I'm a big fan of The Wire tv series, a 5 season offering from HBO. I didn't have HBO when it came out; I still don't. But I did view the series via DVDs.
Before you run out to grab it, there is violence and language and adult content. I didn't find any of it gratuitous, but others might. Be forewarned.
The series takes on urban life from a multitude of perspectives using Baltimore's police, politics, news media, poverty and education system as foils. I really found it to be a good representation of the life in Trenton, albeit the series did so on a larger and grander stage.
To that end, I picked up a book by The Wire's creator, David Simon, titled Homicide. Simon was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun until buyouts and cutbacks led him to scriptwriting. Homicide is a non-fictional account of a year in the Baltimore Police Department's homicide unit. It's a fascinating account about investigation and its separation from prosecution as well as ample "inside baseball" material. It's not a quick read but I recommend it.
I also read Rafael Alvarez's The Wire: Truth Be Told which chronicles the series from inception to finale. It includes episode summaries as well as essays about peripheral topics. The material from Simon was by far the most interesting for me.
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