It is disheartening to hear of police corruption, not being able to trust those that are assigned to serve and protect. Yet, we live in a imperfect world and “dirty” police officers are among us. Case in point, the rampant corruption that surrounded the seventy fifth precinct in New York City in the 80’s and early 90s. “Betrayal in Blue” examines the crookedness of Michael Dowd and Ken Eurell, cops that feel victim to power and the lure of easy money.
Eurell shares his story, rationalizing his behavior at the time that even good cops have to sometimes do bad things. The drug dealing cops were divorced from reality, and openly flaunted their extra income by spending lavishly. In addition to selling narcotics, their nefarious actions included stealing cash and guns from victims, and later, creating fraudulent police reports to file false insurance claims.
The downfall finally came when Dowd was videotaped making a drug deal. At the time of his arrest, Dowd was high and intoxicated. “Betrayal in Blue” is a unfortunate reminder of the prevalence of corruption in our society. As always, Kevin Pierce’s narration is top notch!