In a war, you count the bodies and call them victories.
The story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force — and the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work.
Sgt. Wayne Jenkins gives a lecture to cadets, while investigators Erika Jensen and John Sieracki question Momodu Gondo about his connection to a known drug dealer. Attorney Nicole Steele looks into complaints against notorious cop Daniel Hersl. Then, after an overdose death in Hartford County, David McDougall tracks the source of the drugs to Baltimore.
In his first days on the job, Jenkins learns the true weight of city politics in policing. Jensen and Sieracki interview an eager to talk Jemell Rayam about the GTTF’s tactics. Sean Suiter is assigned to a new murder case, McDougall links with Scott Kilpatrick to take their case to the Feds, and Steele hears from Hersl’s vocal critics.
Despite growing complaints, Hersl is placed on the GTTF. Later, the unit’s supervisor, Sgt. Thomas Allers, is interrogated about stolen cash. Jensen monitors Gondo’s calls, Steele speaks with BPD’s new police commissioner Kevin Davis, who admits to his precarious position. Meanwhile, a younger Jenkins struggles to fit in and brings Suiter along on a raid.
Jenkins pivots after a high-speed car chase yields no drugs. During his interview with the Feds, former officer Maurice Ward recalls how Jenkins remained unscathed as the GTTF’s supervisor – despite a series of illegal incidents. Steele confronts Davis about a list of cops who lied in court, and the city is rocked by the Freddie Gray protests.
Jensen, Sieracki, and U.S. Attorney Leo Wise prepare to charge the officers of the GTTF. Suiter feels the distrust of Baltimoreans as he works a homicide scene and begins to sense that his past is closing in on him. Steele and Davis seek support from Baltimore’s new mayor on the consent decree before the new administration takes over the DOJ.
After the arrest of several GTTF officers, Suiter grows concerned about his grand jury subpoena. Jenkins learns his fellow officers are cooperating with the investigation as the full extent of his crimes comes to light. Davis and the mayor’s office go head-to-head on funding for the consent decree, while Steele questions whether the U.S. justice system can ever be changed.
