Bodymore, Murdaland: is The Wire a cop show? Well, yes. But having widened its gaze to City Hall and beyond, it's become a seminar on the fate of the American city.

"It's Baltimore, gentlemen. The gods will not save you."

--The police commissioner to his commanders on The Wire

THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S 2005 annual report is crammed with statistics that tell a story. Violent crime is down in every category measured by the department. The city witnessed 269 murders in 2005, or seven fewer than the previous year. The department's Organized Crime Division seized 618 firearms; 37 kilos of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; and more than $10 million in cash. The narrative here is straightforward: The streets may be mean, but ...

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