The Line and The Improvement Association

How did America law enforcement get to its present state of near-unaccountability? An examination of its history shows policing has its origins in running slave patrols, displacing indigenous tribes, and coercing organized labor. Once used as a tool by the powerful to maintain social order and protect their personal property, modern police have become a power unto themselves.With the help of “tough on crime” politicians, law enforcement has only grown in strength and resources. And despite an onslaught of high-profile police brutality, murder, and misconduct cases, legal protections prevent most cops from being answerable for their actions.The Netflix documentary “Power” is a deep dive into the history of policing in America and where it’s going in the future. Historians, academics, and critics discuss the problems of a system that demands unqualified compliance from its citizens. The film also asks whether the police - or the people that they serve and protect - ultimately hold the real power in America.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "POWER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23 Touko 202444min

Why is (almost) everyone talking about the Karen Read case? If you've also been wondering, you're in luck. Rebecca was asked to dive into it for the Boston Globe's Say More podcast, and on this special crossover edition of Crime Writers On, we're thrilled to share that episode. Rebecca chats with host Shirley Leung and courts reporter Sean Cotter about the case, why it's gotten so much attention, and what's happening in the trial. Plus, what should we be watching for?FOLLOW SAY MORE FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, OR WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR AUDIO! For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

22 Touko 202431min

A hardscrabble journalist is reassigned to help an American podcaster investigate a cold case in a remote Irish village. After twenty years, Bodkin is set to resume its annual Samhain  celebration - a tradition that was canceled after three people disappeared the night of the pagan festival.While host Gilbert Power focuses primarily on the human interest angle,  Dove Maloney thinks a larger story is hiding within Bodkin. Along with their researcher Emmy, Dove looks for connections between the festival victims and an infamous smuggler living in the village under an assumed name. The Netflix comedy/mystery series “Bodkin” stars Siobhán Cullen and Will Forte. The team tries to navigate car fires, hit-and-runs, yoga teaching nuns, an eel smuggling ring, and the secrets a small town wants to bury, peppered with insider quips about the state of podcasting.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BODKIN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: home shopping. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 Touko 202441min

Donnie Dunn, an aspiring stand-up comedian, extends a courtesy to a distraught pub customer. Martha Scott becomes a friend and a regular at the bar, but her fixation on Donnie starts crossing boundaries. He tries to push away, but a spurned Martha begins an unrelenting stalking campaign which upends his life. The stress of the stalking triggers repressed feelings of Donnie’s own sexual assault at the hands of an influential television writer. As things continue to spin out of control, Donnie struggles to understand himself and decipher the woman who’s obsessed with him.Netflix’s buzzworthy dark comedy-slash-searing drama “Baby Reindeer” stars Richard Gadd and is based on his autofictional one man show. The series mines deep emotional territory, with performances that are fiercely raw and often unsettling.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BABY REINDEER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 Touko 202444min

Police in Austin, Texas had no clue as to who was behind a package bomb that killed a homeowner in March 2018. Ten days later, when two more devices exploded in the city, investigators knew they were dealing with a serial bomber. With each new attack, the devices were more sophisticated. But authorities caught a break when bombs found at a FedEx facility could be traced to a suspicious man who dropped them off.In the newest installment of the series from Campside Media, Pegalo Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment, “Witnessed: 19 Days” recounts the hunt for the Austin serial bomber. Host Sean Flynn describes the shoe leather efforts of law enforcement to stop the attacks and discern the motive behind the terror campaign.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WITNESSED: 19 DAYS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Don't stop bee-lieving. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

13 Touko 202442min

Grifter Thomas Ripley is hired by a wealthy businessman to convince his prodigal son to return from his extended holiday in Italy. But instead he ingratiates himself with Dickie Greenleaf and shares in his host’s life of luxury. Once he overstays his welcome, Ripley hatches a plan to get rid of Dickie and assume his playboy identity.Instead of Easy Street, Ripley finds himself living one step ahead of Dickie’s suspicious girlfriend, Marge, and an Italian detective investigating the missing bon vivant. Can the talented con man keep up the ruse and avoid getting tangled in the web of lies he’s spun?Netflix’s series “Ripley” stars Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning, and is based on the book and movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The moody black & white thriller is punctuated with rich symbolism, awe-inspiring scenery, and heart-stopping suspense, wrapped around a tour de force performance by Scott.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "RIPLEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

9 Touko 202439min

In 1988, three months after going missing from a lake in San Angelo, Texas, the bodies of teenagers Shane Stewart and Sally McNelly were discovered - the pair had been shot. Among those in their friend group were a collection of self-styled occultists, and evidence of satanic rituals was found near the park where they vanished. Evidence suggested there was more than one killer and rumors of a falling out between the victims and members of the cult interested investigators. Other possibilities included a drug debt, a random robbery, or police perpetrators and a cover-up. Decades after the murders, new clues keep emerging, but detectives seem no closer to solving this cold case.From Texas Monthly True Crime comes “Shane and Sally.” Hosts Rob D’Amico and Karen Jacobs take a fresh look at the prominent unsolved mystery. They track down past suspects and seek a motive for the killing of the teens. Did they really double-cross a drug dealer, provoke a satanic cult, or were they the latest victims of a stick-up gang prowling the lake?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHANE AND SALLY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: give us this play. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

6 Touko 202440min

Among the missing persons cases online sleuth Todd Matthews followed were that of two boys from the same family who vanished 25 years apart. He was shocked to receive a call from a man who thought he might be Phillip Steven Brandenburg, the baby who went missing in 1974.Todd determined Steve Patterson was indeed the John Doe they’d been searching for and helped him reconnect with the mother he never knew. Sandi Brandenburgh claimed the underground adoption was brokered by her husband. Soon after, Franklin Floyd disappeared with Sandi’s oldest daughter and lived on the run with her for years. Authorities would not tie all these threads together until three more people were dead or missing.From iHeartMedia, Revelations Entertainment, First and Last Productions, and Neon Hum Media, comes "Hello, John Doe." We hear Todd work with Steve to learn more about where he came from, though the answers are discouraging. It also guides listeners through the connections to the Sharon Marshall and Michael Hughes cases and Todd’s efforts to reunite a family torn apart by tragedy.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HELLO, JOHN DOE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2 Touko 202443min