Charles Becker: The NYPD's Killer Cop

1912, Ragtime-era New York. NYPD Lieutenant Charles Becker, celebrity cop, stands accused of a shocking crime: orchestrating the murder of gambler Herman Rosenthal, whose squealing to the press threatened to expose systemic police corruption. In this week's episode, Dan and Alana weigh the evidence in the case of one of the few NYPD officers to ever take a trip to death row.

Sources:

Satan's Circus Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York's Trial of the Century by Mike Dash

The Execution of Officer Becker: The Murder of a Gambler, The Trial of a Cop, and the Birth of Organized Crime by Stanley Cohen

The Becker Scandal: A Time Remembered by Vina Delmar

The Bowery Boys, “Case Files of the New York Police Department 1800-1915” podcast episode

Newspapers and magazines: American Heritage, Crime Magazine, New York Sun, The New York Times, New York Evening World, New York Tribune.

---

The Outfit is a production of Higher Ground and Headgum.

Hosted by Dan O’Sullivan and Alana Hope Levinson

Executive Produced by Dan O’Sullivan and Alana Hope Levinson

Produced by Julia Murray

Production Assistance by Franchesca Diaz and CJ Archerd

Sound Design and Engineering by Ryan Kozlowski and Andrew Eapen

Show theme is Bittersweet Defeat by OTE

Like the show? Rate The Outfit on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review.

Follow Headgum on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok.

Advertise on The Outfit via Gumball.fm

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.