Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
5.0/5
Critic Rating
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 Or...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Dec 13, 2024
"If you’ve ever paid even a scintilla of attention to these two subjects, you’re probably familiar with the fact that the institution has a deeply checkered history, down to its very foundations, that’s worthy of interrogation. The stories that Kumanyika brings do just that, threaded together in his signature propulsive oratory style."
Score: 5
Sarah Larson • New Yorker • Dec 3, 2024
"The time jumps can lead us to expect a more comprehensive history than the series aims to provide, but Kumanyika, a consummate researcher and warmly personable host, nimbly brings it all together."
Score: 5
Eliana Dockterman • Time • Nov 18, 2024
"Throughout eight episodes, Kumanyika interweaves personal narrative with rigorous research on the NYPD's history to make the compelling argument that New Yorkers' safety isn't actually the prime objective of the nation's largest police force."
Score: 4.8
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Oct 10, 2024
"Toby loved the story and its nontraditional storytelling format. Rebecca appreciated that each episode could be structured to be a standalone."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Sep 16, 2024
"I hate to sound all tag liney, but…it’s truuUUly the history the cops don’t want us to know. Every second I’ve listened to of this show so far has been well told, unfolding like a horror novel. The beautiful music and production is cinematic, it feels alive. Everything is unflinching and urgent..."
Score: 5
Stephen O. • Podcast Delivery • Sep 9, 2024
"Host Chenjerai Kumanyika lays bare a raw and often shocking narrative of the NYPD’s transformation...Kumanyika compels and often agitates you to rethink the very idea of law enforcement.... offering a perspective that’s as enlightening as it is uncomfortable."
Score: 5
Alice Florence Orr • PodcastReview.org • Sep 3, 2024
"Part history lesson, part critical study, Empire City is a compelling development in the continued discussion of modern policing."
