Jamie Hector’s measured and elegant performance as homicide detective Sean Suiter onWe Own This Citytells the story of a reticent but straightforward man punished by a justice system that rewards criminal behavior. Suiter begins the critically acclaimed series as a member of the infamous Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) in the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD). As the show reveals, many of the Task Force members ended up in jail for their illegal activities while on the job. But Suiter’s story is distinctly different and in fact far more tragic than those of his now-convicted colleagues. While his family hasobjected to the show’s portrayal of their late relative, and controversy remains over whether he committed suicide or was murdered, Suiter’s character actually emerges as one of the few voices of reason in a remarkably corruption-ridden police department. His remarkable arc, from wide-eyed rookie cop to clear-eyed homicide detective, is, therefore, the most tragic of the series.
As one of the few “clean” cops on the GTTF, Suiter is torn between his loyalty to the BPD, where his career has thrived, and his growing ethical qualms about the Task Force’s crimes, which include theft, drug dealing, and unnecessary use of force. Though he’s appalled by his boss Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal)’s behavior, he also fears retribution — which, in Jenkins' case, could very well include violence. But the FBI’s investigation into the Task Force, years later, compels him to confront his lasting guilt over his silence; faced with the prospect of testifying against his fellow cops, and losing the job that he loves, he tragically commits suicide.
RELATED:‘We Own This City’: Josh Charles & Jamie Hector on Moving on From Filming Brutal Scenes
Tellingly, only when faced with a federal investigation and public opprobrium does the BPD take a stand against the deeply ingrained culture of criminality that even honest officers like Suiter are compelled to accept. Unfortunately, Suiter is implicated in this hypocritical new focus on accountability due to his earlier unwillingness to speak out against or even report the GTTF’s crimes. With both his colleagues' respect and his livelihood on the line, taking his life seems to be the only feasible escape from his agonizing predicament.
Though the way that he dies is by definition tragic, it’s the show’s attention to his character arc that is the most affecting. Early on, he idolizes Jenkins, but he is soon excluded by fellow GTTF members for refusing to take part in their criminal behavior. Even though he attempts to put his experiences on the Task Force behind him as he switches to working for the Homicide Unit, the crimes he witnessed come back to haunt him. They also fundamentally change his understanding of the people he’s surrounded by at the BPD, gradually eroding his trust in the institution he works for.
By the end of the series, Suiter is cynical and hopeless, faced with rejection from his colleagues if he chooses to testify and possible prosecution if he doesn’t. He also risks losing his job if, in testifying, he reveals to the FBI that he witnessed, and did nothing about, the GTTF’s crimes. By making his suicide look like a death in the line of duty, he saves face and betrays nothing about the now publicly charged Task Force members. That the most morally driven police officer onWe Own This Citysuffers the worst fate is a testament to how the law enforcement system in Baltimore historically incentivizes corruption in its ranks — whether by allowing officers to steal, commit acts of brutality, or inflate their arrest numbers — and ostracizes those who refuse to take part in it.
