Episode 350: Detective Mike Charles

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

A routine traffic stop in Washington Heights uncovers six guns and a suspect who later killed a couple.

The episode opens with host Mike Colón celebrating the podcast's 350th episode milestone and acknowledging audience support. He introduces retired NYPD Detective Mike Charles, who served from 1983 to 2001. Charles describes his early career, including a gun collar on his first tour in Coney Island and a burglary arrest during his first days in Manhattan's 23rd Precinct. He discusses assignments in the Manhattan North Task Force and Borough Crime Team during the crack epidemic in Washington Heights, highlighting a traffic stop that yielded six guns and two kilos of drugs. Charles explains his path to the Detective Bureau, initially struggling to get his shield before transferring to Narcotics and eventually the Manhattan Robbery Squad. He recounts high-profile cases, including the John Royster serial attacks, where he secured a confession by fabricating a story, and a $35,000 burglary for a Rudy Giuliani donor that led to his second-grade promotion. Charles shares insights into investigative techniques, noting that Albanians are the only group he found unwilling to talk to police. He reflects on mentoring younger detectives and the camaraderie in units like anti-crime. The conversation touches on tragic events like the deaths of Officers Hoban and Busick and the injury that ended his career. Charles discusses his post-NYPD work as a private investigator and expresses pride in his detective career. The episode concludes with rapid-fire questions and a preview of the next guest.

As heard by us

A patient detective story about promotion, persistence, and learning the rank.

Episode 350 traces a detective's climb from patrol to the shield, and it lands best when it settles into promotion exams, patience, and the harder lesson of carrying a rank well.

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Why you'd press play

You get a grounded police-career conversation about earning the shield, learning the rank, and the patience behind detective work.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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