Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our society debates where policing is going, Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD explores where the police came from.From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack.Follow Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD on the Wondery App or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/empire-city/ now. 

13 episodes transcribed
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History

Stay Dangerous | 8

Episode Date: October 21, 2024

The NYPD loves to show off its diversity, but it often hides how hard and long it fought that diversity. Chenjerai takes us back in time to t...

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History

The American Problem | 7

Episode Date: October 14, 2024

New York’s police start to realize that beating up and arresting immigrants is making them distrustful of cops. In response, a police chief h...

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History

The Rotten Orchard | 6

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

It’s like clockwork: every 20 years or so, a corruption scandal forces the NYPD into the hot seat. But how did this cycle begin? To find out,...

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History

The Moral Crusade | 5

Episode Date: September 30, 2024

Officers in early New York didn’t just police the city’s vice economy; they profited from it. But when America’s first professional vice figh...

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History

They’ve Got Weapons | 4

Episode Date: September 23, 2024

Horrific race riots erupt when New York City starts to draft soldiers into the Civil War. A mob of white people, who resent fighting for eman...

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History

If It Bleeds It Leads | 2

Episode Date: September 9, 2024

Before the NYPD existed, New Yorkers strongly opposed the idea of an armed police force – until a powerful news publisher changed everything....

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History

They Keep People Safe | 1

Episode Date: September 9, 2024

Chenjerai takes us back to the summer of 1835, when Black New Yorkers are being kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south. But their frien...