Good Cop, Bad Cop: Detective Joe Trimboli's Heroic Pursuit of NYPD Officer Michael Dowd

McAlary (Cop Shot) here affectingly tells the gutsy story of good cop Trimboli, who staked out bad cop Dowd for five years to bring him to justice. Dowd, often drunk or high on drugs, not only fronted for drug dealers but also confiscated and subsequently sold drugs, robbed or set up robberies of drug dealers and engaged in other malfeasance. But with the protective fraternity style pervasive in the department, Internal Affairs officer Trimboli was forced to fight a lone battle. Complicating his task was his discovery that high-ranking officers did not want to know about departmental corruption lest they jeapordize their own careers. The break in the case came when Dowd was arrested for drug trafficking on Long Island and the NYPD could no longer ignore his criminal behavior. Finally, after investigations by the NYPD and the DEA, Dowd was tried in 1993 for distributing drugs and sentenced to 14 years. Photos not seen by PW. (Dec.)