The Fence: A Police Cover-up Along Boston's Racial Divide

A riveting, true-life account of violence, racial injustice, and betrayal within the ranks of the Boston Police Department

The Boston police officers who brutally beat Michael Cox at a deserted fence one icy night in 1995 knew right away that they had made a terrible mistake. The badge and handgun under Cox's bloodied parka proved it: He was not a black gang member but a plainclothes officer who had been chasing the same murder suspect they were.

While Cox was being beaten, Officer Kenny Conley chased down and captured the suspect. Afterward, as Cox waited for an apology from his department, federal prosecutors accused Conley of lying when he denied witnessing Cox's beating. Both Cox and Conley grew up in Boston and had dedicated their lives to serving the Boston Police Department, but when they needed its support, they were abandoned.

A remarkable work of investigative journalism, The Fence details the shocking story of the attack, the attempted cover-up by police officers beholden to a "blue wall of silence," and the bitter repercussions on the lives of those involved. It follows Cox's 1998 federal civil rights trial against the Boston Police Department and features a diverse cast of characters, including the victims, their families, the officers accused in the beating, city officials, and the actual murder suspect—all set against the rich backdrop of Boston.

Like J. Anthony Lukas's 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning classic Common Ground, The Fence examines Boston's race relations and the unwritten police code of covering up through the intimate lens of those who experienced the crime directly. By coming to know the officers and criminals brought together that night at the fence—and the families whose lives were changed forever as a result—we sense how deeply the strains of prejudice run in this city still haunted by tribalism and racial tension.

Boston journalist Dick Lehr has written a gritty, captivating true-crime story with unusual depth—a chilling exploration of what happens when fear of admitting mistakes combines with a police culture of lying to undermine justice.

“Gripping. . . . Tackles a broad issue with the zeal of a seasoned investigative newspaper reporter.” - Lynet Holloway, Black Voices

“The Fence makes a compelling case . . . [it] is more than an account of crime, punishment and the blue wall. Lehr weaves the life stories of several key characters into the book.” - Bay State Banner

“Weaving mini-biographies of key players into the unrelenting police coverup and Cox’s determined quest for justice, he paints a gritty portrait of urban life that reads like a crime novel—replete with plot twists and vivid, deeply flawed characters. . . . The author’s solid grounding in the history and diverse cultures of Boston, which he has covered for 25 years, adds context to the unfolding events.” - Dave Holahan, Hartford Courant

“The Fence should be required reading in . . . expanded integrity training courses for Boston Police supervisors.” - Boston Globe

“Dick Lehr has written a long overdue assessment of the brutal attack by law enforcement officers on an African American plainclothes officer, Michael Cox, which illuminates a tragic example of the failure of our criminal justice system. You will not be able to put this down and hopefully it will compel you to make sure that incidents like this never happen again on our watch. Every police officer, judge, lawyer and citizen should read this book.” - Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor of Law, Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute For Race and Justice, and author of All Deliberate Speed: Reflections on the First Half-Century of Brown v. Board of Education and When Law Fails

“Like cancers that never seem to be cured, the inextricably linked ills of racism, public corruption and police misconduct continue to surface in Boston (and indeed in America). In his disturbing new book, Dick Lehr vividly presents another example of how difficult it is to face up to, let alone resolve, these conflicts.” - Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton

“Lehr has vividly rendered two tragic stories, exposing a police culture of silence that victimized one of its own while also showing the “by any means necessary’’ mentality of federal prosecutors that destroyed another innocent officer’s reputation. Still missing here are truth and accountability.” - Chuck Leddy, The Boston Globe

“Jolting, nightmarish and potent, this true cop yarn bests any bogus reality show or overblown tabloid tale with its hardboiled spin.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Think Serpico translated to Boston. . . . A cautionary tale about the abuse of power and a timely civics lesson on the virtue of standing up to authority.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Intriguing . . . an admirable, in-depth description of police corruption.” - Library Journal

“As gripping a tale as “The Fence” is, it should be mandatory reading for anyone looking to be a cop in Boston . . . or anyplace else.” - Peter Gelzinis, Boston Herald

“This could be a case study in the perils of profiling. It isn’t so much forgotten history, as buried. Perhaps this outstanding book can fix that.” - Adrian Walker, Boston Globe

“Dick Lehr gets inside the heads of cops, criminals, prosecutors and politics better than anyone I know. The Fence is a revealing expose of the blue wall of silence that endangers us all.” - Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School

“The Fence is a monumental account of an urban travesty. Dick Lehr’s depiction of one of the darkest chapters in recent Boston law enforcement history and the savage injustices perpetrated on two hero cops—one black, one white—has all the earmarks of a classic.” - Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River