"Hard Cases" is the fourth episode of the second season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by Joy Lusco from a story by David Simon & Joy Lusco and was directed by Elodie Keene. It originally aired on June 22, 2003.

As McNulty tries to identify the Jane Does, he finds a letter amongst their clothes, written in a foreign language. McNulty is able to get the letter transcribed, but doesn't learn anything new besides the girl's name and some sparse details about her home country. Bunk and Freamon tell Rawls that they need to look into how goods move through the port to understand what was happening with the shipping container. Rawls tells them they should have held the ship in the docks and that they are his scapegoats if their investigation is not fruitful. The detectives try to get Horseface to tell them more about the container. Later, after Beadie shows them the stevedores' bar, they hassle both Horseface and Frank, who is terrified when he learns that the Jane Does were murdered.

To appease Valchek, Burrell offers Daniels command of the Sobotka detail with the promise of a promotion. Seeing he is in a superior bargaining position, Daniels demands his own permanent unit if the investigation is successful, and the chance to pick his own people; Burrell agrees. Rawls allows Daniels to take most of his choices, but refuses to let McNulty leave the marine unit. Daniels persuades Greggs to join the detail despite Cheryl's desire for her to work a desk job. Daniels' wife Marla has a difficult reaction to his promotion, and storms out of dinner after he tells her about it. Kima gets the same reaction from Cheryl.

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