Othello, as mentioned by Detective Frank Cosgrove, is a play by William Shakespeare. It centers on very powerful Moor, or Black man, and the people who try to destroy his personal and professional life over petty jealousy.
Lieutenant Kate Dixon said when it comes to issues of the "Blue Wall", going against a fellow police officer, we are "stuck back in 1974" in a culture that prizes loyalty over integrity. She is referring to the heyday of Frank Serpico and other vocal critics in the department concerning corruption. Serpico filed numerous complaints with his commanding officer, Internal Affairs, and the Knapp commission set up by Mayor John V. Lindsay to address such issues. Also during that time he was demoted and (/or) reassigned, and eventually he was close to being fatally injured in the head during a drug raid in 1971,despite make multiple calls for assistance, and retired a year later on medical disability. For further insight consult the film Serpico (1973) starring Al Pacino based on the book by Journalist Peter Maas , and the documentary Frank Serpico (2017)
This episode appears to be based on several cases/incidents:
- The 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
- The 1984 Bernhard Goetz (a.k.a. "The Subway Vigilante") case.
- The 2020 Caron Nazario pepper-spraying case.
- The term "blue wall of silence".
- The crisis of false or exaggerated crime reports targeting racial minorities.
- The ethical debate about redefining the limitations of freedom of speech to prevent the incitement of violence.
In previous episodes, District Attorney Jack McCoy said his father was a police officer in Chicago, and that he had a violent streak.