William Rawls quotes from The Wire

Rawls

Listen to me, you fuck. You did a lot of shit here. You played a lot of fucking cards. And you made a lot of fucking people do a lot of fucking things they didn't want to do. This is true. We both know this is true. You, McNulty, are a gaping asshole. We both know this. Fuck if everybody in CID doesn't know it. But fuck if I'm gonna stand here and say you did a single fucking thing to get a police shot. You did not do this, you fucking hear me? This is not on you. [McNulty nods] No it isn't, asshole. Believe it or not, everything isn't about you. And the motherfucker saying this, he hates your guts, McNulty. So you know if it was on you, I'd be the son of a bitch to say so. Shit went bad. She took two for the company. That's the only lesson here.

Rawls

[To McNulty] Great work you all did. And the number of clearances I'm looking at here? I mean, Christ, for the first time this year, we got the clearance rate up over 40%. That's on the one hand. On the other hand, I know the Deputy Ops got a call from the First Deputy U.S. Attorney this morning asking whether an asshole such as yourself really works for us. And, of course, this is the first the deputy hears his troops are creeping behind his back, trying to take a case federal when they've already been told the case is closed. You're a good detective. And I've got to admit you got some stones on you. Did you actually call the first deputy an empty suit? [Chuckles] I want to see you land okay, Jimmy. So, tell me, where don't you wanna go?

Rawls

Amazing. Crime is down and no one wants to take any credit. What is wrong with this picture?

Rawls

Bunny, you cocksucker, I got to give it to you, a brilliant idea. Insane and illegal, but stone fuckin' brilliant nonetheless. After all my puttin' my foot up people's asses to get the numbers down, he comes along and in one stroke, gets a 14 fuckin' percent decrease. Fuckin' shame it's gonna end our careers, but still.

Rawls

Bad news gentlemen, as we're actually gonna have to catch this motherfucker. Good news is that our Mayor finally needs a police department more than he needs a school system.

Landsman

I-- uh... he's detailed, Major, to narcotics.

Rawls

I fuckin' know where he's detailed. I fuckin' already know that.

Daniels

Major, I'm asking as a favor.

Rawls

As a favor?

Daniels

Yes, sir. A favor.

Rawls

In that case... no!

Rawls

What do you need?

Jay Landsman

Room to work. I keep ordering people off the scene, and... between Narcotics, DEA, and the two districts, we keep collecting more and more bodies around here.

Rawls

[raising his voice] Nobody move! I said, nobody fucking move! If you have not been assigned a specific task by a homicide detective, you need to step away from this crime scene. Is there anybody doesn't understand a direct order? If you have not specifically been instructed otherwise, then remove your useless, interfering asses from the area. Now! [to Landsman] Slow this thing down to a crawl. Give these bastards no chance to fuck up in a meaningful way.

Rawls

Sergeant! Your floater's come back. County boards are puttin' her on our side of the bridge.

Landsman

No fuckin' way.

Rawls

Yeah, some useless fuck in our marine unit faxed 'em a report on the early morning tides and wind currents. Shows the body went into the water west of the bridge and drifted out.

Landsman

McNulty.

Rawls

[laughs] Fuckin' Jimmy. Fuckin' with us for the fun of it. I gotta give the son of a bitch some credit for wit on this one. [laughs] Cocksucker.

Landsman

Motherfucker.

Rawls

Do you even know what this detail's about Lieutenant?

Daniels

Some kinda beef that Valchek has.

Rawls

Two fuckin' Polacks pissin' on each other's leg.

Lester

Colonel, respectfully, did you just fuck me over without giving me half a chance to clear this case?

Rawls

Let's be clear, Detective Freamon. When I fuck you over, you'll know it. You'll be so goddamn certain, you won't need to ask the question.

Daniels

[about McNulty] You ever see how a dog gets when he smells a bone buried in the yard?

Rawls

Yeah, and I seen one take a shit on my carpet, too. And don't give me that he's-got-that-fire-in-the-belly garbage, either. The answer is no.

Rawls

Mr. Mayor, about Ervin -- if you don't mind me asking -- why keep him as a puppet commissioner when you can just fire the guy?

Norman

We mind you asking.

Rawls

Down the road, when we settle on this, and we will settle on this, I don't expect any of you will ever see another hour of O.T. again. I don't expect any of you will be doing police work ever again. And the only reason this isn't before a grand jury right now is because our mayor can't live with that. Oh, yeah. The Mayor knows your name.

Daniels

So this is your last case. Work it.

Rawls

If you're half the detective you think you are, you'll put this one down fast and take us all off the hook. The longer this goes on, the worse the payback's gonna be.