[Music] America a country with some of the most brutal criminals in the world and fighting back are some of the world's toughest cops yeah he's R the back it's a job where murder drug wars and gun crime are part of everyday life here a job where doing your duty could cost you your life they're running they're running they're running we got one now I'm joining some of these cops on the front line in the battle against the bad guys we got him [Music] yeah Laredo Texas this is the real wild west Mexico is just a ston throw across the Rio Grand it's Bandit country where drug cartels rule with fear and bloody violence the danger is that saying the wrong thing to the wrong person may get him killed I want to learn how the crime Gams make billions from this border and experience what it takes to stop them you just never never know who you're running after so you just got to be prepared for anything what it's like being a cop on America's front line let Cain I'm going to settle up with the law officers who are waging this war on crime they are the Laro police the sheriff's department and the United States border patrol their mission is to protect the border and keep the vicious cartel out of town The Rao is in South Texas it's an international border City with its Four Bridges acting as checkpoints coming into the USA in the 60s it was the poorest city in America and although it's now the second fastest own City the average wage is still only £ 150 a week millionaires are created from the legal import export trade here but it's the illegal trade that makes billions the cartel smuggle drugs and people into the USA and don't think twice about killing to protect their profit the Laro citizens have been caught in the [Music] crossfire it's straight down to business I want to see how the police deal with the city's drug problem at laredo's Police Headquarters the SWAT special weapons and tactics unit have a search warrant for the family home of a jailed pisto gang member the tip off here is that the uh Target houses under surveillance right now they're going over situational information in this room as soon as we uh finish with that briefing we'll be headed right to the scene and what do you expect is uh at the house what's the what the rumor we understand that there's Firearms inside the house okay let's do it the pesos control the gun smuggling in Laro the police jailed one of its leaders in 2006 Roy Mendoza how you they now have a warrant to search his family home for drugs and weapons Mendoza's son is thought to be living there although he has no previous convictions I joined the briefing as the teams are being given upto-date Intelligence on their mission I don't know if he pays him or not but he people hanging around it he drives a white Lincoln Navigator but we've also seen a red uh Toy the surveillance team have done their job there he is that's our Target Mendoza Jr the house has a real connection to a dangerous criminal [Music] element I can feel the teams adrenaline building steadily this is Walkin Romero the leader of the entry team he's 31 with 8 years service under his belt when you get there you're going to give him a chance to come out you just going in no we just going in hard uh we're me and my team we're going to tear the gate down and then after that everybody's going to make entry through the whole that we make and then there's no warning that no warning just B no yeah that gives them a chance to get anything that they might have ready so this is like a hard entry the real thing man so he's just told me that they're basically going to go straight in no negotiations they just said I can go in in the front line with the boys so the lads that are going in first hopefully there won't be any shooting if there's any shooting that's when it's going to happen so uh I'm going to go in with them and hope this holds up the surveillance team at the location have given the green light and we're on our way I'm about to ride in their armored truck known as the bear cat just so Gaz knows got me pad gazer that's what you should have had mate in 87 do you expect gunfire no training can substitute this huh sir we take the lead and there's no turning back [Music] now heat is unbelievable don't know he's got a B of Cl yeah it's only like 110° the bear cat's job is to destroy the gates at the front of the location these boys job is to storm out and put themselves in the firing line then make entry into the target house right it's exciting really exciting can tell the boys are buzzing they're buzzing getting close now [Music] woohoo there's a lookout there he's on the phone there's the Escalade on the red car up we're in go on boys they're rigging the gates up they're going to pull the gates up there it goes It goes the gates there he is there's one there there's one there the car's going the car's going [Applause] look oh [ __ ] got the car got this car down there at the r is he the one we're looking for one guy here one guy right here I think he's a lookout we secured the car there's firing going on in here I had a shot in there they've got everything covered all the windows [ __ ] the adrenaline is unbelievable anyone in there uh I don't know yet so far I don't think they found anybody was the guy in the Escalade the target was he the Target or was he just look he's the target so he was already in the car kind of surprises are popping out of that Navigator yeah did you grab him was he wrestled him down yeah the entry teams are clearing through every room in the house to guarantee there's no surprise shootout this was his car he was in this Navigator when he jumped out to go they blocked him in there they jumped out they hooked up onto the uh onto the main gate reverse out pulled that out he's sitting in this truck in the car so the lookout guy that we passed must have told him so he was in the car but we all pulled up looks like he's gone to put it in reverse he's then got out they see him get out he comes running out swap guy that we was with just went over and just jumped all over him got him secured him down but the car grabbed him out but the car kept going so the the sergeant pulled up behind him and blocked him in and crashed straight into his car when they arrested him put the handcuffs on him he didn't seem too bothered I'll tell you whether they've moved it already what I don't know but uh the adrenaline you I was shaking with the adrenaline it was great I'm just glad it they didn't come out shooting you know i' about to show I'd have about to throw me cell phone at they didn't give me no guns they give me this though I'm in Laro Texas where the cops are trying to prevent Mexican cartels and local gangs from seizing control of the city the SWAT unit are carrying out a warrant on the home of a j gang member now is time to look for drugs and weapons that are allegedly here the entry teams Retreat and let the other cops get on with searching for evidence hey Vinnie the quest cenal poster for every bad guys's house yeah I got that in my house this is the scales and the Ziploc bags look I don't really want to touch any in case people come in yeah they're going to everyone's going to come in and search [Applause] everything none of mine really nice house you know if he hasn't got a job this is unbelievable you can smell you can smell marijuana in it call he was a Target yeah saw his big tattoo there that we saw in the briefing room Mendoza that's his name I want to see what Mr Mendoza junr is really all about you talk English who are you from England I do some movies yeah you're I think you're going to be in the movies now as well I'm going nothing but a gun you come out under 60 seconds yeah I've done that one yeah they've all seen that you haven't got 60 seconds in your collection you have nice house man my dad's I like the marble oh the floor yeah nice they cross the line they've TI the house upside down but so far found nothing they can pin on him B marijuana but can still smell [Applause] [Music] it the sniffer dog can only find empty bags and I spot what the cops are up against that's his own surveillance they're watching the police the police are watching them shows it there look he's got four different views of the outside they knew these were coming watch them in finally the guys check his last possible hiding place you got more DVDs than me bro man look for yours I did there's not there you find it no I thought you was my pal you are man now I could shake on it me man this time the cops haven't found any guns or drugs the only [ __ ] that I'm going to say I already knew everything that they were coming yeah it's because they talk too much [ __ ] they they say we're going to go and hit this they talk too too much to their girlfriends you see they talk too much to their girlfriends their girlfriends go and tell their their their daughter their daughter goes and tell me and they talk too many [ __ ] so that's how everybody knows [Music] this is his dad's house his dad's uh in prison is one of the head of the pistos um pisero a probably one of the worst gangs cuz they're gun related uh they're gun dealers mainly he knew they were coming mate and uh whatever was here ain't here no more and there was definitely some stuff on the scales some white powder on scales in there but uh so so I had the boys are splitting out now and it's a real Downer I mean the adrenaline everything oh you know shaking with adrenaline earlier on and now it's you know the storm settled and calmed down being there with them actually in the action like that it just shows the intensity you know I mean that was like us going out and playing football on a Saturday they were all buzzing they were hyped up for it they'll settle down there and hopefully have a glass of beer but we'll move on anyway on this occasion Mendoza junior is officially charged only with resisant arrest and has to be released before nightfall his case has yet to go to court in a small City where word gets around quickly it's tough for the cops to keep things quiet investigator Joe bizza was the officer who hooked me up with the SWAT unit he's been fighting crime in Laro for 10 years we will do whatever it takes to to maintain stability and safety in our community and also for the rest of the United States the buck definitely stops here Joe is patrolling one of laredo's busiest entry points from Mexico into the USA the well trade Bridge the cartels the drug pushers they all use this great Veil this great Forest of of truck traffic to hide their narcotics going into the United States if we rest uh they win and people's lives are changed because of it around $10 million worth of drugs cross over the Four Bridges in Laro every day it's a constant battle and a massive task for a small force it calls for complete dedication uh the cost ter is is the ultimate sacrifice you have to be a little crazy to be in this work I would say that we have a take no prisoners attitude but that's exactly contradict ictory that what we do here we take as many prisoners as possible the overall majority of all the officers are on patrol all have long rifles uh they carry AR-15s M16s uh cult 9mm submachine guns and uh they're very efficiently and thoroughly trained to use those Firearms the drug cartels and Narco terrorists are killing at will over the Border in Mexico there's a war of Terror being waged across where if you behead two people well the next gu to come back and behead four this deadly crime wave is so out of control that the Mexican government has had to call in the Army to protect its people criminals never never will take control of the country in Texas anyone can buy a gun but in Mexico it's against the law so guns are trafficked one way and drugs and people the other $1 million worth of cocaine and three tons of marijuana were seized in just one weekend it's all out Slaughter in Mexico the cops here in Laro fight to prevent that lawlessness from coming into the USA I'm going on patrol with hot shop cop Jesse gimenez from the sheriff's department to discover how all the trafficking works it's you just fine okay we're patrolling Route 83 4 it runs parallel with the Mexican border for 150 Mi it's an Infamous smuggling [Music] Highway a couple of months ago we received some information that they were storing 20 tons of marijuana in the Mexican site ready to get crossed 20 tons ready to cross Vinnie these guys will try anything anything and every which way to smuggle their narcotics and they always end up getting caught sooner or later they'll end up getting caught we'll definitely get something tonight we'll definitely get something tonight 73 kind of B18 check that approval we soon called as backup to another instant just up the highway two passengers and a driver have been stopped the officers are checking their stories as we arrive on the scene do they know the driver they came they do that they claim that they've known the driver for a long time they got no idea on them oh I don't believe so or Mexican idea I know that they got confiting stories usually that's a good indicator of something that's going on legally Jess say these two are illegal uh they're going to be taken into custody by border patrol right now they have no uh resident alien cards or people were to be here in the US eally the radio is a honey pot for illegal activity by constantly watching the highways the officers try to tackle the problem as soon as it reaches the American soil it's half 8 at night and still about 100° but there's no stopping now for Jesse he's just got the call for a on a suspected drug Stash House all the officers are gathering at a nearby parking lot and they wait for the order to move in our C just made contact with a Target house confidential inform just made uh contact so we want to verify to see if the narcotics is still in the house so we can go and uh have consent to search it's confirmed to suspects have been spotted at the Target house and the boys roll out immediately to make the [Music] arrest we're here already let Dismount let's go as soon as the cops arrive the suspects burst out of the target house and make a run for it they're running they're running they're running they're running they're running R watch out watch out watch out watch out they're running towards the Riverbanks running towards the river banks the Mexican border means freedom for the suspects and it's just 2 mil away he went in here check underneath the Traer you got him where's he at where's he at he's underneath the B some some some some some get him we got one get him up let's go this first man is Led away for questioning when a neighbor gives see the wink that our other suspects might be nearby still searching for the other subject there subject was wearing a white shirt white T-shirt with a [Music] with the border so close the subject has nothing to gain by giving himself up but everything that gain if he makes it across the river there m here the cre maybe 2 miles from here that's probably why they thought about it and said might as well try to hide you don't know if he's behind the the wall waiting for you with a hand a gun in hand and uh you know ready to shoot at you whenever you come around the corner so should always keep your weapon raised the offer officers couldn't find any drugs in the location the man on under arrest is an illegal Mexican immigrant he will be sent straight back to Mexico running after somebody it's it's a adrenal rush you don't know really who you're running after you can be running after one of the drug cils or one of the members or a Hitman or somebody just committed murder I mean you just never never know who you're running after so you just got to be prepared for anything police faing here means dealing with the constant threat of armed criminals the heat can be Stupify but that threat keeps the cops alert at all times I'm on the US border with Mexico even at sunset here on the Rio Grand it's around 100° F I've come to the City of Laredo to learn how the police are tackle in Border crime here with drugs and illegal immigrants streaming over the border every day it's a full-on task I'm now out on the night Patrol with Deputy David NK we've just pulled a guy over for alleged drunk driving but he's got more trouble in store might be little bit of cocaine on the seat yeah yeah could be Coke on the seat Miss I think it's a drunk driver got badwe iser in there on the side there box there's a box of bad wiers in the back there as well if it's Coke what happens you just make sure it matches that it should match pink over blue like that and that means it's positive he's going to jail drugs that are smuggled across the border end up in stash houses and Deputy Jesse gimenez is on the scene when and one's busted in East Lor after a surveillance team identified the target it was Jesse who arrested him by tackling him in his own backyard we discovered some uh 5 kilos of cocaine and a little bit of marijuana the undercover work has led cops to a big score these drugs won't be making it to any Street dealers that is cocaine each one of these squs approximately 2.2 lb uh kilo kilo of cocaine straight Val uh here in uh Laro it's about 15,000 15,000 a kilo and up State can be or up north and other northern states can be anywhere from 30 to 45,000 a kilo he had it on top of the the pantry usually they've been sent out from cartels in Mexico that is marijuana that's marijuana you're looking at roughly Maybe 7 to 10 lb of marijuana that was found up in the attic the word is there might be five more kilos in the house so the boys continue the search well Jesse heads into the attic Captain Ted Garcia investigates a child's bedroom we found a 22 caliber rifle with a scope what we look for are the semi-automatic and the handguns and some of those either gr into Mexico or or they're used for local crimes so that's what we try to seize just verifying to see if it's a okay no joy with the extra stash so Jesse bags up the evidence going to take it back to and uh test those packages see if I test positive for Narcotics yeah it definitely feels good taking uh drugs up the street feels good the radar is being flooded with the Mexican cartel's drug loads I want to find out who's working for these cartels it's time to meet some of these gang members face to face I'm off to laredo's top security jail it's full to the brim with gang members Smugglers and Killers hopefully we're going to go in and speak to one of the inmates find out what he's done and all that stuff you know just have a chat with him but uh it's a little bit off the cuff at the moment so we'll just hope he don't take me as a hostage after Commander Juan Hernandez is in charge of this jail he's going to introduce me to the prisoners but first I want to know what I'm up against what are the dangers then well the dangers is that saying the wrong thing to the wrong person may get him killed yeah uh the danger to you may be that uh that they're in jail for murder and things like that and you know putting a name in their a feather in their cap by uh by uh you know striking a known person may be something that they won't think twice about you okay yeah let's go out there he's scary enough I don't let the other it's time to meet my first inmate he's been in prison before this time it's on drug charges I feel tense any Jael can be explosive I don't want to say anything that oversteps the line hi what um how long have you been here in the in this in in the prison got about 20 years in jail really when you go out you the gang's on the outside you have to go back into that gang you can't get out of that is it I can answer that question okay okay okay what are the dangers out there for these young Lads let's presume that one one guy was into you know into yeah drugs you know running drugs or that's the worst thing you can do you know getting involved in drugs and and smuggling and all that you know they don't a no good they're not going to take you nowhere over here or dying you know what I'm saying yeah what would he have to do on the street for them to you know whoever it is to come you know put them in the cemetery what sort of things I don't know maybe you rip them off or you know or you make a bad deal you never know you know it's hard to say that it's hard to answer that think it say oh this guy May rip me off or this guy maybe do something wrong they got stopped and they put him over and they got busted and you got pissed off so you put a heat on it or you you know what I'm saying yeah well thanks a lot man and uh good luck with everything so getting busted by the cops could easily means Someone putting a hit on you this is the area where uh when a hit is going down this is where this is where it goes down yeah see the cartels belong to Mexico these gangs are homegrown they belong here in this region this is this is an area the home of the of the uhand pisto Latinos it's a specific gang that that belongs here in this area this is their birthplace the Mexican Mafia has a strong area here in the Border yeah and so they control drugs along the border here the the sale of drugs and and collecting uh of taxes to put to use a word on on other people's sale of drugs yeah and so the cartels are reaching out to these people because there's already a structure in place and utilizing them in their structure to get whatever whatever uh business they want to accomplish either drugs on this side or eliminate targets I'm now going to meet someone who has carried out these orders the commanders told me that the man I'm going to meet has committed murder for the [Music] cartels how long how long have you got to do right now yeah how much time I do 55 55 55 I'm not going to ask why man yeah they G 55 years 15 running how long have you done right now say November 2007 2007 two years yeah going two years do they mean anything your tattoos tattoos yeah only this one what does this one mean Game T that's your game yeah are you are everybody in that is everybody in the same game no it's all just friends just friends yeah yeah we got they got to put the same people in the same tank oh they have to yeah oh cuz you know you be n we don't be we p and everything but they just for the own race people so they separate everybody yeah but wish show the best man all [Music] right what would he get PA anything from 10,000 to 50,000 a mercedesbenz or depending on the on the target yeah so who would a car tell are they are they guys like you in suits and ties no or they like him the criminals are people like him are they and is the cartel run by fear it is fear among the members and among the people that they do business with they're about bottom line the Mexican Mafia are probably the toughest but the pistoleros they're the gun boys they're actually The Gun Runners but um we're just we were just talking in there and he said the mean of the mean the baddest of the bad of this big area are in here under his watchs for the Rio Grand River is the thin line that keeps the bloody chaos of Mexico out of America and so even the river is a Battleground in the fight against the gangs I want to find out how the battle is fought so I'm heading to the US border patrols HQ you can see the river there they basically aim at certain portions of the river where people cross and it could be undocumented migrants it could be obviously Smugglers drugs from the sensor to the Tower and then to them here and then they'll dispatch the agents for example whatever sensor it is out on the ground war Communications can I help you I want to see this action for myself so I'm back out on the prow this time with Nick maatic a supervisory board Patrol agent a lot of times we get call outs from the cameras hey they're seeing some people people crossing you know we'll take off you know try to intercept them try to push him back you know we have apprehended um marijuana loads here so and even in the day so you know any anything can happen the r Grand runs the length of the US Mexico border for about 750 Mi everything that's smuggled into Texas has to come across the river this is the international dividing line with L's Four City bridges all under checkpoint surveillance Some People Take On the River itself the merky green water is just yards wide in places and in the dry season it's barely waste deep you know a lot of these people are from the interior of Mexico and they do not know how to swim you know so they're hanging on to some old inner tube a Smuggler gave them and that's their you know their Lifeline basically so there'll be points where they come and they can go to The Smuggler and they say right you go on this certain time and of course these Smugglers have you know Scouts on the US side Scouts on the Mexican side um you know on cell phones and vehicles you know trying to pinpoint where we're at where the ground units are at you know they're looking for their opportunity their opening you know to try to cross that's the M4 carbine with the 223 round that is an FN 303 less lethal launcher it launches as a less lethal 68 caliber projectile that just kind of uses like an impact force and that's been that's been pretty effective for us dealing with the rocking incidents usually it's the Smugglers that are throwing the Rocks not necessarily the you know the aliens coming across not too long after finishing up on the river I catch a sight of some of the Smugglers myself on the camera they just saw one swim across look there's a couple over the other side you see them see them over there here he is there he is two of them yeah going back they're going to swim back yeah they're going to swim back he's just hiding you didn't just see him through the bushes see there's a couple of them see him hiding in the bushes They're laughing just yards Upstream the border patrol agents have caught two women trying R across illegally into America but the men that smuggled them over are tantalizingly Out Of Reach and they know it here they go they got a rubber ring unbelievable just hiding in the brush I'm in Laro Texas I'm finding out how the cops police a city riddled with Gang Related border crime the US border patrol sees truckloads of Contraband here every month and I want to see some of this evidence from yourself this is Armando Ramo he's a veteran of 15 years in the sheriff's department and he is responsible for a lot of the seizures I'm about to see and on this road what we usually have we have a large quantities of Marana large quantities we're on the way to the Sheriff's storage facility this is where they keep all their evidence locked up you see those two Freights over there they're all full of dop are they yeah what street Valu is in one of those couple of million in each one wow or maybe even more I want to see what the cartels are actually prepared to kill for who the most dope I've ever SE me life you think course m in it that evidence is about to be destroyed before it's had the chance to reach the marketplace of Middle [Music] America inside are their most recent loads that's our latest seizure they had the guys had 1,384 lb of Po marijuana oh that's that's weed that's weed look at that yeah how much is that worth well it's $56 pound I got to talk there it is wow look at that that these boys die for br they die for H $50,000,000 right there $600,000 [ __ ] I don't know that [ __ ] [Music] it's in cities like this where people die trying to profit from feeding America's drug demand this is the last line of defense it's the Laro border checkpoint 29 Mi north of the city on the Interstate 35 it's the only major highway traveling north from the TexMex border the volume of smuggling going up State here is so high and the rewards are so great the cops can never stop everyone they can only make it as tough as possible this is the second checkpoint coming in and this is where they they get through the first one you know over the bridge they come in here and it's where they seem to capture most of the stuff we've only been here 10 minutes and already we've got some action there's a a truck been pulled over K9 alert so they've pulled the truck over it could be anything from the driver having a joint to people in the back or million dollars worth marijuana so we'll just see you can definitely smell marijuana in there as soon as he open that door I can smell it the dog alert right here under underneath the the the bunk bed so uh we see a couple of indicators like the all the the screws been tampered they they uh they remove these screws for some reason yeah but they' got this machine here and they just drive out the side and it scans it shows anything that shouldn't be in there each one of these machines cost $1.2 million and Laredo was the first in the country to get one what we do we scan the whole the whole truck you can see the the spare tire yep that's the rim and the tire y there's nothing in there we're done no big Hall this time and the drivers allowed through the checkpoint no stopping now till Dallas with them dogs in that is I'd say the chances getting through are very minimal I wouldn't try [Music] it that night I'm on my final Patrol with Romo there's been a report of a dead body found on a bridge we're only a few miles from the final border checkpoint I visited on the Interstate [Music] 35 oh my god look [ __ ] see the body on there look Jesus okay here here they go right here as you can see there's a shoe there look if you look down look at the blood over there yeah there's a body right there oh my God he was hit by the train Jesus all I can see was a big mass of blood and flesh you can actually smell the blood that you can smell the blood it's that you know it's only happened 15 minutes ago what they do they hide in the brush cuz the checkpoints down here then what they do the train wakes them up and they and they believe if they if they sleep near the tracks here the rattlesnakes won't get them so that's why they're here cuz what they do then the train comes through slowly they then wake up they hop on it and then they get straight through the barrier into America he said it happens all the time it's a chilling way to end what has been for me and mind blame visits AO seeing this broken body close up is a tragic and graphic reminder of the terrible human cost that's paid out on this Battleground border it's unreal man unreal it's a city where the poorer population are at the mercy of the billion dollar cartels the highways are a wash with drugs and smuggling is an all too easy option being a cop here is not just about seizing Contraband and catching illegal immigrants it's about sheer dedication and the ability to stay focused in the face of a deadly enemy which makes these guys amongst America's toughest cops [Music] America a country with some of the most brutal criminals in the world and fighting back as some of the world's toughest cops yeah he's round the back it's a job where murder drug wars and gun crime are part of everyday life here a job where doing your duty could cost you your life they're running they're running they're running we got one now I'm joining some of these cops on the front line in the battle against the bad guys we got him [Music] yeah sh Baltimore Maryland AKA bodymore murderland on the east coast of the USA this former industrial port city has been labeled the murder capital of America downtown it's all shiny offices and tourist attractions I head away from the Waterfront and it's a different story every week there are nearly 200 violent crimes and five murders 85% of all homicides here are committed with guns it's a city with a massive drug problem where one in 10 people is an addict on your [Music] stomach you have anything on you that you know about you think we going to find it anyway so I W make it hard uh we just got a high ranking officer call for backup I went to my cell and I looked in the mirror and you know what I said to myself this [ __ ] is not [Music] now the police are fighting back they're mobilizing to wage war on the gun wielding bad guys and I'm going with them on the city's meanest [Music] streets it's out of control down here it's off the hook and Baltimore it's a shine 16 years old I'll be kitted out and trained before going out on patrol with Baltimore's finest I'll meet the elite attack cops of Swap and then roll with the violent crimes impact division I want to know why this town is being so overrun by drugs and guns and just what the police have to do to keep Law and Order here and I reckon the best place to start is at the very top with Commissioner of police Frederick field he has abandoned a zero tolerance policy in favor of targeting the worst criminals out there lot 50% of all the people people charged with murder in this city every year had prior gun offenses bad guys with guns they get out of jail you know what they do they get guns again so primarily it's the guns you you're going after it really is about the guns because again what can everyone agree on Cops agree that guns are important cops get that and the community gets that anywhere you go people understand bad guys with guns represent a threat to all of us in Britain they said that's it ban handguns is that not what you need to do here it's like trying to count grains of sand on a beach 30,000 in a good year in a good year will'll seize 4,000 guns 4,000 they sold 30,000 yeah 30,000 you'll never keep up you can't even keep up with what they sold let alone what they sell in Pennsylvania and Virginia and Ohio see is all these states coming in if you ban it here they can still bring them in from outside there are prison cells full of guys with for drugs we would lock up drug dealers by the bushel basket full I'll trade them for a guy with a gun I've heard the theory but now I'm going to see it in practice just out do the police decide what's important and what's not on the front line of this fight is the detective Donnie Moses he has spent the last 15 years combating the guns and dealers when people start shooting you know instead of running away from the gunshots we run to it and most times I would say we're excited to run to the gunshot he's given me the inside track on what it's like to be a regular Patrol in the city today Donny's out in the Western District with officer David White it's an Infamous area of the city with high crime figures and mass unemployment the summer days are long and hot here Trouble Comes thick and fast supposed to be a guy inside the house tearing the house up um Wrecking the house and he has a knife with him the officers are on their way to a domestic disturbance where a young man is threatening his parents Statewide this year alone there have been 42 fatal shootings Within family homes stay on my hip on my hip the young man's in the kitchen and still arguing when things really kick off on your stomach on your stomach stop on your stomach on your stomach the cops can't Cal down back up back up back up all right you turn over turn over turn over turn over I use a Taser to St suspect it shoots two hooked wires into the man's flesh sending a 50,000 volt charge through his body it will take the suspect several minutes to recover the first place Al though it looks like rough Justice using a taser has brought the problem under control and allows the officer to secure the young man safely all right 35 we have the individual in our custody no officers injured young man apparently was giving his family members a problem uh when we tried to gain control of him tried to talk him out of his rage it didn't appear to work ultimately we had to tase him less less than lethal use of force uh once we tased them we handcuffed them it's over the ambulance came and checked the individual out to make sure that he didn't have any lifethreatening injuries then from there right now we're going to transport him to uh probably the local hospital they have to take the prongs that were discharg from the uh taser they have to take that out of his back and check his vitals and then from there he's going to be uh sent over to our centralized booking that's where we process all pris is's going to be charged with uh uh assault on police officers [Applause] according to the makers 170,000 suspects are tasered across the US every year as a non-lethal response and an alternative to the gun it's a no-brainer for the props by the looks of things before I can go out on the streets of the city I'm going to need some serious coaching and quick thinking and instant response so here we are at the Baltimore Police firearms training facility they're going to teach me uh how to use their guns hopefully I won't be getting all that but um they're just going to show me you know how to deal with you know hostile um problems on the street I'll be using a simulator which plays out shootout scenarios it's a bit like a video game which the cops use to sharpen up their shooting skills like this is a farest training system and we bring recruits we bring our officers in here basically the same kind of weapon that we carry on the streets it's a clock model 22 40 caliber and you just aim and shoot wow he's not getting back up is he you have a shoot y good let me see you do it yeah you need some training you know in the movies even if you miss them they go down you know yeah movies the movies the movies is the worst thing we can see I hate movies and we'll show you now about practice I'm ready it's my turn to take out the bad guys what you shooting a dog for the machine the Machine Stop or saying you're not supposed to shoot the dog secondly that dog's on to leash your dog can't hurt you right okay okay so we'll continue we're going to take care of you she got you see the red border around the screen he'll replay let's see if you did hit her you didn't see her draw that gun no not all watch missed her you got her that's a non incapacitating hit though that mean she's not going to go down and then she got you and it's over wow yeah it's one there right there you're so focused on him yeah I was focused on him mhm most police survive shootings are over in 5 seconds 3 to 5 seconds it's boom boom and it's it it's over yeah yep it does show how you know how quickly you've got to react and and I was watching the guy he moves out the way but she pulls the gun out of his back and she shot the officer and shot me but you know I mean it's although it's on a screen you know and it's like a like a game I mean there you go that's that's a real life scenario that's a real life scenario is it just shows what these guys have to have to deal [Music] with I've only been in Baltimore for 24 hours and I've already seen that the police here have no time to mess around decisions must be instant and they are the difference between a good outcome and a bad one today I'm going on patrol with officers of the southwestern District of the nine districts that make up the city it's one of the most dangerous and Drug ridden I need to get involved in the action so I can really understand what goes on out on the streets I arrived just in time for afternoon roll call we are briefed and assigned our patrols for the day I don't have a clue what to expect but I'm a bit nervous after hearing what's G on the night before commission last night there was a shooting four people got shot last night so we'll see how it goes the only thing I'm a bit apprehensive about is if we're getting a car Chace Backle up and away we go I I should think with almost 4,000 assaults and officers every year in the state body armor is absolutely essential for all cops in the field I've been in a few cop cars back home but this is the first time I've ridden shot done I'm riding with officers Troy Harris and Tim Hefner through some of the toughest streets in the city as a rule a patrol unit will police their local area and call in backup specialist units as and when they're needed we've been on patrol for just half an hour and it's already kicking off oh oh oh oh f I just 911 just sit tight for I just saw I just saw this guy grab him and just smash him yes what's going on I'm the father I'm the father he's got a warrant on on him in Baltimore County for breaking into my business today he decided to break in my house and he stole my truck a $50,000 truck you have anything on you that should know about you got a need oh man if you do we going to find it anyway so it won make it even hard why are you taking your dad's truck I have a heroin addiction he's jacked out his head they're saying that he's he's wanted in uh another County I heard that and here actually what the what the guys are saying is he hasn't actually done anything here to arrest him for he stole from my house today I understand it's in Harford County though there's no way you can detain him it seems to me that what the kid needs is help but his dad is intent on getting him locked up I want to know why he feels that jail is the only way to sort his son out you know Jail's no good for him you know he's got all them right things he's going you know if you you know he's going to die look I know it man it's my kid it breaks my heart breaks my heart to have to put him in jail but you know what at least I know where he is and he's safe got a chance CH in jail he don't have a chance he don't I tried before them places not strong enough then to you know like to get him over it the rehabs and all unless he wants it unless you know is he saying yeah he's ready now but then when you get in there ready cuz he's got C 15 cops around you think he'll change his mind when he gets up there when the dope wear is awful changes good hearty kid but you know what are kill and it's such a sh and you know what it's out of control down there it's off the hook and B you pick the right place to come find the violence it's out of control what the drugs or the violence what violence and the drugs the violence comes with the drugs is it easy to get is it is that to get drugs in here around here yeah but it's dangerous I mean cuz especially you pull out a wi of money like that knucklehead hat in his pocket say yeah just go around the corner they'll shoot him for the money instead of just selling them the dope you know it's it's easier for him you don't seem him bad going you just need some help you know I appreciate your help they're going to Rel you're a young you're a young man 21 you got life in front of you I just got that fear of being dop sick so that's why but it doesn't last forever man doesn't last forever you put a couple of months in and then you know see where it goes from there you know one step at a time one day at a time man with no grounds to hold the young man the officers encourage his dad to take care of him and get when you they're going to release you to me yeah I'm putting you in Bill's Truck and you ain't get out cuz we're locking you in the back I'm sick like this okay I understand you're sick of living like this but every time I try to get you help you don't want it the father now says he simply wants to take his son uh to the nearest hospital hopefully to give him some treatment for his addiction uh his son says uh he'll be happy to do that and that's where we are now hopefully he'll go and get him some treatment that would be a big plus out of all this well we've uh dubbed Vinnie hawkey now the investigation leads to a recovered vehicle also uh leads to uh a young man who said he was out here who's uh addicted to drugs and he was actually out here because he wanted to cop some drugs so a lot of a lot of things transpire simply off of Vinnie so appreciate the work on that Chief thanks drug related offenses are directly linked to over 2/3 of all Prime in the city cases like this are all too common and the police are overrun with incidents back on board with Troy and Tim it's not long before we called into action again it's my first high-speed ride through the streets of Baltimore and it's fast and furious all right we got signal 13 officer in needing assistance we're trying to find our location and the whereabouts of the officer not quite sure what the uh initiated call that intersection that do at the scene three suspects are in handcuffs already you got ID on you man oh CRA right there [ __ ] got suspected at this point uh crack cocaine crack cocaine iect the crack cocaine yeah the driver and pasture of the Jeep Cherokee were the delivering narcotics uh we interrupted the narcotics deal the purchase we watched The Exchange we blocked the vehicle in how much you think's there street value couple thousand at least easily these these may be connected to the kid that we saw earlier on and the state that he's in why would you feel sorry for these you know just reuting it a choice you're not going to stop even for a first time offender the punishment can be tough jail terms can be anything from 10 to 40 years depending on the amount but even that doesn't deter the pushers many of them deal a game when they're released it's the end of our shift and I've witnessed the drug problem here firsthand we head back in and I've got plenty to think about on the way across town detective Donnie Moses is on night Patrol with officer Alan Keats after the heat of the day the call of the evening brings bring a darker side of the city onto the [Music] streets uh we just got a high ranking officer call for backup so we're on our way to that location I mean at this time we don't know what's going on but it sounded pretty urgent so we're on our way there now number one22 that's one22 as Donnie and Allen get to the location come here the place is lit up with blue lights and an arrest is in progress hey lieutenant this is the um gun that they got off the suspect um like I said they got out on a guy they suspected to be armed armed when they jumped out he took off running he was quickly apprehended the gun was recovered we're not going to touch it but you can see it is loaded Smith and Wesson with 9 mm with at least uh six rounds this was a good gun it's definitely a good grab off the street so that's great work great work any gun off the street is a good result for the cops but as they get back in their car a report comes in of a shooting nearby be clear uh we got called for discharging the firearms in an alley uh we take all of those serious because a lot of times you get a call for a discharge in the firearms and you actually find that you have a victim so uh we're going to get there this area they got a store right there stores across the street it is empty um chance this is all it was discharging around here and everybody who was here vacated the scene careful back in the alley it either sounded like fire works or someone there we go even though they're armed it's an extremely dangerous situation for Donnie and Allen anyone could be waiting in the shadows although it's dark they still have to make certain of their targets without support they are much more vulnerable to attack you never know when you're coming into an alley you might scare them and they're need your reaction is to fire at you even though they may have been protecting themselves to somebody else that was shooting but nonetheless you got to be prepared to protect yourself and we have the other unit that showed up on scene they said that uh said that it was just just fire fireworks firecrackers not uncommon here Fourth of July right around the corner both officers are grateful that it's just a false alarm and that they didn't have to engage anyone tonight even though you mean not necessarily be in danger at the moment just never know when something could pop off but it's not the last inant of Donnie and Allen's shift and the next call is very real well at this point we don't know much the call has only been out for five minutes detectives hadn't had a chance to get on the scene yet to um evaluate what's happened on the seriousness of it but we know somebody's been shot uh we believe as a result of uh an armed car jacket so the night is uh heating up officers and Medics are already interviewing and attending a man man who has been shot in the buttocks another man has been rushed to the emergency room at the local hospital with a gunshot wound to the face they went area probably about a block over from where we are now driving a BMW when at least one suspect approached ordered him out of the car fired the weapons neither of the two men are suffering from life-threatening injuries detectives are searching the location for any clues now what we're doing is we're up here at the scene of the shooting um just protecting the crime scene you know everything inside this tape you know could be evidence has to be preserved in it in its uh in its current form and where it's at right now that that's our our main priority we now have a we have a medic coming coming for this uh for this victim it's this Swift response that enables the area to be locked down and any information to be gathered as quickly as possible the slower the response the less likely it is that the criminals will be found we got two different stories from both victims uh they said they were carjacked in the area but um we don't know yet detectives are still uh investigating trying to get to the bottom of it it's the only time we tell it's just about shift change we're going to head back to the eastern district now so we can let Allan get home and Alan's happy about that get back I can get to my family the threat of guns is a fact of life in Baltimore never far from the policeman's faults so just who do these guys call when they need serious backup I've been on patrol in Baltimore for just one day and witnessed the extent of the city's crime problem it's everywhere now I need to find out just what the police have got to fight this war that looks unwinable I pay a visit to the police rifle range to meet the special weapons and tactics team that's SWAT to you and me these boys are at the top of the cop Tre trained to the Max and armed to the teeth they're sent in as a last result when a fullon response with Max Firepower is needed that was impressive okay yeah what done guys officer Zack wine shows me through some of their Arsenal standard handgun 40 caliber we carry a handgun we have lights on the front this a 20in shotgun you if you hold them up 20 gauge 20 in they're all 12 gauges but you can see by the barrel length that you can shoot a little further a little more distance with this but as far as like a an entry weapon this is a 14in you see how much shorter it is so when you're going in a house it's much easier to swing through hallways but it's going to spread a lot quicker this is a a G36 it fires 223 rounds there's the magazine for it holds 30 um it's a plastic huh great sound that [Music] mhm moving spot spot I think this is where the training comes you know like in in soccer they say how come David Beckham so good at free kicks you know and he he'll tell you practice practice practice here we go I can see the grouping from here unbelievable good grouping thanks I'd have you on my side these Lads are obviously crack shots but just how good are they and what does it take to be a member of SWAT what you say what your score was yeah I got a 100 but I'd lie and say it was 100 anyway if the camera it was 100 I got I got them all in what would happen if you got say a low score would you have to a 90 is the lowest score yeah um to qualify like a normal police department now they don't use these weapons but with a normal handgun score they can score a 70 and still carry a weapon we can't score any less than a 90 and be on the swap team next up it's my turn and the S sorts me out with some proper hard way just take this over your left shoulder and around your head there you go just like that okay and then I'm sure you've handled a weapon for so just like that have your aim Point here yeah one click down semi-automatic so you pull the trigger it'll just fire one round right both click down so if you go all the way down yeah if you pull the trigger you hold the trigger back it'll discharge until uh till you're out of okay okay keep that red dot right in the center of his chest and just pull back nice and slow and hold the trigger back that's it that's it all right head shot go for the [Applause] head yeah now I get to see just how deadly this weapon really is all right so go fully automatic all the way down one two just hold it to the rear and let it ride okay all right go ahead oh there you go let it on Save there you go okay good okay there you go thanks you're very welcome it a nice little rush isn't it it we got him anyway y did you very good that's it there's the that's that's where he said I had to get inside so I there's one out there but he got it there and then this was the semi look one right there it's all very well to go far in at paper targets but what if I was faced with the real thing it's not just about pulling the trigger it's the years of training that go into making a swap cup that makes them such a deadly force with a sound of gunfire still ringing in me ears I head back over to the eastern district to meet Lieutenant Rob quick of the violent crimes impact division they were formed in ' 91 to focus on gun crime drugs and gangs they're responsible for half the narcotics arrest in the city I hit the streets with Rob who brings me up the speed with the area and fills me in on why policing is in his blood what made you decide to you know join the force it a family affair uh my grandfather was a Baltimore city policeman um my uh my uncle his son so was on my mother's side uh was a Baltimore city policeman uh I was very close with him and and my grandfather growing up uh I knew right away it's what I wanted to do how many cars we got out tonight you think uh tonight we've probably got about 12 cars going four squads three cars per Squad generally is about the ru we're on the prow guys will begin to uh drive around and look for suspicious activity monitor the radio for any uh calls for service which might be something we'd want to address and every incident even when you pull a car over what there's always that threat isn't there there is there is you never know what you're going to experience out here Squad patrols up ahead sniffing out and spotting potential suspects the team have licensed to roam throughout the city districts it's instinctive police work and there is no substitute for experience as dust draws in we get a call from the boys up ahead uh as suspected got an informing uh information about an area we had uh just driven through a little little earlier uh Milton Avenue and bidle Street it's a pretty known heroin shop uh they got some information that uh particular individual is dealing down there right now here on right Rob notices one of the lads acting suspiciously as we pull up gentlemen how we doing everything okay what were you doing in that alley I wasn't in no alley you were never in an alley I didn't just see you walk out that alley like a minute ago no you saw me walking down the street is in street but not the alley God I'm going to beg the differ with you for a minute okay you don't have any idea on you though no right Greg you got him for a second go check something out as a norm a dealer would stashed their drugs close by in order to avoid getting caught red-handed they saw a guy with a baseball cap come popped out of here and went back in with them they want to search him a bit more I think so I think he might have sun in his shoe but just kneeling a h St trying to find anything uh he denied being in the alley and I know I clearly saw him exit the alley so that that could be one tell that there is something back here you see the sandwich which baggies that that's the indication generally speaking the higher concentration you see them in an area the longer that they've been uh longer they've been using that toay the drugs down we have no joy in the alley but one of the lads has noticed a woman acting suspiciously and he confiscates her purse is it what's in here what I think's in here she said yes which referring to drugs so I don't know how $6 Joe caps a heroin don't see them all every day a few more in there yeah she's a couple got a Hab it for how long generally speaking at the street level the dealers are are users uh they've they're either juveniles trying to make money or or adults with habits trying to support the Habit by selling when we came by the first time she had this little purple purse in her hand and she actually was right here in this alley she handed a guy small object so as I Circle the block to check it out Lieutenant quick had saw somebody else in that alley down the other end so she had an opportunity to go inside the house so as we were within the block or so she came outside the house sat down on the steps still had the purse in her hand she set it on the uh steps I just asked her if I could talked to her picked her picked her purse up and it was immediately apparent that there was ja caps of heroin in there so I asked her she admitted to it so we do a routine check of the scene and move on but it's like a crime a minute in the eastern and on the next block we pull up a car with a couple of young men in it Rob suspects drugs and he sends a dog in to have a sniff we're just saying the driver looks really nervous he's sweating he just put his head there he shaking his head when the dog stops and stairs he just alerted for the presence of Narcotics the suspects are asked to lead the vehicle so the dogs and getting closer would have put a dog around the dogs alerted and one of the officers said if it points this uh drugs or or um or a gun but a the boys are say something to say that they weren't smoking earlier in their marijuana or something like that but driver did look nervous this lock get lucky as all of a sudden we get a tip off someone is dealing drugs a couple of blocks [Music] away one unit's pulling up in the area right now see what he reports is it is it your pocketbook yes or no yeah that's my pocket it's your pocketbook I feel packaging for drugs inside of here packaging for drugs yes ma'am o and that would be what I'm feeling all right well like I said it's not my pocket book so but you said it was your pocketbook stand up it's not my pocket okay is there anything is there anything else on you no yellow top vows of a of a white substance that more likely not's going to come back cocaine when analyze uh this a common area for sales of cocaine it's commonly the way in which it's packaged so uh my guess is on cocaine not only have we found the suspect we were tipped off about but we also arrest her mate who has a bag full of heroin in her possession is this the lady here that we were looking for I I I believe so I haven't had a chance to confirm that Frank Frankly her description was pretty similar as as well if you notice they both have white shirts and at my understanding was the information was a female with a white shirt so I think it could have been either one and probably these guys seeing that I sto one key in or the second just uh just in case in this situation both of them both of them swep the net but two in one yeah she is she sitting there working for somebody more likely than she can't afford that could she or what generally not so someone will be saying right you sit here when they pull up just give him the thing so she's got caught up in it generally speaking it's a shame 16 years old what I've learned is that for Rob quick and his team it's about making small inroads into the drug and gun problems it's been a successful night and we head back to the station to process the [Music] suspects I've been in Baltimore nearly a week and I'm beginning to appreciate the risks threats and frustration the police face every day but to fully understand what being one of the toughest police forces in the world is all about I need to meet the violent criminals they're dealing with I head over to the west side of the city to meet former local drug dealer Keith Jones whose life has been overshadowed by gun crime I had a situation prior where a guy had killed my father and with a gun with a gun was he a dealer no he was actually a drug user it was some type of like a robbery going sour what have you but in the in the process my father lost his life in the ultimate Act of Revenge ke lame white for his victim we came out of the alley and when I came out of the alley he turned like this and that's when I I I stood up boom boom boom he fell boom boom boom boom boom boom the street Justice was that man you I mean you either be of the survival of the fittest you either be a wolf or you'll be a sheep Kei was sentenced to 35 years in prison and it was there that he reached a turning point in his life I went to myself C and I looked in the mirror and you know what I said to myself I said man this [ __ ] is not working and I started investigating religions you know I started reading and stuff I said man I got to get myself together you know Keith now spends his time talking to young people about gun crime and it's this matter that I need to get to the bottom of I you go go and get me a a gun how long do you honestly think it would take you to get me one if I called a old friend I probably could get one within an hour or two within an hour yeah and so can all these kids so can these kids they probably can get it quicker you know they can get it quicker because the reality is is what they do with with with the drug money is that they buy guns and then even is that to make them a bigger wolf yeah so these police are putting their life every night very dangerous job every night they're going out I would never have the job even if I even if I wasn't even I wasn't a convicted felon the cold facts are that on just one Street in Baltimore an estimated $10 million can be made dealing drugs every year and the gun is a sure far way of protecting that money just as I finish with ke a call comes in from control the SWAT team have been mobilized and they're on their way to a highly charged situation in the center of town so we're just going to go up there and see what's going [Music] on when I get there the police are close down the block and the crowds are held back guy that came out with a machete after the kids in the street and now he's gone back and said he's going to uh he's got a revolver 38 revolver so he's barricaded himself in the house apparently so this could be a long one the first team are getting ready to go in and extract the original cops from the line of fire first one of the the week is it yes sir helicopter up there as well everything here I'm going to follow the SWAT team up for a closer look this guy's barricaded himself in up this side street they reckon he's got machete and a gun he's uh done time in Vietnam he's about 60 years old know there's the armor car there you can just see the SWAT guys here upside come here hey uh we want move out out of line of sight all together if he has a long rifle you want to be out of line of sight so he can't can't shoot you can't shoot somebody well especially you yeah but he might not have liked my films John maybe was an autograph it's all going on around me you can sense that the team are on edge as the operation starts to unfold the guys that were here first on the scene we basically chased him back into the house they've had to stay there and secure him so then the van's gone in got them in the van now brought them back out to safety so now the boys that's why we saw the boys with the with the big shields going in swat have carried out the first part of the job they've removed the patrol officers who were first on the scene it's then that the negotiators come forward and I managed to get hold of one for a word what's what's going on um most of the uh snipers are here and they're going to be uh they're going to be setting up in their positions then negotiators going to go up in the barcat um and try and make contact with them we can roll from there the negotiators are sent in backed up by a second SWAT team who are primed and ready to take out the suspect at a moment's notice the amazing thing is they've just gone there now them boys and they're in full Lock and Load mode to shoot this guy [Applause] I wouldn't like to be that gazing now I tell you that it's been 4 hours since the siege began the man has shown no sign of coming out I spot Zach from the rifle range let's not just jump out the van and all rush in is it rush in at least the weather's nice when it's raining or snowing 4 hours can seem like a lot longer you know that SWAT command decides to offer the suspect a final ultimatum the team then moves into position to bring the seeds to a close tell Li to come outside those hands I'm told they might fire tear gas and I'm asked to clear the area but I can't move I need to hear what's going on [Music] on suddenly I'm overcome with [Music] fumes we're about we're about 60 yards away and they've put the tear gas in there it's horrible right right gets right in your throat makes it sneeze I don't know he still in there the tear gas has forced a m to give up and The Siege comes to an end it looks like they've got him in the street now on the floor he's here now is in shorts oh he looks a right State it's hard to believe this old man has cross so much drama that half the district has been closed down he seems a tough bastard though don't he really he's got cuts and bruises everywhere they just said to him you're all right he said well I'm breathing such a shame really for for his country in that and you know sended like this he just said you know I don't know what all the fuss is about I ain't done nothing to no one it's it's sad but we got here around about I know 6:30 so it's took 5 hours to get him out yeah fantastic job by the SWAT you know they took every precaution made sure he didn't get hurt made sure no no one else got hurt just still s right so there it is [Music] it's been an eye openening week for me in Baltimore it's a city where the poor areas are suffering from mass unemployment where making money from drugs is an easy option a massive 10% of the population are addicts and ready to do anything to get high it's no wonder the cops of Baltimore are struggling to cope being a cop here is not just about bigger Firepower and taking people out it's about training skill Instinct and the ability to make decisions in an instant which makes these guys some of America's toughest [Music] cops America a country with some of the most brutal criminals in the world and fighting back as some of the world's toughest cops yeah he's R the back I got a shot in there it's a job where murder drug wars and gun crime are part of everyday life come here a job where doing your duty could cost you your life they're running they're running they're running we got one now I'm joining some of these cops on the front line in the battle against the bad guys we got him [Music] [Music] yeah this is New Orleans The Big Easy but there's nothing easy about being a cop in this place he's running we got a runner there are cross the road stop come here get down yeah he's R the back perimeter the police are fighting a war against ruthless drug dealing gangs and the city is a wash with guns you know you shouldn't be having a gun at 16 New Orleans is the highest murder rate in the country we a killing nearly every two go they noticed uh AK-47 that was one of the the weapons used in the shooting in 2005 hurcan Katrina blew into town and the city descended into deadly lawlessness we got to steal from each other so we can surv it was almost apocalyptical it was a freefor all now I'm going on the front line with the men and women that will stop at nothing to rid their city of violent crime please the work New Orleans Louisiana is nestled in the Deep South at the mouth of the Mississippi it's a beautiful city with a turbulent past Uptown the picturesque French Quarter pays homage to its original settlers but just a few miles away downtown tells a different story violent crime in the city is amongst the worst in the US which has led to New Orleans being recently ranked as having the highest crime rate in the United States States per head of population somebody came and shot you all up in your head huh the police fa a lot of weapons with some New Orleans permitted to carry handguns in their cars and on their person I'm here to roll with the nopd Special Operations unit these guys are no ordinary cops they deal with everything from tactical assault to targeting the city's most violent criminals or the violent offenders Warrant Squad are gathering for a briefing in the sixth district uh at this point we're going to walk through the door we're going to go out there we're going to grab these guys and just make sure that you guys don't I don't want to end up with anybody getting hurt F has been assigned 37 criminals to arrest wanted for drug dealing in the city 10 address Troy please officer Fred faf has served on the New Orleans streets for 15 years the warrant I got it all right 10 full our main job responsibilities are locating wanted subjects the warrants sent to us and we're our task is to go out and try to locate that subject and and put him in jail the individuals that we're looking for now they're drug dealers so there's there's a possibility that these people can be armed orange double yeah we're at the location now hold on a second all right the gate Lo in the back I can't Fred and the unit approach the house and knock on the door after a short while they make contact on the lady answers that's un he don't live here I have no idea he gave my address as the officer searched the house for the suspect they make a discovery you got something on you baby I have nothing back who flushed that Cod what Coke cocaine that's in the bathroom bab I don't have no cocaine there's drugs in your bathroom in your turn okay I don't sell no drugs that [ __ ] in there too yes I'm getting the [ __ ] out of here it's left to officer Mike Hamilton to to recover the submerged drugs which suspects have attempted to flush down the toilet for the love of the job that's suspected heroin roughly uh an ounce a raw heroin the V unit strike it lucky on their first want of the day and they uncover $50,000 of raw uncut heroin and over $22,000 in cash with neither of the subjects in the house willing to own up to the the drugs both are arrested and taken to Jail the vs Unit are on the front line of the crime war in New [Music] Orleans every day they are charged with bringing in the city's Most Wanted from armed robbers and murderers to prison escapes and drug dealers distribution of heroin heroin please they often face hardened criminals with a lot to lose so a tough and uncompromising approach is always necessary going to jail the distribution of cracked cocaine me as the day rolls on BS round up 30 wanted criminals and a large quantity of legal [Music] narcotics open the front door [Music] successfully removing drugs and the drug dealers from the city streets I'm joining Fred from my first Patrol with vows on the Mean Streets of New Orleans what do you think about our boys our our cops don't carry guns but there's no way there's no way that I would go out on a street without a gun you wouldn't not here absolutely not we they have criminals all over the country but in this city they're Savages they're just they don't care care about anything our first warrant is for a man wanted for an assault on his girlfriend and criminal damage to property but I won't earn my place in the patrol car and prove I'm not just here for the ride in New Orleans in 2007 there were over 3,000 arrests made for domestic violence can y'all push on this gate for me real quick well nobody answering at the front door Fred tries to gain access to the backyard to see if there's any sign of Life there it is finally after some determined police work we get contact come to the front of the house the police hey yeah how's it going you have a shirt yes I have heyy listen dude yes sir calm it down here okay take it down or not I am I I'm surprised your girlfriend or whatever y was going on with Y she put charges on you we didn't do it she did Big M have a war on you okay that's why we here all right as a suspect is Led from the house his aggressive nature becomes apparent some think the sergeant is quick to subdue this is embarrassing man like a r like a what a rat why you say that you're not being treated like a rat you treat your girlfriend I did not okay so I would never hit anybody did I say you hear him no you threaten the guy come out don't treat me like a rat s just went Mar we put you in a [ __ ] cage we treat you like a rat it was my first case with Fred and I was proud to have Aid it in the arrest of a wanted man when I when I opened that gate it was like I can't express the satisfaction and when Fred said wiggle the gate wiggle the gate I wiggled the gate and it opened up and it just opened up the case absolutely you got that right so we could be getting a taser again or something by lunch time probably I'm in New Orleans Louisiana with the elite special operations unit man when they're not serving warrants on some of the most wanted criminals in the city they're on Swap Duty knocking down doors and storming houses it's my first time at special opx HQ and I'm impressed the ring in the corner is the unit's Proving Ground something I'm going to experience later yeah when I arrived they were looking over surveillance footage of the target's house perimeter team you going have to take B Cutters with you and get into that fence cut that fence get to the rear well we won't know until we get there see all that sh I'm told they're also looking for weapons used for mult murders and armed robberies you're just going to have them hold on that wait for the red team to make entry into the house dominate the house and wait for the car to move to the back because of the dangers involved in the raid I'm told I won't be allowed to ride with the boys in the swap truck instead I'll be rolling with Lieutenant Brian Lampard right pig as we prepare to leave our receive an update on the surveillance operation at the house line up for peram homicide of just said to uh Brian that the the guy is there 6 foot odd um got a pit born as a there's a woman with him as well so the target is actually there so this could be really exciting let's go because of the high risk of the weapons being used the SWAT team needs to hit the house in numbers on this right only 40 police officers are involved let's go roll up make sure make sure you stop there make sure we're all tight what what what's the dangers there now Brian well like we discussed in the in the briefing this guy's warning for murder yeah um he obviously has violence in his past depending on you know how bad he wants to stand his ground he got the potential to be a violent encounter for us I don't know how they feel I got the adrenaline going good walk away there's the house there the red Bri they all going up the side of the house SWAT raids are f with danger with a high possibility of a shoot of a suspect or officer I'm happy not to be first through the door on this one they're bashing the D front dooring they're going in they're going in now they're all in there now everybody's inside has a lot shouting and screaming it was tense in the car as we waited outside for an update from the SWAT team are you holding the uh the target negative one female here comes a woman there's a lady come out the team red team move upstairs with no sign of the target I'm allowed to move forward towards the house it was really quick I mean they literally was here up the side around the back through the front door really effective really really good they've got one woman in there so whether the guy got out or what I don't know but the trouble is when they're coming in the got so many of these kids on Corners with cell phones I think they get tipped off that's the battle these guys you know they got got they got Lookouts on the corners on the cell phones so whether he's out gone the car's still here she's over there still screaming and shouting so we'll have to wait and see with a house now safe I went in to see what the team are up against think are dogs there's two more dogs in there one come out there's a pitball on the side officer Chad gyon was first through the door you never know what you're going to get I mean uh you know the warrant is a homicide warrant so you know you're going after a guy who's already committed a homicide his potential for violence is very high you never want to see those days where one of us don't come out of the house even though the target wasn't in the house the SWAT team recovered a weapon us in a double murder the gun will eventually be destroyed along with the estimated 2,300 Firearms the anopd recover every year I'm impressed watching the unit in action these guys know what they're doing and are clearly very good at it I'm disappointed not to have gone through the door with a team but they've told me I can prove my worth to the unit in an initiation test that they have planned my reputation precedes me as a bit of a hard man so they've told me I need to face one of their tough guys in the ring so them I'm Hollywood but they don't know I've recently spent 6 weeks in a gym training for me last movie I Am the Only traveler who's won six years in a row i' done um the strength and honor movie with um with Michael Madson and I was in the gym for 6 weeks and uh really got into it and you realized how hard it is I'm ready to fight but then Jeff unit's prize fighter Steeps through the door Jeff how you doing man Jeff BR it's good to meet you man evening hopefully he's got an extra thick head guard for me absolutely and he takes it easy on me n cuz we got to work tonight and this has become precious now so what you 220 Jeff 230 wait yeah 265 265 there you go and I've just I've just lost about 12 lb as I'm giving up a weight Advantage I'm going to have to draw upon my speed and Nimble footwork to get through this fight in case you start throwing wild whether that will last for two rounds is doubtful I'm sparring for the honor of the SW team you fighting for Britain flying the flag for Britain we'll see as long as you don't put me on my ass I'll be fine he does I cook him in the bollocks anyway I'm aware this in case he throws a little shot I'll I'll still be able to have some kids this is my chance to prove myself in front of the boys and theyve all turned out in forc to see Jeff s me down I don't know this is going to be a close one I don't know how the man can do it but the Young Buck can hit hard I know that [Music] I started well managing to get a few good Jabs [Music] in but then my fitness started to tell the legs could keep up with the heart and Jeff got through the guard good he caught me with a leg wobbler right on the chin but I managed to stay on the feet to H the Bell good don't tell Vinnie now but if he beats roach we're going to Buck him he's going to jail [ __ ] out sh dude I tell you got to wait on he [ __ ] moves I have to admit Vinnie's fighting a better fight than what I expected I wasn't sure what to expect but got some grab in I came out fighting in a second and gave it me all I'd given it my best shot I was just happy not to be lying flat out on me back in front of the boys just saying I'm coming in a bit low there he was waiting for me to throw it but caught me one where I I have to take the first round cuz I cuz I caught him with that hook Vinnie's going to have to take the second round cuz he uh he put a few punches together on me I couldn't defend so uh we'll uh we'll definitely call it a definitely call a split decision you know he might have threw the fight cuz he uh you know he didn't want to go to jail yeah that's one might not have won but I earned their respect in a place alongside them [Music] notoriously but the dangers for the unit in new Lings today pale in comparison to what they faced in 2005 that's someone new or was hit by a storm greater than any before Hur Katrina gained Pace over the Caribbean Sea before unleashing all its fury on The Big Easy the sea level Rose until the levies couldn't take it anymore these streets are look like rivers and canals almost immediately more than 3/4s of New Orleans was under 5 ft of water and 70% of the city's police officers became homeless I'm lost that's all I had that's all I [Music] had Jason Samuels was one of many NPD officers that stayed in the city to help its citizens it was almost apocalyptical probably 85% of the city was underwater at least 3 to 4 feet which you had families uh stuck and needed rescuing and then the other 15% that was Out of Water you had millions of people heading that way to basically steal what they wanted what they needed or just try to find safety they said send everybody the Super Dome that was horrific there was murder there was suicide conditions and it was so horrible that I had to get out more than half of the city fled but with New Orleans in its hour of need Jason knew he had to stay he regrouped with the rest of the unit in a nearby school I mean you basically learn to survive mentality we went and found stores that maybe weren't flooded where we were able to get socks and and some type of food stuff canned food and everything to where we were able to sustain ourselves until help arrived Jason and the Special Operations unit patrolled the city with the Army rescuing those in need and recovering the bodies of some of the estimated 2,000 people that died local law enforcement is awesome they routinely running through about every 10 minutes so amazingly Jason did all this with an open gunshot wound in his leg just over a month before Katrina hit he was involved in a shootout with a fleeing criminal whilst on duty in the city the gunshot wound in my uh my groin area had never closed so I was constantly bleeding my left leg swelled up to probably uh two to three times its normal size the pain was such that I would crawl to uh you know where my boots were or whatever and get dressed and I just put on my gear went to work even now the city is still recovering but the heroics of Jason and his fellow nopd officers will always be remembered as far as American police I don't think there's any other unit that's been through what we've been through it was a k do uh guys going overseas to war together without a doubt the special op unit excelled in the city's time of need and listening to the heroics of Jason makes me proud to be serving alongside him but as I was about to find out when night falls the challenge of being a crop in New Orleans becomes even greater I'm in New Orleans Louisiana a city blighted by drugs and illegal Firearms I've seen the Special Operations unit in action looking for weapons they're going in they're going in now and arresting drug dealers but the Frontline police and is done by Tac patrols who own the city's toughest neighborhoods T been as it happens that's not mine be playing no games I Ain playing no [Music] games officer Christian prick is heading to one of the city's most gr neighb tonight we're in the fifth district and we're going to uh look for uh some uh known drug hotpots we'll see what we could shake up in the neighborhood and uh hopefully we can get uh a few of these troublemakers off Street River the night is still young when freck gets a call to assist other officers on the scene of a triple shooting yeah this is actually going to be the scene right here on the left with all the news cameras what this you on the scene freck discovers that three men in a 4x4 drove past and sprayed everyone on the pavement with an AK-47 one of the victims is a 16-year-old boy the crime actually happened right here by the car where all the cones are from there once the shots rang out the victims probably ran over to this tire shop at which point they were hit and unfortunately one's uh one's down and uh he's been pronounced dead on the scene I know you away from the murder scene the chase for The Killers continues officer frck gets information that the car used has been abandoned nearby after a brief Chase how yall doing all three subjects bailed out of the vehicle and fortunately for the police they left the the the AK-47 inside the vehicle officers caught two of the perpetrators as they ran from the car but one Still Remains at [Music] large as Christian returns to the car he gets a call that the remaining wanted man has been spotted all right same Marine airt come on we got a guy fit in the script of this 34 the shooting he just ran across the street here he's going to uh bunker down now we got this perimeter set fairly quick over here and we're going to stop right here this going to be our Corner we're going to get out on this corner here set up this perimeter as the killer darts through the gardens the units in the area quickly ging off the block that he has left SE we're going to have a solid perimeter on this guy now uh the subject crossed one street now he's going to be in this street [Music] here the K9 unit arrives and searches the area but unfortunately it fails to pick up on the perpetrator [Music] sent the search is hampered by the number of empty houses left over from Huracan Katrina that act as good hide [Music] wise they could go anywhere in these abandoned houses and uh on that last block there was only two houses that people actually living in after looking for over an hour the search is eventually called off with two suspects in custody getting the name of the third won't be difficult what doing bro however for Christian not to find the suspect is still frustrating it's aggravating I mean you got we've been out here for an hour you got numerous officers out here concentrating on this area and we can't do anything about it 30 rounds clearly when the Sun goes down the criminals come out to play and the job of the police becomes even more difficult the following night I hit the streets with officer John Barb betti who has survived many Close Encounters PR much controlled but you know there's murders every day your first gun fight how did that come around it was interesting we had an informant working with us and uh he said there was going to be a we all start deal going down and uh we were going to try to jump it around and uh it ended up into uh turning into a gunfight right then and there well he he jumped out with the gun um yeah two passengers and the driver all had guns how long ago was that that was um in 2000 2001 you've had a few more since then of yeah yes I'm slightly worried I might be going on patrol with the bullet magnet but thankfully we're hitting the ghetto in numbers no take TR you got anybody with you we're traveling in a special tactical group known as the wolf pack a gang of cars that stick together to flood a particularly difficult area all we do is uh mostly proactive kind of work try to stop it before it happens or or while it's happening this is uh the ninth W area a lot of chasing a lot of weapons violations and uh heavy narcotics he's going to stop this guy right here check him out kind of watch his hands see what kind of movement he does check this car real quick I'm learning that working as a street cop requires a different set skills do we make you nervous you all right you sure your heart's going 100 miles and hours the Tactical units act on Instinct identifying who to stop right next way seeing barbetti in action on picking up how the wolf pack operates then a call comes through on the radio of another unit needing assistance bring you guys over here 4000 on the scene a young suspect is in custody and then I noticed why [ __ ] you had that gun yeah what you carrying a pistol for right Officer Waggers pack was first on the scene so I asked him what happened story that we saw the subject emerge from the corner on the bicycle he hopped off the bicycle started fleeing on foot digging in his pocket like this believeing he had a was concealing a weapon concealing a firearm we hopped out we started to order him to stop he continued running as he got about up into this area right here he removed firearm from his pocket tossed it onto the concrete here officer Buro tased him and he was quickly subdued how old are you I'm 16 16 probably I probably be like unbelievably the suspect cycling around with a loaded gun isn't even old enough to watch one of my films at the Cinema 16 years old as the case unravels the armed cyclist provides a novel excuse as to why he's carrying a gun he said he chased a chicken under the house missed the chicken and found the gun and the bullets under a house while he was riding his [Laughter] bike as excuses go this one r right up there I went to speak to him to see if there were any holes in his story what happened with the with the gun where did you find the gun the house over there not over here up the street what was a chicken under the house I was chasing a chicken why were you chasing a chicken I sell a chicken money cloth $10 a chicken $10 a chicken how many did you get in a day huh how many did you get I ain't catch N I found a gun I would go sell it you quick enough to catch a chicken you sure you know you shouldn't be having a gun at 16 I already know why didn't you you should have just stopped the stopped the policeman and just gave him the gun so look I just found this gun then you wouldn't be in no problems I won't get no reward for that look at your reward now then huh you know what I mean you're going to have this forever now dude in order to stop the Chicken Chaser from fleeing the officers deployed a taser device this temporarily stuns The Suspect with 50,000 volts of electricity is that the first time you've been tasered first time I ever got a chocolate like there did that hurt shaking like a chicken you you shaking like a chicken maybe we get $10 for you then you made all these policemen come out here have to see you right there the kid's funny but I doubt how honest he's being I know uh-huh in New Or leans even 16y olds are involved in serious crime he's not going anywhere I mean a lot of the Armed robberies and stuff like that and even nowadays the murders are the the perpetrators are getting younger and younger so who knows what he had what he had on his mind you know watching the Wolfpack deal with the armed cyclist it helped me understand the challenge these cops face and rolling with John and the boys is starting to get me thinking more like a cop this you on the Florida Jennings 9 to 9 mm as the night wears on we're coming up against more and more guns and I start seeing what the cops are up against each time they step onto the streets two guns two stops two guns it's an eye opener to be riding with John and the Wolf Pack witnessing firstand the dangerous job they do out here like we received a to respond to yet another stop and search when the unit ahead spots a suspicious car at the Junction Bar bet Tails him just in case he needs backup then a simple stop and search turns into a car chase he's running we got a runner we got a runner we're traveling nearly 100 mph on the dusty back road but still the suspect's far ahead he's leaving us in a cloud of dust yeah yeah we're chasing a car right now um he running from the police just got to watch these intersection so dusty we can't see a lot up ahead the criminals car turns right so John takes an earlier road to see if we can head him off coming I [Music] believe we're carel in them right now see if we can cut them [Music] off as we wait for the car to emerge the chasing unit radio and they tell us that The Wanted men have crashed and are now on foot street is he running John yeah he's on foot he's right out here someplace keep an eye on behind us yeah I was scouring the houses looking for a sign of the two criminals there just ahead I spot one of them run FR Us in the yard in there yeah he cut across he's on royal royal 2100 going toward back toward St Claude stop back up go back come here get down get down get down keep talking bar in the bushes chasing the suspect someone needs to get around the side and head him off yeah he's R the back need setet somebody need to call out the name where they were you got him back there thankfully another unit was there to tackle him otherwise I would have had to notch up my first take down other way way what but there was still one fugitive at large I think there's another one is there another one I saw the [ __ ] run behind us into the bushes is there another one yeah there going to be one more we got the driver so far k9's already been called bro k9's already been called I'm going to put him on this side bro right right there that was the real stuff John just said to me keep an eye out behind I look behind I just see him run across the street behind us when he was going so fast any little kids anything they just killed him seconds they got the one yeah yeah the one we saw com I saw him I couldn't get back to that fence fast enough I get I got wailed in the face with a tree branch I just saw him out a corner me ey just run good I said look back and I saw you said look while we wait for the K9 unit I go to where the car crash to find out how the chase ended here's the skid marks right back here look and there's the skid there so have gone through there try to wrecked it for it lucky never went through the house I think they there must have been a cop car here so they've just they've spun it in a there's one other the hats there so the other guy saying he was the he was the in the passenger seat but looking at this it looks like he was the one we got the driver H they checking it this this going to be stolen you stole the car he sto the car he pick me up K9 arrived on the scene and I direct them into the block where the remaining fugitive was last seen yeah John chased him across this street this one came into here the one they caught so the other one might be in the other block yeah did y'all see you saw him come out we scare through Gardens and sear the abandoned houses not knowing what we might uncover my heart is in my mouth yeah they don't know whether he's got a gun or not they didn't find a gun in the car so that's saw everywhere they look they they got the guns out [Music] first million places to hide after over an hour of meticulous searching the K9 unit call it a day we went into every Garden dog never picked up anything car's pretty smashed up as you saw that's nearly a right I I'd imagine but you did a good job spotting them yeah we spotted him all right but just frustrating we never got the other one yeah but it was good I say and uh led to an apprehension yeah thank God we were close and one less Criminal on the street but there's so many places in there to hide man I tell you I'm proud to have helped John and the Wolfpack get an arrest but it's sad to see yet another young teenager in the hands of the law gu I do you know but after the adrenaline Chase wears off I'm left feeling thankful that this time no weapons were drawn and that the boys can all head home tonight I'm in New orings in the Deep sou of the United States it's been a privilege to roll with one of the best units in the nopd witnessing firsthand the challenges they face and helping them to apprehend the bad guys yeah he's R the back for my last night I'm teamed up with Sergeant Dave duplanti a local new orleanian who joined the police after growing up in the hood how long have you been in the force and why did you join du I've been on a little over 18 years now and uh I was always curious about police work but I was always kind of on the other side I was I I wasn't a bad kid by any means but you know you do things that teenagers do so and we hung out a lot so we got stopped and checked out a lot you know there used to be at least a code amongst criminals and and and that bad seed of the world you know where they they would deal with each other but they kind of left the elderly and and and innocent out of it not anymore even though Dave knows the ghetto better than most he understands he can't take any situation lightly and all the units must stick together not everybody in these neighborhoods are bad but you got that rough element those that Arad they going to with their blood they're going to with their family and we're not family for instance neb see how many people will be out there how many threats that are around us goad could become a pretty hostile situation but then they're the first ones to call you guys yeah all right turning right on turn it right on as we drive through the city Dave receives an urgent call and the lights go on talk to me where you at what was that BR they got a guy running on foot and boed on him they got a little 75 the worst cooler cop can get is to hear a fellow officer Who's down or he struggling with a suspect because he knows to get away he will have to use any means right now they got a uh they got a fight going on with some officers yeah they got some officers involved good everybody good when we arrived the area is flooded with cops to control the situation and three suspects have been apprehended to make it hey you I'm told that as the officers went to apprehend the suspect a gun was pulled might be easy to get over and after a brief struggle it was thrown into a nearby Alleyway the number of units is Justified as this street corner is at the center of a gang wall the suspects arrested are most likely gang members armed and ready to protect their Turf after checking the rear of the property Dave makes an alarming Discovery F Poor Man's version of a bell the gang had hidden the laser sighted semi-automatic machine gun in the back Garden a sign that gang wars in this city are the real deal in New Orleans because many lawful citizens are permitted to carry and own guns they are often taken in robberies in the US it's estimated that nearly half a million are stolen every year Master with three suspects in custody and two weapons recovered including the machine gun the knight's work would seem a success I'm not in no beat you violating me bad man you got me bad but the challenge of with so many young people guns ising calm down right look around look at everybody right now these cars and then handcuffs look at look at their faces they kids they children and you see the hardware that they carrying out there the rifles the guns that's the frightening thing yeah they got yeah they you know they pulled the trigger they don't know the consequences what they're doing mm they all and people out there they killing each other like crazy know that's the world we live in you know that's just how it is right now say it's estimated that up to 50% of teenagers drop out of high school across the state and many turn to Crime to get by they look so innocent when you arrest them don't they the only thing you can tell them is death or jail guess what they don't care about either one jail is almost like graduating from college for kids out here it's it's it's a pin on their shirt so they don't care about that they just go do their time learn in jail and come back out and keep doing it as we leave yet another seen where teenagers have been arrested and weapons recovered I'm left thinking that the job of Dave and all the cops in New Orleans is one I couldn't deal with day today just like in one night let alone you know one week the amount of guns that the lads are getting and the amount of guns they have to deal with and that threat I just find phenomenal the gun situation is out of control it really is well I mean I've been doing this 18 years and I I I I still sometimes I ride around and I just you know every every now and then you just kind of get off struck with the amount of weapons that you see on the street this is just a city where young old everybody's carrying a gun almost like the Wild Wild West it's a hard-hitting final night on patrol with the special option un H cops like Dave and the boys out here New Orleans is certainly a better place I've grown to appreciate the tough job they do to understand it takes a special person to do this in and day out so basically that's our time now up in New Orleans with the with the swap boys and everybody and uh I got to say it's been really enjoyable I found that the longer we've been here the more they sort of bring you into the group and um what's come out of it for me is how tight they are and how they all rely on each other the shock inside of it all really for me is is the amount of young kids you know 16y olds walking about with a gun you know full magazine loaded ready to go you know great learning curb and full of excitement um great adrenaline rushes on the car chase especially you know you never know if someone's going to run out or anything you know you're doing 100 mph through these little streets that was quite hairy you know it's been a great experience and it's it and I think it's taught me uh to to basically for me to respect the law a lot more [Music] America a country with some of the most brutal criminals in the world and fighting back are some of the world's toughest cops yeah he R the back I had a shot in there it's a job where murder drug wars and gun crime are part of everyday life come here a job where doing your duty could cost you your life they're running they're running they're running we got one now I'm joining some of these cops on the front line in the battle against the bad guys we got him yeah [Music] they call it the City of Angels but take it from me there's more to La than bright lights and Tinsel Town glamour Los Angeles is a Melting Pot of crime are the cops here face everything from action m style robbery to Mass public disorder and thousands of active gang members he's one of the go-to guys for guns I'm going into the hood with the LAPD gang units on their mission to clean up the city's most dangerous [Music] neighborhoods he's admitted that he's took it now but he still won't sell am gang crime is R here with violence shootings and murders part of everyday life in South Central [Music] LA the most dangerous place on Earth Someone said a gun shot's been heard hit the curb put your hands on your head turn [Music] around Los Angeles is the second most populated city in the United States home to 3.8 million people and the film industry and for the past few years it's been my adopted Hometown everyone knows about Rodeo Drive Sunset Boulevard and Venice Beach but beyond the glamour hard bodies and Whit and teeth is another side to the city and it's a side that I'm going to see firsthand when I head out with the cops in the past 5 years alone these streets have witnessed over 23,000 Gang Related crimes but before I head out I want to get an idea of what I'm going to be facing so I come to meet a man who's seen it all Commander Pat Ganon the head of all the gang units in the LAPD how many gangs are there here there are hundreds of gangs in in the city of Los Angeles in in the South part of the city in South Los in South Los Angeles in one small 10 square mile area there's uh 60 gangs with 60 subsets of of of those particular gangs in a 10 in a 10 m area where did it all start then where how did it oh my gosh how do you think it all started it evolved over a period of time for Los Angeles it's when cocaine crack cocaine PCP and those types of of drugs became very prevalent and the and then you had the selling of those drugs became uh a money maker I tell you for gang members talk about neighborhoods and protecting their own and and and it's all for the for the neighborhood it's about money La is home to the most infamous gangs in the world the Bloods and the Crips and their main business is the drug trade the Bloods and the Crips are the city's black gangs added into the mix are the Hispanic gangs in the last 25 years more than 10,000 gang members have been killed the highest concentration of gang activity is in the city the notorious 77th district and that's where I'm headed I'm going to be on patrol with Sergeant Ron Lopez the wall of his office is a Rogues gallery of gang members and there's quite a few of them these guys here are Bloods Bloods Bloods Bloods and then within the Crips there's two different sets of Crips there's neighborhood Crips and gangster Crips vastly different even though they're both called Crips they don't get along neighborhood Crips neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood Crips as well the troubles Hoovers Hoovers ho all Hoovers are gangster Crips so these guys will fight these guys just as much as they would fight these guys now I've seen what we're up against it's time to get in amongst it and I'm headed straight into the thick of it we're headed deep in the heart of the 77th District gang land some gang members who are on parole have been spotted drinking at house party they're breaking the conditions of their release we know there's gang members in the party that are uh on probation and parole they're not supposed to be uh hanging out together it may not sound dangerous but it's a potential Tinderbox situation and it could escalate into something far bigger other reason for breaking up gang parties is that it allows rival gangs to have a a good Target a few blocks away the cops plan their raid on the Gathering on the southwest corner there's a lookout out there he's dressed in black the black cap on so he's we've been seeing him up and down the street all night just driving around so we're going to jam everybody up and put them all against the east side of the uh the building they're not taking any chances all right s up every actor should have one of these if everybody's still there pertaining the information we got during the little briefing right now should be a a pretty good hit lot drinking lot of booze lot of uh drugs possible guns all of the above are uh very likely in a situation like this um what our guys will be paying specific attention for is uh that one or two guys that try to make a break for it on the uh the back side of the group has a potential to be very dangerous the boys seem quite keyed up for it they like all this do they oh this it's like a a kid going to Disneyland for them they affectionally refer to it as smashing going to go smash a party as we get closer we kill the lights going and uh kill the light and then hit the gas [Music] M Ang get right there everybody your the party girls are lined up as the cop search a location for drugs and guns but they find nothing and the gang members they were looking for seem to have slipped into the night they had surveillance that there was a few gang members there that they wanted to round up but they think maybe the the boys they were after slipped out so uh a bit of after Lords may show a little bit so we'll move on anyway I'm in the hometown of movies Los Angeles California it's the showz capital of the world but behind the glitz and glamour lies an underbelly of crime and violence I'm seeing a different s to the city with the cops of the LAPD special gang unit who specialize in tackling gang crime LA's gang problem is an ongoing battle the two most infamous gangs are the Bloods and the Crips to the the CPS emerged in the early '70s and are identifiable with their blue colors the Bloods whose color is red was formed a few years later to rival the Crips along with large numbers of Hispanic gangs that populate the city gang crime has been the major problem facing the LAPD I'm rolling with Sergeant Ron Lopez it's my first time on Patrol on the Los Angeles streets but Ron's been doing this for 14 years the LAPD is in his blood what was your inspiration behind coming a cop especially so early uh I grew up with it I'm actually second generation my dad did 38 years with uh LAPD so this is all I I knew as a kid growing up as we drive around I start to get an idea of the problems the cops face this house here we pulled the AK-47 out of this house you get a lot of the young kids getting caught up and crossfires and stuff yeah we had um 78-year-old girl got killed about a year ago go and there was uh about 300 Cruisers in the gas station there to show gas station they were all just standing there you know smoking and joking sobody came by and whether he was the right guy or not they came by and he got shot right in the melon all right okay yeah so it doesn't matter what street you turn on at some point there was some there's some gang influence there but it's Danger on every corner essentially yeah who wants to live with that Ron gets a call about a bust a few blocks away officers spotted a known gang member acting suspiciously as they drove past his house first on the scene was Officer Steve McLean and both the gang member and the property are well known to the cops it's one of our regular stops we check on here it's notorious for selling drugs back here been in this particular apartment before for weapons violations we've recovered uh assault rifles from from this room anyway when we came down here today we recognized pration stepping out of the house Soros slams the door back um it a strong smell of marijuana we cover the house for get some additional units cuz they're not opening the door uh delaying our investigation the cops suspect he has relieved himself of the stash before they can get in did he yeah he had a toilet flush so I imagine they flushing the dog down the toilet and uh that's where we are right now we got got nothing we've cleared the house for people conducted a preparation search and uh nothing this is uh the 60s brim uh Blood Gang This is their area so he's a he's a documented gang member and uh he's one of the ones that actually sells dope on for benefit of that gang Steve and I have something in common he's an next Pat pounding the beat in LA after a stint in the British army he came over here and joined up with the cops this is our British LAPD cop don't get many of them to the pound where you from Bri oh yeah yeah I got some I used to run at Brighton dogs all right have a few dogs there yeah imagine my brother wasted some money on your dogs in yeah he's yeah dog man is he or just a gam yeah Gambler dogs o gamble football yeah he's a dirty player like you not now see reputations this time Steve hasn't got his man but he's not deterred today he stays out catch him next week catching gangsters is not easy because in the battle against the gangs the odds are always stacked up against the police there's 12 of us working against 2000 oh so you could have every gang officer in the city working and you're still outnumbered 5 to one 6 to1 but despite this numerical disadvantage the 77th gang unit is getting results in recent years they have had great success in getting illegal guns off the streets our unit has taken more guns off the street than any other gang unit in the entire city last year we took uh almost 200 guns off the street the year before we took 250 guns off the street um I think this year we're at about I want to say about 120 so far this year so I mean in 2 and 1 half years that's uh almost 600 guns yeah we've taken off the street so you average it out we're at better than one every two days [Applause] yeah Dr like crime is an ongoing battle for the cops in La latest figures show that seasons of cocaine are up 150% marijuana at 200% and methan vitamins are staggering [Music] 1,000% I'm back on the streets with Sergeant Lopez and it's not long before I see for myself an example of LA's drug problem [Music] the C have spotted some young gang members selling drugs on the street corner for these guys the day's business is [Music] over Chris and Steve have come around the corner two Lads on the thing here probably Lookouts boled in a so they've stopped running after them this kid and this other kid around the side here and as they saw the cops he's gone bu and smashed it into his mouth and they tried to get him down and get that out that but in his desperation the juvenile has swallowed his stash of crack think they're about to call the paramedics now because he's 1 and he swallowed it so it's now turned into a major incident there yeah he just told us he swallow rock cocaine he won't how much though he said he swalled a baggie but he he's not sure how much is in there he he's admitted that he's took it now but um he still won't tell them how much normally adults can handle it depends on the quantity they swallow can have a pretty adverse make them pretty sick the cops can't take any chances so the boy is taken to hospital in handcuffs as his surprise father looks on hey you swallow some dop I take that look away as a an admission of guilt my son ain't swallow no I don't care what you say you take whatever but I know my son ain't swallow no [ __ ] drug is Dad came out there and said to him you swallowed do you swallowed dop and he can't even answer his dad he just looked away which is so sad you know you can see the situation we're in here which ain't the best he's already involved 14 years old you know D so um he's a victim of the ganger you know and uh hopefully if he get stomach he won't do it again so uh we'll go on anyway I was B by Riv hey eat a little tea oh just like a river I running you damn right the age of some of these gang members has shocked me many of them seem barely into their [Music] [Applause] [Music] teens one of the main problems in tackling gang crime is that there is always a steady supply of recruits ready to sign up I see all these guys hanging out right here in front they're all gangsters or gangsters family for the older guys it's easier or beneficial to recruit the younger upand comers s to speak say okay you want to earn your stripes go out you know anybody who's deemed to be or labeled as shooter other words someone who will go out and actually shoot someone has instant credibility amongst their gang because not every gang member has the guts or the the backbone to go out and do a shooting they need to make sure that any possible gang activity is nipped in the bud keeping on top of gang problem is all about suppressing their activities being proactive and not reactive we've been called to a stop search of a known gang member these guys Vinnie are both on parole which means they have search conditions so at any time they're stopped by any police officer in California they're subject to search their car is subject to search as well as their house the man claims to no longer be a gang member a I be in school every day what are you studying business science where at ELO yeah but the cops suspect he's still a major player the intelligence that we have on on the uh the older of the two with the ponytails he's a member of the uh a treay Hoover Gangster Crips he's been a member since 1985 because of the amount of time he has in the gang he has instant credibility on the street and if he was to tell a new member to do something they would do it out of respect for him and his position of authority because of his time in the gang and seniority s to speak he's one of the the shot callers supplying a lot of Narcotics in the area um as well as he's one of the go-to guys for guns um so the likelihood of us one day stopping him having gun in the car is is there the search has found nothing and a man is released but like many who claim to be reformed gangsters he's very much on the cops [Music] radar it's not too difficult for the cops to spot gang members as they are easily identified by their tattoos although some are in the most unusual places Aon just got put on so he's uh tattooed his eyelids that's brand new why'd you get that done I can't tellar you well this week say 6 s what does that mean neighborhood Christian got put on when he was what 13 14 he put on he went for a boot camp where my partner was a instructor anyway part of the deal was he gets his tattoos moved he's still hanging out he's from the 67 neighborhood Crips got 6 that's hilarious here he has this rival gang's uh hand sign whacked out he [ __ ] I don't even know I lost count but it's bullet holes every [ __ ] where look look at the uh look at the telepone look at cars why not but it's cold I don't even want them find if I get killed I don't care is that a dangerous place to live hell yeah the most dangerous place on Earth how high were you when you did that I wasn't I sober you were sober really what' your mom say my mama dead she a say [ __ ] good thing not really come here take off bro take what up take off about to say yall looking in my ass again I he he told me to spread my cheeks and bend over him and his other H if you truly want to disconnect you can you can go get your gang tattoos removed or you can get them covered up and you can change your lifestyle if you choose to do it um but as long as you're in the neighborhood and you're still dressing and wearing the colors and flying your tattoos then you're not out of the game no matter what you say but when your face is covered with them that's easier said than [Music] done I've come to a project called homeboy which for many gang members is a way out from life on the streets the project gives gang members opportunities to rehabilitate themselves which includes a free tattoo removal service these people just come in what anybody off the street can um anyone yeah anyone off the street can come in if your tattoos are Gang Related and they're like on your face front of your neck or your head you know you're obviously a walking Target so we try to get you in as soon as we can even if you were to stop by today we'll try to get you in today I'll have to get around to it one day yeah think about it today gang member ishma de Santiago is in the chair the ink is lasered out of his skin in a process which has been described as having Hot Chip fat hit in your face stay in there bro the body can only take so much sometimes the laser send short pulses of intense light into the top layers of the skin the energy breaks the ink into small pieces which are later naturally removed by the body's immune system tattoos are painful enough going on it's even worse taking them off go bro what you're doing man is a massive thing I really applaud you honestly big time what what what is this what is the gang is that a big big organization oh Sor right no well they say to you what are you doing they probably get disappointed you know but but you just got to say I'm moving on I'm moving on the only time I see him not when I come to prison but that's something I don't you done with prison now I just got out there 3 weeks ago so good for you man we sure the best one thank you all right so go next door we they bage you up and give you some thank you very much thank you Doctor app to take tats off your face is I mean the pain is ridiculous you know and uh I just you know commend them for that and that is the lovest thing what I've been getting from here today is there start is is start of my new life you know he's probably got eight or nine more treatments but he's he's 24 and his life's just started what's that all about you know best years of my life was up to about 24 I think yeah and that you know they started again so it's fantastic out the back I meet Eddie one of the managers here at homeboy he explains how gang life was inevitable for him I've been through the whole system juen Hall ya prison you name it I've been through how long you done in prison 5 years all together I've been shot multiple times um how old was you when you first got shot 18 yeah you know I got shot right here I got shot right here it was a rival gang and I was about to go to a spot score some more dope to be able to sell it right and before I even got there I got shot I got they were standing outside the car and they just started shooting they knew who I was because of the dirt I've done they shot me from out from in the car and then when I was on the ground they came and shot me four times in the stomach what of a 22 25 and I still got one bullet left cuz it's better leave it in than take it out cu it's too close to Ary to my heart do you think the main problem is drugs do you think that's the main cause of all the violence yeah it has to do with that it it has to do with that because you can come up to somebody they might be high off high off their ass you don't even know them they I have a gun on them and that's it you're done I'm in Los Angeles the second largest city in the United States and I'm here with the cops of the lapd's gang unit who Patrol the notorious 77th District this city where I now live is the home of Hollywood and the film industry but back in 1992 it provided the backdrop for an event that made die hard and the Terminator look like a teie armag again came to Los Angeles as the worst roting America had ever witnessed was played out on the [Music] streets for 6 days thousands of angelinos red there was widespread muting assault and AR damage to property was estimated at $1 billion 2,000 people were injured and 53 were killed but the murder rate today in the 77th district is on the decline I'm with Dan Horan LAPD officer with 27 years of experience and he has seen firsthand the reduction in homicide on the streets as of today in in in the 77 Street division the 11 square miles we've had 17 murders and um uh probably 10 or 15 years ago for the year we had over 160 so that just if we could finish the year with less than 35 that's borders on the miraculous but even though Gang Related murders are decreasing the cops cannot afford to get complacent especially at night what's normally the uh the more pressure from these gangs is it is it during the day then or is it more more active in the evenings and the nights there's probably twice as much gang crime during the hours of Darkness as there is in the daytime it's easier to Caper at night you get the cover of Darkness to to your advantage so they're busier at night so that's why we work at night Dan and his colleagues know there's a chance they might have to use their weapons this year alone the LAPD has confiscated 3600 illegal weapons yeah if you pull your gun if there's you know a slim chance I mean for you to P your gun there's got to be some kind of danger so that must be fear adrenaline Terror everything must be going through your fre plus you're focusing well for a police officer I would hope it's not necessarily Terror but um yeah you have to be ready because even though it's calm right now within blocks of us there are a lot of people who who are criminals gangsters who like to shoot each other people who uh commit robberies and other violent crime and everything can change in a moment's notice yeah the radio can uh all of a sudden say there's a robbery in progress there's a shooting in progress or shooting just occurred and you're sitting at the intersection there go the suspects the next thing you know you're in a car [Music] chase suddenly we're on the trail of a well-known gangster he is pulled over by the cops go ahead these guys here are obviously a couple of gangsters they're they're from a a gang called the a Tre Hoovers you notice the guy in the driver's seat you see his baseball hat there with a star on it I believe it's a Houston Astros cap that's one of their emblems of that gang approaching a vehicle can be very dangerous for a cop you mind if they have to be on their guard they only to carry guns if you walk up in a car like that you really have to be on your toes because it's it's one of the most vulnerable times as a police officer he could have a gun right here and you wouldn't know until you're right up next to him so 27 years I've never gotten rid of the Butterflies walking up on a car especially when it's driven by a couple of gangsters how's the business going it's all right going I have no profit the gang member they have pulled over is someone they know well and he isn't giv them any problems it's strange cuz as the car is searched there's even time for a bit of banter the purpose of the documentary what does that hat stand for oh try to keep it real it I'm going keep it real with you you already [Laughter] know although there were no problems with the Stop and search then then knows he can never afford to drop his guard despite his uh relatively calm demeanor and and respectful attitude um you still got to be careful with it so everything that you you know that's gone on over the years and and what you've heard that's happened to other officers you take that into every situation yeah yeah of course but when you do make a mistake you better learn from it hopefully you survive it and most in in in your Fields you make a mistake yeah take two yeah around here you make a mistake and there is no take two yeah with this in mind I'm even more cautious as we respond to a gang related call what is that [ __ ] the officer stopped these three individuals here they're gang members they they're they're behaving suspiciously one of them behaved as though he might have had a gun it's a tense situation and I get the feeling trouble could kick off at any moment they they didn't do don't come over there she's all right she's all right don't come over there you'll wind it out that's what she wants she wants to make a big scene so don't bring the camera over believe these guys are rolling 40s Crips which is they're the The Gang That claims this neighborhood here then we're going down the street to uh the PE his house is right down the block we're going to his house the PO agent is going to uh we're all going to conduct a search to make sure he doesn't have any guns or drugs or anything else he's not supposed to have the cops search the suspect's house anybody inside step [Music] out but in the end they find nothing one of the suspects is being taken in because he gave the cops a false name but he doesn't seem too bothered he's more interested in talking movies just the guy in the movies hey shake my hand I'll get arrested I seen snatch I seen snatch yeah I had a real gun then Desert Eagle point5 Desert Eagle n he already got eight shots move you was in I've been a lot of movies man I want to watch it tonight he got good ACC I don't think they've got TV where you're going dude i k you I'm they're drunk they're really drunk hey give me a card a card I don't have a card I can call you or something you know all right man you take it easy me too man the work of the cops in La is not all about gangs like everywhere they have to deal with a potentially dangerous domestic cuse in 2008 cops were called to a house where an armed man had barricaded himself inside he called the police saying that he had killed killed three relatives the caller indicated that he had killed three of his family members West Valley Patrol units responded to conduct the investigation the suspect refused to leave the home and LAPD SWAT was called to the scene they followed a standoff during which gunfire was exchanged between the man and the police one officer was killed and another one was seriously injured I'm back with Ron Lopez and we're on our way to a domestic they've had a report of a serious incident at a private address we just got called as a party with 40 or 50 miles there and a gunshot someone said a gun shot's been been heard so uh the original call was for uh one shot being uh heard and then the second call was for the uh so one of my units is already uh just arrived there at scene so we'll head that way see what we get a male teenager has a serious head wound nobody seems to want to tell the cops what happened they just want an ambulance we have some type of stabbing maybe a knife maybe a bottle family party but they're refusing to say anything cuz they're saying we don't know what happened well ask him what happened well we don't care what happened right now we just want an ambulance that's all we're getting so far we already called the AMS okay I'm not letting go you guys thank you I'm not letting go no it's too big no let me see how if I don't put pressure on it it's going to bleed let me see no are you no I'm not no no no no no no no they're right here man so give it a minute everybody back up back up I couldn't do it the boy has been stabbed with a bottle in the back of the neck he got involved in with two guys his sister gone off with apparently she was in a car they want to go get her I don't know they had a confrontation with some of her friends and apparently he said that somebody told him that I guess they hit him or I don't they started fighting I don't know what happened but either he got stopped in in the head I don't know I was in the bathroom I just came out and told me that my brothers were fighting which is my little brother he's only [ __ ] 15 so I don't know I don't know what's going on right now just spoke to the to his sister there and she said he went around a couple of blocks around the corner to get his little sister who's drunk to bring her back and uh she was in a car with some fellas and the next minute it went off and uh somebody ran up to him and said you're bleeding from the back he didn't know maybe he said get out of the car come home cuz you're drunk and he's been whacked for it I mean he's got a gash out of his bag I mean could have been a bullet in the side of the head you know it's the early hours now and there's a report that some drug dealers have been operating on a street corner When we arrive air support has been drafted in to try and track them the boys are just saying when they turned up there was a couple of people that ran off through that way through that way so they couldn't find anything here so they've called in the helicopter to look up to the roof check for do packages or guns the dealers use the bushes to pass over the merchandise to the buyers we pulled a good bit of dope out of this bush right here um one of the older guys in this Hood was sound up here so they're just Whizz in there and then put their arm in the bush huh yeah you can kind of see like the like the holes and stuff that they'll yeah like they'll put like uh like sometimes you'll use like condo stick it you know just stick right there so that if you drive by it just looks like they hanging out and then you know what they do they par gear they get the gear give it to them and they're gone yeah that's how they were doing it but it's not only the drugs that can be bad for your health picking them up can be deadly just be careful there there's a whole shitload of black little spiders over there so is that yeah know there aren't any gangsters around but there are a few black widow spiders it's definitely time to call it a night I'm in Los Angeles with the cops of the LAPD special gang unit I'm in the 77th District a part of the city renowned for its high levels of gang [Music] activity I'm out on patrol with Sergeant Ron Lopez and although it feels not much is happening he always keeps a ready eye so even though you know we're cruising around at moment relatively quite quiet you you still wait for that call and then you're just 100% back in that mode you're still always like you just said you know trying to pick up on what's going on waiting for that you know uh call to come out or waiting for something to happen right in front of you because in this city anything is possible sometimes life imitates art as in the of this robbery in North Hollywood that resembled an action [Music] movie two men armed with automatic weapons and over 3,000 rounds of ammunition stole $300,000 from Bank of America after leaving the bank they engaged LAPD officers in a fir fight and attempted their getaway in a car as one drove the other fired on police they split up and one continued firing on the police with with his Baretta pistol he was shot in the hand and dropped his weapon when he picked it up he placed the muzzle under his chin and shot himself as a round from a police officer's handgun simultaneously severed his spine with the tires of the getaway car blown out the second robber tried to steal a trap but was unable to start it taking cover he continued his firefight with the cops until he was shot in his unprotected low legs and surrendered but by the time the ambulance arrived he was dead what happened guys came in with guns started shooting started screaming I went inv vaulted I prayed I did what I could to help others if they needed to and I'm here talking to you guys today multiple civilians and officers were wounded in the robbery incredibly no officer was killed but in the past 8 years eight LAPD officers have been killed in the line of duty so the cops families have it tough too I'm back out with Ron Lopez who has a wife and children wives that have got guys on the job like you I mean it's especially night work I would imagine it's quite hairy for him she one she's been with me since just before I came on the job so this is all she's ever known as me doing this line of work do you think she wear us uh deep down she does um if she didn't then I might be a little concerned yeah um you know it's I have the same routine every day before I go to work you know I make sure I I give the kids a kiss goodbye every single day uh whether they're happy with their dad at the time or not one thing I've learned is that the cops in LA are always on their guard no matter how in ulous the situation may appear these are all rolling 60s [Music] what's up man I want to be on camera hey the way you were just dancing I figured you wanted to be a superstar as the evening draws in more gang members are stopped more tattoos are [Music] checked today's been quiet no shots have been fired and nobody's got hurt so for the cops it's been a good day we got a different approach but I just get a feeling that they're a little bit on top of it here and and just them being around at the moment is is keeping everything quiet which is a good thing with proactive tactics and an approach that focuses on suppressing gang violence before it can escalate the cops of the 77 District are achieving their aims so far this year the murder rate is had its lowest for more than 60 years it seems that the law is starting to wrestle back control of the streets from the gangs [Music] America a country with some of the most brutal criminals in the world and fighting back are some of the world's toughest cops yeah he's R the back I had a shot in there it's a job where murder drug wars and gun crime are part of everyday life here a job where doing your duty could cost you your life they're running they're running they're running we got one now I'm joining some of these cops on the front line in the battle against the bad guys we got it yeah [Music] for four weeks I've traveled across America going to four cities rolling with some of the country's toughest cops I've experienced what it's like going on a swap raid in l Radar boys there he is there's one there there's one there I've discovered teenage gunmen roaming the streets in your Lings you know you shouldn't be out of make gun at 16 I've trying with the SWAT team in Baltimore we got him yeah and I've patrolled with the notorious gang unit in Los Angeles I've tasted their highs and felt their lows and even taken them on in the ring to earn my place in the patrol car it's been an emotional Journey where I've embedded myself with a props trying to understand what it takes to do this job day in day out sooner or later they'll end up getting cut this is my story as walk the beat with America's toughest [Music] cops in each of the Cities I went to I learned how dangerous it was for the cops on patrol to do their job facing down gun wielding criminals when we stepped out of the car was always tense for me but I also got to go out with the highly trained cops in each City the people who the beat cops bring in when they need backup SWAT or special weapons and tactics are I who the cops call when the going gets really tough I went to the SWAT training ground in Baltimore to speak to the boys and to find out what it takes to become an elite cop officer Zack wine shows me through some of their Arsenal standard handgun 40 caliber we carry a handgun we have lights on the front this a 20-in shotgun you if you hold them up 20 gaug 20 in yeah they're all 12 gaug but you can see by the bar that you canot a little further a little more dist with this but as far as like an entry weapon this is a 14in you see how much shorter it is so when you're going in a house it's much easier to swing through hallways but it's going to spread a lot quicker this is a a G36 it fires 223 rounds there's the magazine for it holds 30 um it's a plastic huh great sound that mhm come the sarge then said I could have a go on the range with the SWAT issue machine gun just take this over your left shoulder and around your head there you go just like that okay and then I'm sure you've handled a weapon for so just like that have your aim Point here one click down semi-automatic so you pull the trigger it'll just fire one round right both click down so if you go all the way down yeah if you pull the trigger you hold the trigger back it'll discharge until uh till you're out of ammo okay keep that red dot right in the center of his chest and just pull back nice and slow and hold the trigger back that's it that's it now the SS lets me see how deadly this weapon really is all right so go fully automatic all the way down one two just hold it to the rear and let it ride okay all right go ahead you on Save there you go okay good okay there you go thanks you're very welcome it a nice little rush isn't it is it we got him anyway yeah did you very good sure that's it there's the that's that's where he said I had to get inside so I there's one out there but he got it there and then this was the semi look one right there it's all very well firing at paper targets but what if I was faced with a real thing after one day on the training ground I felt I could handle myself if it got a bit messy but unfortunately they wouldn't let me lose with a gun just yet in Laredo Texas On the Border in Mexico we receive a call that the SWAT team would go to raid A Home of a jailed pistolero gang member I felt ready but didn't realize how close to the action I was was going to get the pistoleros control the gun smuggling in Laro the police jailed one of its leaders in 2006 Roy Mendoza they now have a warrant to search his family home for drugs and weapons Mendoza's son is thought to be living there although he has no previous convictions this is Walkin Romero the leader of the entry team he's 31 with 8 years service under his belt when you get there you're going to give him a to come out or you just going in no we just going hard uh we're me and my team we're going to tear the gate down and then after that everybody's going to make entry through the whole we that we make and then there's no warning that no warning just no yeah that gives them a chance to get anything that they might have ready so this is like a hard entry the real thing man so he just told me that they're basically going to go straight in no negotiations they just said I can go in in the front line with the boys so the lads that are going in first hopefully there won't be any shooting if there's any shooting that's when it's going to happen so uh I'm going to go in with them and hope this holds up the surveillance team at the location have given the green light and we're on our way I'm about to ride in their armored truck known as the bear cat just so Gaza knows got me pad gazer that's what you should have had mate in ' 87 so the bearcat's job is to destroy the gates at the front of the location these boys job is to storm out and put themselves in the farming line and then to make entry into the target house right it's exciting really exciting can tell the boys are buzzing they're buzzing getting close now [Music] wo there's a lookout there he's on the phone there's the Escalade on the red car up there short time boys they're rigging the gates out they're going to P the gates up there it goes he goes the gates Mo move Mo there he is there's one there there's one there oh the car's going the car's [Applause] going oh [ __ ] we got the car they got this car down there at the in is he the one we're looking for one guy here one guy right here I think he's a lookout they secured the carop there's firing going on in here I had a shot in there they got everything covered all the windows [ __ ] the adrenaline is unbelievable was the guy in the escal the target was he the Target or was he's the target so he was already in the car they jumped out they hooked up onto the uh onto the main gate revers it out pulled that out he's sitting in this Tru in the car so the lookout guy that we passed must have told him so he was in the car but we all pulled up looks like he's gone to put it in reverse he's then got out they see him get out he comes running out SWAT guy that we was with just went over and just jumped all over him got him secured him down but the car he grabbed him out but the car kept going so the the sergeant pulled up behind him and blocked him in and crashed straight into his car now it's time to look for drugs and weapons that are allegedly here hey Vinnie the quest cenal poster for every bad guy's house yeah I got that in my house none of mine really nice house you know if he hasn't got a job this is unbelievable we can smell you can smell marijuana in it he was a Target yeah saw his big tattoo there but we saw in the briefing room Mendoza that's his name you got more DVDs than me bro man look for yours I did there's not there you find it no I thought you was my pal you are man now I could shake on it man the cops haven't found any guns or drugs the only [ __ ] that I'm going to say I already knew everything that they were coming yeah it's because they talk too much [ __ ] they they say we're going to go and hit this they talk too too much to their girlfriends you see they talk too much to their girlfriends their girlfriend's going tell their their their daughter their daughter goes and tell me and they talk to me [ __ ] so that's how everybody knows in a small City where word gets around quickly it's tough for the cops to keep things quiet on this occasion Mendoza Jr is officially charged with resisting arrest and he has to be released before nightfall at the time of the filming is cased yet to go to court but SWAT isn't all about knocking down doors and throwing flashbang grenades in Baltimore the SWAT situation didn't call for an aggressive approach this guy's barricaded himself in up this side street they reckon he's got a machete and a gun he's uh done time in Vietnam he's about 60 years old know there's the armor car there you can just see the SWAT guys here up the side come here hey uh we want to move out of out of the line of sight all together if he has a long rifle you want to be out of the line of sight so he can't shoot can't shoot somebody yeah especially you yeah but he might not have liked my films John maybe was an autograph the negotiators move in backed up by the SWAT team the amazing thing is they've just gone there now them boys and they're in full Lock and Load mode to shoot this [Applause] guy I wouldn't like to be that gazing now I'll tell you that after 4 hours of negotiations and failing to persuade the suspect to leave the house SWAT command try another method tear [Music] gas we're about 60 yards away and they've put the tear gas in there it's horrible right right gets right in your throat makes you sneeze I don't know he still in there the tear gas has forced a man to give up and The Siege comes to an end in Baltimore I learned that SWAT isn't just all about gho aggression negotiating is often the cop's best tactic he seems a tough bastard though don't he really he's got cuts and bruises everywhere they just said to him you're all right he said well I'm breathing I've been rolling with some of America's toughest cops in four cities across the country drugs were a problem wherever I went it felt like every time we arrested someone or we were called to a crime scene narcotics were somehow involved it's estimated that across the United States an average of 68% of people arrested test positive for drugs in New Orleans the challenge for the police comes from those who will try anything to evade capture I was riding with officer John barbetti patrolling the streets of one of its toughest neighborhoods when the car up ahead refused to stop he's running we got to Runner we got a run we're traving at nearly 100 m now we're still the suspect's car ahead is leaving us in the cloud of dust y yeah we're chasing a car right now um he's running from the police just got to watch these intersections so dusty we can't see a lot up ahead the suspect's car turn right so John takes an earlier route and we see if we can head them up as we wait for the car to emerge the chasing unit radio and they tell us that The Wanted men have crashed and they're now on foot street is he running John yeah he's on foot he's right out here some place keep an eye on behind yeah I scal the houses looking for a sign of the two suspects the just ahead I spot one of them in front of us and he's heading into the bushes in there yeah he cut across he's on royal royal 2100 going toward back towards St Claude stop back up go back come here get down get down get down with barti in the bushes chasing the suspect someone needs to get around the side and head him off yeah he's R the back set some need to call out the name where they you got him back there thankfully another unit is there to tackle him down otherwise I'd have noted start my first take down way hey we down between royal and that was the real stuff John just said to me keep an eye out behind I look behind I just see him run across the street behind us when he was going so fast any little kids anything you just killed him seconds they got the one yeah yeah flush him the one we saw com I saw him I couldn't get back to that fence fast enough I get I got wailed in the face with a tree branch I just saw him out the corner me ey just run AC that was a good I said I looked back and I saw he said look it was later revealed that the suspect and his accomplice had dumped the stash of marijuana after crushing the suspects were lucky to escape uninjured after the Chase and it was all over a small bag of weed and a stolen car you make you nervous it's estimated that 20% of all inmates in US jails committed their offense to obtain money for drugs I learned that they go to any LMS to prevent the police from catching them with their stash even when the amounts are small in Los Angeles the street dealers have learned another way to evade arrest when the police approach I was on patrol with Sergeant Ron Lopez when one of the accompanying units SP something suspicious two young gang members are selling drugs on a street corner for these guys the day business is [Music] over Chris and Steve have come around the corner two Lads on the thing here probably Lookouts boled in here so they've stopped running after them this kid and this other kid around the side here and as they saw the cops he's gone BOS and smashed it into his mouth and they tried to get him down and get it out but in his desperation the juvenile has swallowed his stash of crack to call the paramedics now because he's 13 and he swallowed it so it's now turned into a major incident now yeah he just told us he swallowed rock cocaine he won't tell us how much though he said he swallowed a baggie but he won he's not sure how much is in there he he's admitted that he's took it now but um he still won't sell him how much normally adults can handle it depends on the quantity they swallow can have a pretty adverse make them pretty sick the cops can't take any chances and so the boy is taken to hospital in handcuffs as his surprise father looks on hey you swallow some dope I take that look away as a an admission of guilt my son ain't swallow no do I don't care what you say you can take or whatever but I know my son ain't swallow no [ __ ] drug put your hands up his dad came out there and said said to him you swallowed doe you swallowed do and he can't even answer his dad he just looked away which is so sad you know you can see the situation we're in here which ain't the best he's already involved 14 years old you know so um you know he's a victim of the gangs you know and hopefully if he has a stomach he won't do it again so uh we'll go on anyway it was scary to see the lengths that these kids were going to not to be arrested but I was also learning what a challenge it was for the cops to deal with this level of drug crime it's seen that to prevent this problem on America streets the supply needed to be cut in ladoo Texas the drugs are in transit to the lucrative City [Music] Markets the drugs that are smuggled across the border first go to Stash House before being moved North to the Marketplace Sheriff's cop Jesse gimenez was on the scene when one's busted in East Laro we discovered some uh 5 kilos of cocaine and a little bit of marijuana the undercover work has led the cops to a big score these drugs won't be making it to any Street dealers that is cocaine each one of these spurs is approximately 2.2 lb a kilo kilo of cocaine St value uh here in uh Laro it's about 15,000 15,000 a kilo and up State can be or up north and other northern states can be anywhere from 30 to 45,000 a kilo he had it on top of the the pantry usually they've been sent out from cartels in Mexico that is marijuana that's marijuana you're looking at roughly maybe 7 to 10 lb marijuana that was found up in the attic just verifying to see if it's a okaye we going to take it back to and uh test those packages see if I test positive for Narcotics yeah definitely feels good taking uh drugs up the street feels good US Government spends over $20 billion every year on the war against drugs and one person is arrested for violating drug laws every 17 seconds in Baltimore drug rated offenses are directly linked to over 2/3 of crime in the city when I was on patrol I spotted something kicking off oh oh oh oh fine yeah me 911 just saw I just saw this guy grab him and just smash him yes what's going on I'm the father he's got a warrant on on him in Baltimore County for breaking into my business today he decided to break in my house and he stole my truck a $50,000 truck you have anything on you that I should know about you got a name oh man if you do we going to find it anyway so I W make it hard why you taking your dad's truck I have a heroin addiction he's jacked out his head they're saying that he's he's wanted in uh another count I heard that and here actually what the what the guys are saying is he hasn't actually done anything here to arrest him for he stole from my house today I understand it's in Harford County though there's no way you can detain him it seems to me that what this kid needs is help but his dad is intent on getting him locked up I want to know why he feels that jail is the only way to sort his son out you know Jail's no good for him he you know he's got all them right things he's going you know if you you know he's going to die look I know it man it's my kid it breaks my heart breaks my heart to have to put him in jail but you know what at least I know where he is and he's safe got a chance got chance in ja he don't have a chance he don't I tried tell him before so I mean he's a good-hearted kid but you know what the drugs are kill and it's such a shame yeah and you know what it's out of control down there it's off the hook and Baltimore you pick the right place to come find the violence is that got with no grounds to hold a young man the police encourage his father to take control of the situation with me they're going to release you to me yeah I'm putting you in Bill's Truck and you ain't get out cuz we're locking you in the back I'm sick living like this okay I understand you're sick of living like this but every time I try to get you help you don't want it the father now says he simply wants to take his son uh to the nearest hospital hopefully to give him some treatment for his addiction uh his son says uh he'll be happy to do that and that's where we are now hopefully he'll go and get him some treatment that would be a big [Music] plus I've been on a journey across America rolling with a cops who tackled crime in four of America's toughest cities out on SWAT Duty I experience the adrenaline that these boys taste every time they go on a raid I also learned how difficult it is dealing with the crimes caused by drugs but it wasn't difficult to pin the blood for most of the crime on the gangsters who control the trade and in South Central LA the gangs are notorious La is home to two of the most infamous gangs in the world the Bloods and the Crips and their main business is the drug trade the Bloods and the Crips are the city's black gangs added into the mix are the numerous Hispanic gangs in the last 25 years more than 10,000 gang members have been killed the highest concentration of gang activity in the city is in the notorious 77th district and that's where I'm headed I'm going to be riding with Sergeant Ron Lopez deep into the heart of the 77th District Gangland some gang members who are on parole have been spotted drinking at house party and they're breaking the conditions of their release we know there's gang members in the party that are uh on probation and parole they're not supposed to be hanging out together it might not sound dangerous but it's a potential Tinderbox situation that could escalate into something far bigger other reason for breaking up gang parties is that it allows rival gangs to have a a good Target a few blocks away the cops plan their raid on the Gathering on the southwest corner there's a lookout out there he's dressed in black the black cap on so he's we've been seeing him up and down the street all night just driving around so we're going to jam everybody up and put them all against the east side of the uh the building they're not taking any chances all right s up every actor should have one of if everybody still there pertaining the information we got during the little briefing right right now yeah should be a a pretty good hit lot of drinking lot of booze lot of uh drugs possible guns all of the above are uh very likely in a situation like this um what our guys will be paying specific attention for is uh that one or two guys that try to make a break for it on the uh the back side of the group the potential to be very dangerous the boys seem quite keyed up for it they like all this do they they affectionately refer to it is smashing yeah going go smash a party so as we get closer we kill the lights you go ahead and uh kill the light and then hit the gas [Music] get right there [Applause] everybody the party gos aligned up as the cop search the location for drugs and guns but they find nothing and the gang members they were looking for seem to have slipped off into the night they had surveillance that there was a few gang members there that they wanted to round up but they think maybe the the boys they were after slipped out so uh a bit of after Lord's may show a little bit so we'll move on anyway for the cops controlling crowds is an important skill but sometimes people don't want to play ball and when that happens they need to be subdued in Baltimore detective Donnie Moses and officer Dave White got a call to help out some colleagues who were in a difficult situation guy inside the house tearing the house up um Wrecking the house and he has a knife with him the officers are on their way to a domestic disturbance where a young man is threatening his parents Statewide this year alone there have been 42 fatal shootings within family homes stay on my hip on my hip the young man is in the kitchen and still arguing when without warning bring down face on his stomach on your stomach on your stomach on the cop calming down so they decide to use an alternative measure back up back up back up all right you turn over turn over turn over turn over they use a Taser to stun the suspect it shoots two hooked wires into the man's flesh sending a 50,000 volt charge through his body it will take the suspect several minutes to recover although it looks like rough Justice using a taser has brought the problem under control and allows the officers to secure the young man safely all right 35 uh we have the individual in our custody no officers injured young man apparently was giving his family members a problem uh when we try to gain control of him try to talk him out of rage it didn't appear to work ultimately we had to tase him less less than lethal use of force once we tased them we handcuffed him it's over the ambulance came and checked the individual out to make sure that he didn't have any lifethreatening injuries then from there right now we're going to transport him to uh probably the local hospital they have to take the prongs that were discharged from the uh taser they have to take that out of his back and check his vitals and then from there he's going to be uh sent over to our centralized booking that's we process all prisoners is going to be charged with uh assault on police officers according to the makers 170,000 suspects are tasered across the US every year as a non-lethal response and an alternative to the gun it's a no-brainer for the cops armed with a taser they are less likely to have to use lethal Force but in New Orleans they faced a lot of people who were in possession of firearms and it felt much more dangerous for my last night in the city I was riding with officer Dave D Plante all right turn it right on turn right on as we drive through the city Dave receives an urgent call and the lights go on talk to me where you at what was that though you got a guy running on foot they bed on him they got a little 75 the worst call a cop can get is to hear a fell off down or struggling with a suspect because he knows to get away he will use any means right now they got a uh they got a fight going on with some officers yeah they got some officers involved you good everybody good when we arrived the area is flooded with cops to patrol the situation and three suspects have been apprehended I'm told that as the officers went to apprehend the suspects a gun was pulled and after a brief struggle it was thrown into a nearby Alleyway the number of units is Justified as this street corner is at the center of a gang war the suspects arrested are thought to be gang members armed and ready to protect their turf [Music] after checking the rear of the property Dave makes an alarming Discovery Poor Man's version of a bell the gang had hidden the laser sighted semi-automatic machine gun in the back Garden a sign that beefs or gang wars in this city are the real deal in New Orleans because many lawful citizens are permitted to carry and own guns they are often taken in robberies in the us it's estimated that nearly half a million are stolen every year Master got for with three suspects in custody and two weapons recovered including a machine gun the knight's work would seem a success I'm not no be you violating me bad man you got me bad but the challenge of dealing with so many young people with guns is troubling down all right look around look at everybody right now and these cars and then hand comfor look at look at their faces they kids they children and you see the hardware that they carrying out there the rifles the guns that's the frightening thing yeah they got that yeah they you know they pull the trigger they don't know the consequences what they're doing M they don't people out here they killing each other like crazy that's the world we live in you know that's just how it is right now [Music] sad it's estimated that up to 50% of teenagers drop out of high school across the state and many turn a crime to get fired they look so innocent when you arrest them don't they the only thing you can tell them is death or jail guess what they don't care about either one jail is almost like graduating from college for kids out here it's it's it's a pin on their shirt so they don't care about that they just go do their time learn in jail and come back out and keep doing it as we leave yet another scene where teenagers have been arrested and weapons recovered I'm left thinking that the job of Dave and all the cops in New Orleans is one I couldn't deal with day to day just like in one night let alone you know one week the amount of guns that the lads are getting and the amount of guns they have to deal with an that threat I just find phenomenal the gun situation is out of control it really is this is just a city where young old everybody's carrying a gun it's almost like the Wild Wild West it was heart-wrenching to see so many young kids feeling the need to go around with such Firepower in each City I went to I saw how young the criminals involved in the crime business were and I couldn't help feeling that at such a young age that they were also victims but I also met some that didn't deserve my sympathy having rolled with some of America's toughest cops I've discovered how difficult their job really is but I also spoke to some of the suspects and criminals who had either been arrested or jailed you know you shouldn't be having a gun at 16 here I learned that sometimes the innocent faces hit a much darker side I mean a lot of the Armed robberies and stuff like that and even nowadays the murders the perpetrators are getting younger and younger in L I went to the top security County Jail which was full to the brim with gang members who had been involved in the crossborder smuggling trade Commander Juan Hernandez is in charge of this jail he's going to introduce me to the prisoners but first I want to know what I'm up against what are the dangers then the danger to you may be that uh that they're in jail for murder and things like that and you know putting a name in their a feather in their cap by uh by uh you know striking a known person may be something that they won't think twice about you okay yeah let's go out there he's scary enough for let the others the commander told me that the man I'm going to meet is committed murder for the cartels how you do how long how long have you got to do right now yeah how much time I 55 years 55 55 I'm not going to ask why man yeah they're giving 55 years 15 running comp how long have you done right now since November 2007 2007 two years yeah going two years do they mean anything your tattoos tattoos yeah only is one what does this one mean gang T Sy that's your gang yeah are you are everybody in that is everybody in the same game no it's all just friends just friends yeah yeah we got they got to the same people in the same tank oh they have to yeah oh cuz you know you be no we don't be we we're in p and everything but they just with the own race people so they separate everybody yeah well wish you all the best man all [Music] right the Mexican Mafia are probably the toughest but the pistoleros they're the gun boys they're actually The Gun Runners but um we just we were just talking in there and he said the meanest of the mean the baddest of the bad of this big area are in here under his what's for Li coming face to face with a cartel member in jail was nerve-wracking this unassuming criminal is a convicted murderer responsible for overseeing the flood of drugs and guns into the United States a business that is estimated to earn the Mexican cartel's 25 billion a year in Los Angeles I got to meet the gang members at the other end of the drug District distribution chain and here they look much more intimidating that [ __ ] it's not too difficult for the cops to spot gang members as they are easily identifiable from their tattoos although some are in the most unusual places Aon just got put on so he's uh T to his eyelids that's brand new why'd you get that done I can't hear you well this week I say six definely what does that neighborhood [ __ ] how many times you been shot I don't even know I lost count but it's bullet holes every [ __ ] we look look at the uh look at the telephone look cars why not but it's cool I don't even want them to find them if I get killed I don't care is it a dangerous place to live hell is the most dangerous place on Earth if you truly want to disconnect you can you can go get your gang tattoos removed or you can get them covered up and you can change your lifestyle if you choose to do it um but as long as you're in the neighborhood and you're still dressing and wearing the colors and flying your tattoos then you're not out of the game no matter what you say but when your face is covered with them that's easier said than done I've come to a project called homeo which for many of these gang members is a way out from life on the streets the project gives gang members the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves which includes a free tattoo removal service these people just come in what anybody off the street can um anyone yeah anyone off the street can come in if your tattoos are Gang Related and they're like on your face front of your neck or your head you know you're obviously a walking Target so we try to get you in as soon as we can even if you were to stop by today we'll try to get you in today I'll have to get around to it one yeah think about it today gang member ishma Santiago is in the chair the ink is lasered out of his skin in a process which has been described as like having hot fat hit in your face stay in there bro the body can only take so eyes the lasers send short pulses of light into the top layers of the skin the energy breaks the ink into small pieces which are later naturally removed by the body's immune system tattoos are painful going on it's even worse taking them off go on bro what you're doing man is a massive thing I really applaud you honestly big time what what what is this what is the is that a big big organization it's all right no all they say to you what are you doing they probably get disappointed you know but but you just got to say I'm moving on I'm moving on the only time I see him know when I come to prison but that's something I don't you done with prison now I just got out it 3 weeks ago so good for you man wish all the best man thank you all right so go next door we'll bandage you up then give you some thank you very much by thank you doctor appr to take tats off your faces I mean the pain is ridiculous you know and uh I just you know commend them for that and that is the loveliest thing what I've been getting from here today is they're starting is just starting my new life you know they're starting again so [Music] fantastic it's been an eye opening four weeks for me on the road with the cops in the Roo Baltimore New Orleans and La I've seen them putting their lives on the line for the good are the people they [Music] serve I've discovered that the criminals are often young kids with not much to lose were caught in the drug trade it's been an emotional ride for me one that I couldn't deal with dayto day but one that comes naturally to America's toughest cops [Music] he [Music]