In the 1980s, the streets of Brooklyn, New York were engulfed in a devastating crack epidemic. Among those navigating this perilous environment was Michael Dowd, a member of the NYPD serving in the notorious 75th Precinct, widely recognized as one of the most perilous police districts in the United States at the time. This precinct was marred by a troublingly high murder rate, particularly during the late 1980s, creating a backdrop of chaos and danger. Dowd reflected on the lack of appreciation for the extensive efforts he devoted to his job and the financial struggles he faced, which led him down a troubling path of corruption.

Initially, he started accepting bribes from street-level drug dealers but quickly escalated to providing protection for a drug cartel leader while robbing rival dealers at gunpoint. In a striking recollection, Dowd along with his partner, Henry “Chicky” Guevara, described their harrowing experience of entering a domestic dispute and stumbling upon a stash that included bags of marijuana, a duffle bag containing roughly $20,000 in cash, and two loaded firearms. With a decisive tone, Dowd asserted that he and Guevara would take $8,000 from the cash and both guns, marking the beginning of a significant turn in their illicit activities. This trend of robbing drug dealers continued, raking in thousands of dollars, until a wave of arrests for corruption hit the 77th Precinct, prompting Guevara to resign amid escalating tensions.

In June 1987, Ken Eurell, a police officer with his own demons—including a problematic relationship with alcohol—was assigned as Dowd’s new partner. Their camaraderie led them to cross paths with Adam Diaz, the leader of The Diaz Organization, a formidable Dominican gang notorious for its involvement in a spate of murders and drug trafficking across New York City using various supermarkets as fronts for their cocaine distribution efforts. The relationship struck between Dowd, Eurell, and Diaz allowed them to provide crucial protection and insider information regarding police raids, plunging them deeper into the criminal underworld.

However, fate took a dark turn when the Suffolk County Police Department launched an extensive investigation, culminating in the arrest of Dowd and Eurell on drug trafficking charges. Adding to their troubles, they had begun distributing cocaine through a connection in the county while simultaneously collaborating with Diaz. After their temporary release on bail, Dowd’s life spiraled further when approached by a friend affiliated with a Colombian gang about a plot to kidnap a woman over an unpaid drug debt. His audacious plan involved delivering the kidnapped woman to the gang, allowing him and Eurell to abscond with hundreds of thousands of dollars stored at her residence and vanish from the country.

Despite being all in on the scheme, Eurell’s conscience ultimately got the better of him, and he notified Internal Affairs through his attorney. This led to Dowd’s arrest in July 1991 and put him squarely in the spotlight of the 1992 Mollen Commission, which was commissioned by Mayor David Dinkins to probe rampant police corruption in the NYPD. The aftermath of Dowd’s actions triggered a ripple effect of investigations, resulting in multiple arrests across numerous precincts throughout New York City.