How street gangs make their own automatic weapons

What happens when politicians hold public safety hostage, and how are federal agents bypassing the red tape to take back the streets? In this raw, unfiltered episode of Wearing the Badge, former CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge of Chicago's Field Division, blow the lid off the politics of policing and look at what it actually takes to dismantle a city's violent infrastructure. Take an inside look at the front lines of the ATF, where investigators are using aggressive, data-driven tactics to hunt down the shooters terrorizing our communities. The conversation jumps from the gritty reality of 1990s New York - where "broken windows" policing meant getting slapped with a $120 ticket just for riding rollerblades in the subway - to the high-stakes federal war rooms of today. This isn’t about soft, reactive policing; it’s about a proactive blueprint designed to permanently crush criminal networks. You’ll find out exactly how fifteen different law enforcement agencies gather every single morning at 11:00 AM to target the most dangerous repeat offenders. The discussion exposes the terrifying reality of the street weapon of choice: illegal conversion "switches" that instantly turn standard handguns into fully automatic machine guns. From unleashing the power of the federal RICO statute against entire street gangs to calling out the prosecutorial failures that let violent criminals walk, this episode pulls zero punches on what it takes to win the war on violent crime. 00:00 Cold Open 01:24 Who is Christopher Amon? 02:46 From Brooklyn to the ATF 05:12 Hockey Beer Leagues and Super Bowls 07:25 Politics and Proactive Policing Policies 11:36 Understanding the ATF Mission 12:45 Crime Gun Intelligence Center Concept 13:40 Daily Intelligence Sharing in Chicago 17:44 Detective Danny Golden’s Impactful Work 19:11 Confronting the Machine Gun Switch 22:20 Using RICO Statutes Against Gangs 24:43 Long Term Investigations and Robberies 26:00 Reclaiming Territory and Washington Heights 29:58 High School Bike Messenger Memories 31:45 Quality of Life Enforcement Lessons 34:50 Post 911 Federal Agency Cooperation 37:47 Leadership and Prosecution Importance 40:49 Future Strategies for Nonfatal Shootings 42:25 Ballistic Tracing and Gun Trafficking 48:58 Final Thoughts on Noble Service Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices