Wayne Earl Jenkins Jr. (born 1980) is a former Baltimore Police Department (BPD) sergeant who was the ringleader of the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF),[1][2][3] a plainclothes unit that engaged in widespread criminal activities while on duty.
[4][5][6][7][8] Jenkins, along with other members of the GTTF,[9][10] was convicted on federal charges including racketeering, robbery, and overtime fraud in one of the most notorious police corruption scandals in Baltimore's history.
Under his leadership, the GTTF engaged in activities such as robbing drug dealers, planting evidence, conducting illegal searches, and falsifying police reports.
[19] Jenkins' modus operandi included toting around a duffel bag with a burglar's toolkit to facilitate breaking into homes or stash houses of these high-value targets, an approach that allowed him to steal large sums of money and drugs which were then sold on the streets.
[16] The depth of Jenkins' criminal activities, including his role in targeting and robbing high-level drug dealers under the guise of law enforcement, underscored the systemic issues within the department.
The HBO miniseries We Own This City,[21][22] based on the book by The Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, focuses on the corruption within the GTTF, with Jenkins, played by actor Jon Bernthal[23] as the central figure.