Blue Code of Silence

DOC NYC FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! Directed by Magnus Skatvold and Greg Mallozzi, Blue Code of Silence is a documentary about police officer corruption.

Working as a New York City cop in the 1970s must have been a blast. You could get away with anything, apparently. Although, if you had even a shred of integrity that you couldn’t seem to shake, it was probably a living hell.

Such was the case with vice detective Bob Leuci. Ever since he was a teenager, Leuci wanted to be a cop. Immediately following his time in college, Leuci joined the NYPD. The way Bob saw it, the brotherhood, camaraderie, and fraternity of the police force were unlike any other profession. Leuci’s blood ran blue.

“…Leuci…realized that in order to save his soul, he must expose this ‘culture of corruption.'”

Once officially part of the NYPD, Leuci made it his ultimate goal, despite his uncharacteristically short stature, to become a member of the elite S.I.U. (Special Investigation Unit). This band of brothers, since dissolved, was the unit of the NYPD responsible for the famous French Connection case, among other massive drug busts. These men were considered “untouchable.” They were the “Princes of the City.”

But there was a reason for their reputation as more gangsters than cops. The corruption exhibited throughout the S.I.U. was astronomical, almost comical in its prevalence. Instead of securing an entire haul, some of the confiscated loot went to the detectives responsible for the bust, while the rest of it was brought into custody. Dirty, definitely, but commonplace. As the kind of guy who wanted everyone to be his friend, Leuci was primed to join the ignominious ranks of the corrupt cops he worked with.