HBO 'We Own This City': Who is Daniel Hersl and where is he now?
HBO's 'We Own This City' may be a slow burner, but for those who are familiar with 'The Wire', the creators of the iconic show are now back with another crime drama that tells the grim and mindblowing story of the corrupt cops in the Baltimore Police Department, specifically the officers part of the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). The six-episode miniseries focuses on the key members of the unit and shed light on the thorough investigation that landed them behind bars for their criminal activities.
Daniel Hersl (Josh Charles) is one of the police officers on the radar for his rather "problematic" approach to how he does his job. Known for his wry sense of interaction and surging complaints, attorney Nicole Steele (Wunmi Mosaku) investigates the cop only to find that he's still on active duty despite roughing people up. Safe to say, the real-life version who Charles plays would have worked in the same vein.
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Who is Daniel Hersl and where is he now?
The former police detective was one of the nine members charged with crimes that included robbery and racketeering. Hersl was a member of the GTTF and was indicted after he was found guilty of supporting the unit's activities of robbing people, dealing drugs, and stealing overtime. Prior to his arrest and his GTTF investigation, the cop had a stormy history as a reportedly abusive cop who, according to The Baltimore Sun cost the city $200,000 to settle. One of the cases saw him break a woman's arm. The HBO series shows his violent side as he cracks a man's jaw.
Hersl was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2018 for his crimes with the GTTF. Per records, Hersl is held at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. His trial was equally dramatic as he insisted on being innocent and slammed his fellow officers for their corrupt nature. In a letter to the Commission, he wrote: "I had a street reputation of being an aggressive officer, but that was in light of defending the City, my fellow police officers, and myself from an extremely dangerous and overly aggressive illegal drug trade."
'We Own This City' airs Mondays at 9 pm ET on HBO.