The Brass Wall: The Betrayal of Undercover Detective #4126

This is a well written, well documented and SPELLBINDING account of the life threatening betrayal of NYC undercover detective Vincent Armanti by a fellow police officer and his subsequent encounter with THE BRASS WALL thrown up by the NYPD hierarchy in order to protect a powerful commander and in an attempt to shield the department from unfavorable publicity and the ongoing political efforts to implement civilian oversight. Armanti, detective #4126, was a skilled operative who had successfully completed several undercover assignments due to his ability to adopt the personae of the targets of the operations in which he was involved - whether hit men , drug dealers, gunrunners or the Cosa Nostra. Thus, when he is recruited for an assignment involving the arson investigation of a Queens fire that had taken the life of Lieutenant Thomas Williams, a member of an elite rescue unit and a personal hero to many of his comrades, Armanti eventually finds the assignment irresistible despite his promise to his long time girlfriend Judy that he would not return to the streets after a recent brush with death and his transfer to the narcotics training unit. He perfects the transition to Vinnie "Blue Eyes" Penisi, complete with the background of an ex-con and the attitude necessary to enter the closely knit world of the wiseguys of Throgs Neck, an insular neighborhood that unfortunately is not only the home of the small time mobsters suspected of the arson of a failed clothing store and the upstairs apartment from which Williams fell to his death, but also the neighborhood in which NYPD Inspector James Wyrnn lives and had raised his son, Detective John Wrynn.. Three months into the undercover investigation, an incident occurs which convinces Armanti that his cover has been blown and leads him to suspect a leak from within the department. He decides to continue despite being terrified that he may become the target of a mob hit and infuriated by the lack of cooperation (and in some instances outright obstruction) that he receives from officers high up the chain of command in Internal Affairs. Despite the lack of support (bordering on open hostility) towards the continuation of his investigation, in cooperation with a friends in the NYPD together with dedicated fire department investigators who still wanted to avenge their comrade's death, and the help of the FBI he manages to gradually develop a very strong web of circumstantial evidence against the suspected arsonist and the owners of the property that had been torched. More worrisomely, he also has assembled a trail of evidence that implicates Inspector Wyrnn of leaking information to his boyhood buddies about several investigations, and, even more seriously, that his father had used his powerful position and reciprocity due him from a favor of years ago to repeatedly interfere with the course of the investigation.As indicated in the author's note, "this is a true story. It does not use composite characters, inv

As an mos I received great solace in reading the Brass Wall. Having personally known both Detectives, (OCCB training, & 102)I can say that the book is right on the money with accuracy about every event. It's ashame this book is not on the NY Times Best Sellers List. Previous PC's Brown, Safir, and R.Kelly should read and learn from their mistakes.

This is not the exaggerated, self serving reflections of some retired "big shot", such as a police chief or deputy chief. This is the tale of a cop at the bottom of the food chain. He didn't make a lot of money. He didn't get a lot of glory, because he operated undercover and kept his identity hidden from the public. He went into terribly dangerous corners of New York City because he was dedicated and he loved being a policeman. One of those big shots had been big too long. He had become arrogant and morally corrupt. He had reached such a point of self importance that he no longer had any respect for the real cops out on the streets. He engaged in a terrible battle of wits, will, and nerve with the hero of this true story. The good cop does not exactly win in the end, but he comes pretty darn close and he sure as hell does not lose. The drama and tension of this real life police story is fantastic. The story's pace is fast. The characters are vividly portrayed. You either want to salute them or spit on them. This isn't just a good cop book. It is, simply, a very good book about people.

On its surface, this book is simply one hell of a read. It's a gripping real-life thriller about Vincent Armanti, a star undercover detective who gets sold out by his own department. It's full of fascinating characters, death-defying plot twists and the writing is so vivid that it hooks you from the first page...the first sentence!... and won't let go.But I worked in the NYPD's disciplinary system when this case was being (mis)handled by the bosses, so I know firsthand that it is much more. The Brass Wall is also an expose that reveals more about the secret dealings of the Department and City politics than anything I've ever read. Despite the thousands of heroic cops who risk their lives every day, the upper ranks of the NYPD are full of small-minded political yes-men whose main concerns are advancing their careers and covering up for their friends' screw-ups. It's the same "CYA" attitude you find in corporate America or any bureacracy, but with one big difference: when bad cops are left on the force, honest people are endangered. That's what happened in this case. Police commanders closed ranks to cover up for a dirty cop who had leaked information to the mob. But as it was happening, those of us in the Department's Special Prosecutor's Office figured that even the bosses couldn't actually get away with this one. The dirty cop risked the life of all these honest officers, so surely the Police Commissioner and the union would demand that he be fired before he could endanger anyone else. The dirty cop's leaks also led to the apparent murder of a confidential informant, so certainly Mayor Giuliani and the United States Attorney would demand that he face criminal charges. Wouldn't they?But the Good Ol' Boys of the NYPD protected the dirty cop because his father was a police department commander himself. In Internal Affairs, of all places! And it wasn't until I read this book that I learned what those of us in Police Headquarters had always suspected, that the reason for the cover-up was juicy and breathtakingly petty: the corrupt cop's father had dirt on one of the big chiefs. It's unfortunate that this wasn't published until Giuliani and Police Commissioners William Bratton and Howard Safir had already left. They owe the police officers, and the city, an explanation. Still, it should be required reading for anyone interested in entering law enforcement, to warn young cops what they face out there. If you want to learn how the city really works -- and be inspired by the way a courageous undercover like Vincent Armanti stood up to all the politicos and cowards -- this book is stunning.

The is a book for those of us who love the city street. The writer tells a great story and his attention to detail puts you into each setting perfectly. If you like true stories involving organized crime, this is a super good.