“I guess what I'm trying to say is... not everything comes down to how you take it on the street. I mean, it comes down to whether you're going to be on the streets. But that's not the only way to be.” --Dennis "Cutty" WiseThe Wire is an HBO series written and produced by David Simon. It is a crime series based in Baltimore, Maryland that first aired in 2002. The show highlights Baltimore's war on drugs and the war between elected officials. The show begins with an inside look at several scenes from the season and then a quote from one of the characters. The Wire depicts true crimes occurring in many societies today. The constant struggle between police officers and drug dealers who walk the streets of The Wire is still a big problem. “Many urban communities are now besieged by illegal drugs. Fear of gang violence and robberies keeps residents scared at home” (Moore, 1). Because citizens are afraid, they will not testify against these criminals, making it even more difficult to convict them. The Wire community was afraid to testify against drug dealers because they feared for their lives. The third season of The Wire focuses on a power struggle between police officers and drug dealers, corrupt politicians, various bribes, deals and competition for mayor. The Barksdale Drug Enforcement Organization still runs the town, but there is a new drug gang led by the character Marlo Stanfield. The character of Councilor Tommy Carcetti is a politician running for mayor. Carcetti pesters Commissioner Burrell and his commanders to reduce the crime rate in Baltimore by influencing the police force. COMSTAT meetings are held in several episodes of the third season. During these meetings crime rate reports continually show that… the medium of paper… fights crime. Version 29. Np, nd Web. April 14, 2014. Moore, Mark Harrison, and Mark Kleiman. The police and drugs. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, 1989. Rashbaum,William. “Police say Queens drug ring watched too much television.” The New York Times. The New York Times, January 14, 2005. Web. April 15, 2014. .Schultz, Paul D. "Police Chief's Magazine." Police Chief's Magazine. Np, nd Web. 15 April 2014. .Sheehan, H and S Sweeney. "The thread and the world: narrative and metanarrative." Skip cut. Version 15. Np, nd Web. April 15. 2014. .