Wearing the Badge with Garry McCarthy cover art

Wearing the Badge with Garry McCarthy

Wearing the Badge with Garry McCarthy

By: Fox 32 Chicago
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In "Wearing the Badge," former Chicago top cop Garry McCarthy offers a rare look into the inner workings of one of America’s most-scrutinized police forces. Beyond breaking down the latest crime trends and the policies that shape strategies, McCarthy and seasoned law enforcement officials share what it really means to wear the badge—revealing both the challenges and rewards of serving on the front lines.2025 Fox 32 Chicago True Crime
Episodes
  • How street gangs make their own automatic weapons

    How street gangs make their own automatic weapons
    Jun 13 2026
    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
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    51 mins
  • Heart disease - the true cop killer | Wearing the Badge

    Heart disease - the true cop killer | Wearing the Badge
    May 1 2026
    "The number one killer of cops is heart attack." In this powerful episode of "Wearing the Badge," host Garry McCarthy welcomes Dr. John Sheinberg, a man who navigates the worlds of both high-stakes medicine and law enforcement. With a career spanning three decades as a sworn officer and a parallel journey as a board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Sheinberg brings a unique perspective to the "perfect storm" of stress, physiology, and culture that puts police officers at extreme risk. 00:00 – Episode Open: The Silent Killer 00:45 – Guest Intro: Dr. John Sheinberg’s "Triple Crown" 02:36 – From Jersey Boy to Military Medicine 07:12 – The Road Back to Law Enforcement in Texas 10:42 – The Disparity in Tactical vs. Health Training 11:53 – Presumptive Status and Line of Duty Death 15:31 – Garry McCarthy’s Personal Heart Attack Story 21:43 – Tactical Wellness: Moving from Reactive to Proactive 27:55 – Adrenaline Dumps and Physiological Changes 34:01 – The Science: Inflammatory Markers in Police 39:09 – The Sigma Wellness Screening Program 45:02 – Leadership’s Role in Officer Longevity 51:38 – Final Thoughts: The Nobility of Service Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • When 'tough it out' fails cops | Wearing the Badge

    When 'tough it out' fails cops | Wearing the Badge
    Apr 11 2026
    Police work puts officers in the middle of mental illness, homelessness, addiction, and trauma, often with little training and a lot of stigma. In this episode of Wearing the Badge, Garry McCarthy sits down with Ernie Stevens, a retired San Antonio police officer and crisis-intervention trainer, to talk about what works when someone is in crisis, and why officer wellness cannot be an afterthought. 00:00 Cold open 01:40 Who is Ernie Stevens? 03:35 “Volunteered” into crisis training 05:43 The NAMI story that changed him 09:11 Training as a reward 10:29 De-escalation with a gun present 18:15 Homelessness 20:03 Partnering with NAMI 25:03 The stigma of officers getting help 29:10 Officers come forward for help 29:28 Garry’s father and the 1953 shootout 32:58 Adam Toledo and the aftermath 39:34 Building a culture of officer wellness 43:53 What trauma really is 48:22 'Crisis Cops' and why the film mattered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins
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