Kovach.rs

I put this under "film" but it is TV, 5-year series on HBO. It is some of the best U.S. television, but it never won an Emmy award for two reasons: it was too realistic and Dealt with primarily with the Black culture. The series is The Wire and it is based on a true story. When Kurt Schmoke was mayor of Baltimore, he Temporarily turned his back on a small area of town where they let the drug dealers do their thing, with an understanding that they had to behave in the rest of the city. This came after the U.S. government district judge gave his OK to the police tap payphones (The Wire) to get a lead on drug dealers. They soon realized the magnitude of the dilemma. This leads to shipping containers full For not only drugs, but also pretty women from Ukraine and Europe, and all kinds of hell on earth. So you see, it was too close to reality to win the prize. But still our best TV for reality-based drama.

Is realistic interpretations of life in an American city name of the series?

I cant believe they tapped payphones...It's like Orvells 1984.

Series is named THE WIRE.  It took a special court order to tap pay phones.  Phones are tapped in USA all the time if a person is being investigated for a crime; the big deal here was court approval to tap pay phones on the street. The truth, none of us speak sensitive matters on a phone; it's just not done. You see, the drug dealers were smart enough to use pay phones rather than personal phones, hence circumventing normal tapping.  I am telling you that, in spite of being made for TV, this series is an honest interpretation of "urban" America, the part suburban and rural america neither understand nor wish to admit exists.  It is an hour-and-a-half ride to Baltimore from my house.  You could come here and see for yourself; things today are no better.  Great food in Baltimore, it being right on the Chesapeake Bay.  Hard-shell crabs, soft-shell crabs and the crabs that you wish to avoid...all abundant in Baltimore.  So is jazz and blues.  Don't bother people on the street, they won't bother you...usually.

Regarding American common law, generalizing.  A policeman cannot come into our home without a warrant. That must be issued by a judge with SPECIFIC concerns listed.  For instance, if they suspect you of, say, dealing narcotics, that has to be on the warrant, and if they find illegal guns, for instance, they cannot prosecute you for that.  We call it "the fruit of the forbidden tree doctrine."  Also, presumption of innocence our foundation, not Napoleonic law, and onus of burden is on the accuser.  System not perfect, but there it is. 

As for wiretapping, that also takes a court order/warrant and reasonable belief that a violationis being committed.  Reasonable means, in operational terms, what a policeman can convince a judge is reasonable.  I was once a school administrator and the locl policeman and I had a problem with some 7th-grade wise guys who were throwing big rocks at cars and truck as they waited at the bus stop.  We used a movie camera to document their behaviors for the judge.  We were able to show the video pictures, but we were ordered by the judge not to turn up the sound because we did not have his warrant to wiretap sound.  There you have it from an American who experienced it.  I'm retired but the cop is still employed.