Cop in the Classroom

In season four of The Wire, former police officer Roland Pryzbylewski begins a new a career as a teacher in West Baltimore's Edward Tilghman Middle School. At first, he's overwhelmed by the unruly young hoods in his classroom—on his first day, he stands by, shell-shocked, as a female student attacks a classmate with a box-cutter. Eventually, "Prez" gains the respect, or at least, attention of his students, drawing on his experience as a police officer to establish his authority.

Thankfully, Peter Moskos hasn't had to deal with any of his students attacking each other at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Still, his work as a patrolman in East Baltimore has helped him in the classroom. Having actually been on the mean streets, he can expose his students to what he calls "the political incorrectness of reality."