Beneath the Badge

Atlanta, Georgia the hub of the South, the city that was described at one time as being "Too Busy To Hate." Maybe that phrase only applies to the city of what was rapidly becoming over populated, but it did not apply to the police department in the latter part of the 20th Century. In 1967, the Atlanta Police Department was entering its second year of integration, and struggling desperately with police corruption, which made every day in Atlanta a day of paying off the cops who were hired to "Serve and Protect." As rookies going into an unknown territory, Jonab and David Moore were the new breed of cops, militarily trained, Vietnam experienced, they were the beginning of the "New South", breaking down the old stigma of racism that had plagued the department for the past twenty years. And in the meantime, Police Chief Sam Sheppard could only hope to get rid of the corruption as well. As if matters were not already bad enough, FBI Agent David Moore, posing as a police officer, had gone under-cover to get the low-down on those in control of what was the beginning of an illegal drugs operation. David Moore, Jonab's best friend, Vietnam buddy, and roommate was gunned down while on a special detail, investigating a top secret warehouse burglary staged by cops, which was supposed to have solved the mystery of the police corruption. Instead, it opened up a whole new investigation for rookie Jonab who was determined to find whoever killed his friend, even if they were cops. The Police chief who was under fire from City Hall to either stand-down, or retire, had the brother of the Mayor as the next in line for chief looking over his shoulders for the slightest reason to force the Chief out of office. Jonab was given the go-ahead by the Chief to do whatever was necessary to bring the nightmare to an end. He trusted the rookie only because he could not trust anyone else in the department. So, with a young black cop's life hanging over the edge, the Chief's job is on the line, and the entire department was about to be taken over by a bunch of money hungry cops, how could anything good come from this situation? Only a green rookie cop, who also was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner in Vietnam, knew the answer to that question. Jonab was the son of a Baptist minister, who constantly looked to his roots for guidance, and he found love in a young beautiful woman who had made millions running a business of prostitution. He found a reliable friend in the "King of Pimps", Cadillac Jack, who had inside information from city hall and the police department. With that kind of support, along with the backing of the Chief and the FBI, Jonab became the most infamous and hated rookie cop in the history of the Atlanta Police Department.