Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

Wondery | Crooked Media•wondery.com

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.

Follow on

Episodes

Listen Now: Death County, PA

Lamont Jones leaves Dauphin County Prison for the last time, a free man ready to move on with his life. But when his young cousin dies in that same jail, he learns that this is not the only mysterious death that has plagued Dauphin County Prison. The search for the truth will put him at odds with a reality TV show coroner who claims to speak for the dead and people in power who all have something to hide.  Listen to Death County, PA: Wondery.fm/DCPA_FD See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Apr 28, 2025•6 min

Bonus Episode: The Fall of Eric Adams

New York’s Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted and charged by the federal government with corruption, wire fraud, bribery and more. Could we have predicted what kind of mayor Adams would become based on the culture he was a part of in the NYPD? Chenjerai and attorney John Teufel, who has investigated police misconduct, discuss the implications of the indictment and the significance of a former cop becoming the mayor. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment...

Nov 01, 2024•24 min

Black History, For Real: NYPD's Secret Story | For Real, For Real | 9

"Woop! Woop! That’s the sound of da police! Conscious and Frankie welcome Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika – host of Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD. Dr. Kumanyika’s podcast is a deeply personal tale of his relationship to policing, the history of the NYPD and its long reaching impact in police departments across the nation. Are the police truly functioning as designed? Does their origin begin and end as slave catching patrols? Today’s conversation brings humor and depth to the explorati...

Oct 23, 2024•42 min•Ep. 9

Stay Dangerous | 8

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 the real story of how the NYPD got its first Black cop – and how decades later, Black cops went to war with the NYPD’s union to push for civilian oversight of the police. But how effective is reform if the police are still only accountable to themselves?  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stor...

Oct 21, 2024•48 min•Ep. 8

The American Problem | 7

New York’s police start to realize that beating up and arresting immigrants is making them distrustful of cops. In response, a police chief has an idea, borne out of his time colonizing the Philippines: control the population by recruiting local community members to police their own people.  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ou...

Oct 14, 2024•38 min•Ep. 7

The Rotten Orchard | 6

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, we go back over a century ago to the very first investigation into the police where the NYPD is put on trial like never before. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about the police, ab...

Oct 07, 2024•40 min•Ep. 6

The Moral Crusade | 5

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 fighter Anthony Comstock strong-arms the NYPD into enforcing his vision of morality, he also transformed how and what we police.  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about the police, ...

Sep 30, 2024•40 min•Ep. 5

They’ve Got Weapons | 4

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 emancipation, direct their rage at the Black community as well as the police… and all hell breaks loose. The NYPD pushes for more firearms – but will they use them to protect New York’s most vulnerable, or subdue them?  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still&nbs...

Sep 23, 2024•47 min•Ep. 4

What’s Done Can Be Undone | 3

New York’s power-hungry mayor weaponizes the police to help him control the city – and bulldoze a thriving Black community for his own real estate profits. The state, fearing that the mayor and his police have become too strong, wage a war for control – and create their own rival force.  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell oursel...

Sep 16, 2024•41 min•Ep. 3

If It Bleeds It Leads | 2

Before the NYPD existed, New Yorkers strongly opposed the idea of an armed police force – until a powerful news publisher changed everything. After a grisly murder takes place, the city’s newspapers sensationalize the story, blame the cops, and a new force is born. But will these cops work to solve the case or will they spend their days hunting something–or someone–else?  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were...

Sep 09, 2024•43 min•Ep. 2

They Keep People Safe | 1

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 friends and families can’t call the cops, because it turns out the kidnappers are the cops…can a group of Black resistance fighters stop it?  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about t...

Sep 09, 2024•43 min•Ep. 1

Introducing: Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

Aug 26, 2024•3 min

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android

Open in Metacast