Corruption

"Corruption"
←	L&O, Episode 7.05	→
Production number: K1101 First aired: 30 October 1996
	{{{nNthProducedInSeries}}}th of 456 produced in L&O
←	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries}}}th of 456 released in L&O	→
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Teleplay By Gardner Stern Story By René Balcer & Gardner Stern Directed By Matthew Penn

Plot

While on a stakeout, a detective with ties to Lennie Briscoe's past kills a suspected drug dealer, but Rey Curtis refuses to testify that he saw the deceased reach for a gun. The fallout results in a commission on police corruption, of which the detective who shot the dealer is a key witness, investigating Briscoe as a possible corrupt cop and Jack McCoy is forced to find irrefutable evidence against the crooked cop as a perjurer to save Briscoe's job.

Cast

Main cast

• Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe
• Benjamin Bratt as Detective Rey Curtis
• S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
• Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
• Carey Lowell as A.D.A. Jamie Ross
• Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff

Recurring cast

• Don Billett as Defense Attorney Ed Richter

Guest cast

• Kevin Conway as Detective John Flynn
• Caroline Kava as Betty Abrahms
• Tim Ransom as Detective Andy Sullivan
• Skipp Sudduth as Internal Affairs Detective
• Nancy Ticotin as Club Bahia Hostess
• Kirk Acevedo as Richie Morales
• Jeff Williams as Detective Kenny Edwards
• Josef Sommer as Judge Lawrence Hellman
• Merrill Holtzman as Milton Corboy
• Michael Medeiros as I.A.B. Detective Reynolds
• William Paulson as Attorney Gary Gaviola
• Alexandra Loria as Marilyn Manning
• Mark Giordano as Galloway
• Dupre Kelly as Two-Tone
• Carlos A. Alonso as Leo
• Philip LeStrange as Commissioner De Maio
• Manuel Antonio Estrella as Ruben Morales
• Sándor Técsy as Lewis
• Liberty Jean as Woman
• Edward D. Murphy as Lieutenant
• Rohan Quine as Background Artist (uncredited)

References

• Apollo 11 moon landing
• Ma Barker
• Rudy Giuliani
• Hellman Commission
• John Gotti
• IAB
• Mexico
• NASA
• George Pataki

Quote

John Flynn: I was just telling the fellas, a situation like this, what we strive for is uniform recollection of events. The rat squad wants to hear the same words coming out of everybody's mouth, right, Lennie?

Lennie Briscoe: Well, we don't want to confuse them.

“	Give me another club soda. And put it in a dirty glass.	”
–Lennie Briscoe at a bar

Woman: You like Salsa?

Rey Curtis: I'm more of a Cumbia man.

Woman: I'd like to see that

Rey Curtis: Well, I'll bring my wife next time. We'll give you a demonstration.

Woman: You're married. That's too bad.

Rey Curtis: And I'm a cop.

Woman: That's really too bad.

“	You know, you're turning into one of these conspiracy nuts. You ought to meet my cousin, he still thinks NASA faked the Moon landing.	”
–Briscoe to Curtis

Jamie Ross: Making an example of Flynn isn't worth losing Garcia.

Jack McCoy: You call it making an example, I call it putting a corrupt cop who committed murder behind bars. Let me tell you something Jamie, when people stop trusting the police, we're back in the trees.

Jamie Ross: For a lot of people, we're already there, Jack!

“	If you don't take her out of there right now, I'll kick your ass from here to Hoboken.	”
–Lennie Briscoe tells McCoy to remove Abrahms from the Committee room

“	You want to talk about something else? Good. Talk to me, Lennie. You want to talk about the ponies?	”
–John Flynn last words as he commits suicide

Background information and notes

• This episode is based on the 1967 through 1972 thefts of heroin from the Department Property Clerk's office of the New York City Police Department. Over the course of five years, over $70 million in heroin and cocaine were stolen from evidence, with the thieves using a variant of ID's, all based on Detective Joseph Nunziata's information. Nunziata was found dead before the investigation could be concluded, and it could never be ascertained whether or not he was connected to the thefts.
• This episode was later adapted into the Law & Order: UK episode: "Honour Bound".
• Goof: September 2, 1996, was Labor Day. Courts would not have been in session that day.

Episode scene cards

1	2	3
Janda Apartments 131 East 56th Street Wednesday, August 7	Law Office of Milton Corboy 445 West 84th Street Tuesday, August 13	Drake Tower 253 West 73rd Street Thursday, August 15

4	5	6
Home of Marilyn Manning 78 East 56th Street Friday, August 23	Hellman Commission Hearings Monday, September 2	Gaviola, Kassuba & Riess 332 West 45th Street Thursday, September 5

Previous episode: "Survivor"

"Corruption" Law & Order Season 7

Next episode: "Double Blind"