When Royce's office gets wind of the existence of drug-tolerant zones set up in West Baltimore by BPD Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin, collectively known as "Hamsterdam", Parker again advises the mayor to fire Burrell. However, seeing the drop in crime citywide, Royce is initially open-minded about Hamsterdam. Parker and Watkins realize that such a decision would be disastrous for Royce, earning the loss of the black community's support and the ridicule of the government. Despite their concerns, Demper and several public health officials support keeping Hamsterdam open.