Back to Results
Cover image of Who Speaks for You?
Cover image of Who Speaks for You?
Share this Title:

Who Speaks for You?

The Inside Story of the Prosecutor Who Took Down Baltimore's Most Crooked Cops

Leo Wise

Publication Date

The true story of how federal law enforcement flipped the playbook and convicted a corrupt unit of Baltimore police.

In 2015 and 2016, Baltimore was reeling after the death of Freddie Gray and the protests that followed. In the midst of this unrest, a violent, highly trained, and heavily armed criminal gang roamed the city. They robbed people, sold drugs and guns, and divided the loot and profit among themselves. They had been doing it for years. But these were not ordinary career criminals. They were the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). Formed in 2007 to get the guns...

The true story of how federal law enforcement flipped the playbook and convicted a corrupt unit of Baltimore police.

In 2015 and 2016, Baltimore was reeling after the death of Freddie Gray and the protests that followed. In the midst of this unrest, a violent, highly trained, and heavily armed criminal gang roamed the city. They robbed people, sold drugs and guns, and divided the loot and profit among themselves. They had been doing it for years. But these were not ordinary career criminals. They were the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). Formed in 2007 to get the guns and criminals responsible for Baltimore's high crime rates off the streets, they went rogue and abused their power to terrorize people throughout the city.

On March 1, 2017, all members of the GTTF were arrested on federal racketeering charges. In Who Speaks for You?, Leo Wise, the lead federal prosecutor in the case, tells you how. Wise gives an inside look into the investigation and prosecution of this group of elite and corrupt cops. He shares the unbelievable twists and turns of the case, revealing not only what these officers did but how they were brought to justice. Wise dramatically recounts how his team put together their case, what happened during the trial and court proceedings, and how his team successfully prosecuted these extraordinary defendants. This is the firsthand story of a once-in-a-generation police corruption case told by the prosecutor who was intimately involved in every step of the investigation.

Reviews

Reviews

Federal prosecutor Wise delivers a riveting inside account of the yearslong investigation he led to take down a corrupt Baltimore police unit. Wise expertly balances detail and accessibility, writing lucidly about the case's legal intricacies and the challenges of getting jurors to view cops as criminals. This is a treat for true crime fans.

With his memoir of the federal investigation into one of the most corrupt police units in our nation, veteran prosecutor Leo Wise has delivered a precise and prescriptive verdict on our drug war and what it has wrought. Where once 'protect and serve' was the claimed purpose of American law enforcement, what remains now is a predatory and profiteering culture that brings the worst police to their worst moments. The pages of Who Speaks for You? make clear we must change the mission.

With punchy writing and salient snippets from wiretaps, prosecutor Leo Wise examines how he and his federal team won convictions against a corrupt posse of Baltimore detectives. Wise's discussion of the decisions and actions his team took during the investigation, prosecution, and trial give valuable insights into this courtroom battle.

This book is a cross between a legal thriller and Shakespearean tragedy. A must-read for anyone who seeks to understand police corruption and to learn how our legal system can sometimes work to deliver justice, even for victims who are themselves less than perfect.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
288
ISBN
9781421446509
Illustration Description
1 map
Table of Contents

Author's Notes
Cast of Characters
Prologue: Our Foreperson
Part One: Investigation
1. The Barn
2. The Alameda
3. East 25th Street
4. North Longwood Street
5. The Winnebago Caper
6. Westminster and the U-Store
7

Author's Notes
Cast of Characters
Prologue: Our Foreperson
Part One: Investigation
1. The Barn
2. The Alameda
3. East 25th Street
4. North Longwood Street
5. The Winnebago Caper
6. Westminster and the U-Store
7. East Baltimore
8. West Baltimore
9. They're Stealing from Everybody
Part Two: Prosecution
10. Indictment
11. The Legacy Task Force Members
12. The Newcomers
13. New Charges, New Defendants
14. Middle River
Part Three: Trial
15. Getting Started
16. Cops Testifying Against Cops
17. Drug Dealers Testifying Against Cops
18. Geography is Destiny
19. Choices
Afterword
Index
Notes

Author Bio
Leo Wise
Featured Contributor

Leo Wise

Leo J. Wise (BALTIMORE, MD) is a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, Maryland. He has spent his entire career in public service, serving in all three branches of the federal government and the military. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Law School.