Manhattan D.A.'s Police Squad

The story of the Manhattan district attorney's police squad began in 1934 with a runaway grand jury. The jury had publicly complained that the district attorney, William C. Dodge, wasn't doing enough to keep the streets safe from organized crime. Governor Herbert H. Lehman appointed Tom Dewey as special prosecutor for Manhattan. Under Tom Dewey and later Frank Hogan, Robert Morgenthau, and Cyrus Vance, the DA targeted the mobsters who were ruining the city.

In this fascinating history, former New York City detective sergeant Bob Nicholson shares case studies from his own time with the district attorney and removes the mystique of the New York City Mafia. He explains exactly how mobsters exert control over certain industries and city systems. He also shares the surprising history of the animosity between the Manhattan DA and the FBI. J. Edgar Hoover himself objected to the efficiency of the office and may have committed a federal crime to keep New York mobsters safe from the long arm of the law.

Despite FBI interference, the DA set its sights on mob bosses Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky, as well as other famous names. As Nicholson's work shows, to the DA, no one is above the law.