these neighborhoods

and ultimately this city forever.

If we don't have the courage

and the conviction...

to fight this war the way

it should be fought...

the way it needs to be fought, using every

weapon that we can possibly muster...

if that doesn't happen...

well, then we're staring at defeat.

And that defeat should not and cannot

and will not be forgiven.

It was a good case, I'm not denying that.

But I need to trust my people.

Unless you can give your word,

there's no way that I can...

That's more than fair. Thanks.

But it's better for me if I do something else.

Detective.

It's not you, it's me.

- But where...

- The Western, I think.

Yeah, the Western feels like home.

- You showed something today.

- Just felt like it needed to be said.

Sounds like you're running for something.

Eunetta. Been a while.

Thought you all was in training.

So what time you want us

to be there tomorrow, Coach?

3:30 would be good.

- Hope to see you all then.

- All right.

What the f**k you all standing around for?

Man, get to work.

... to the false promise that our schools are

providing a future for our children.

That's it. That's it.

Yeah.

In the cases of Malik Carr, a.k.a. "Poot"...

Herbert DeRodd Johnson, a.k. A "Puddin',"

Arthur Carroll...

What do you see right here?

It's bulk metal, 10 cent a pound.

Here.

- Aluminum.

- Right you are.

Thirty cent a pound. No problem.

You see, in these modern times...

a man got to keep one eye on the ground,

pick up what he find, feel me?

Well, there's money to be made

if you know where to look.

I hope you listening

'cause I'm trying to school you here.

Yeah, you don't want to know.

You think you're brown, but you still green.

How you doing?

That's something, huh?

Looks like they just took a big eraser

and rubbed across it.

Yeah.

Yeah, but before

a dope fiend come down here...

cop a little something,

ain't nary a soul hassle him.

Hoppers and police, they just let him be.

Was a good thing, huh?

I'm just saying.

You probably don't know,

but it's rough out there, baby.

Cops be back banging on you,

hoppers be messing with you.

Yeah, thank you.

s**t.

That's a dollar here. That's a seed.

Come on, boy.

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