Who's minding the store?
Originally published January 13, 2006
Allegations against three members of a special crime squad in
Baltimore's Southwestern Police District suggest rogue cops at work.
The officers were indicted last week in the alleged . of a woman
they picked up in a routine drug arrest. A police search of an office
used by the five-member "flex squad" reinforces the idea that these
cops didn't exactly play by the rules. Here's some of what was found:
small packets of suspected heroin, marijuana and cocaine, 31 knives, 13
bootleg DVDs, various forms of ID, sets of metal knuckles, seven cell
phones.
At a time when Baltimore citizens have publicly complained about
aggressive policing and the City Council is considering empowering a
civilian review board, the charges against the flex squad officers
suggest an abuse of power of the worst kind - a quid pro quo to ignore
a crime. According to a report in The Sun, the victim said one officer
asked her what she was willing to do to stay out of jail. She told
police investigators she agreed to have . to win her freedom. The
other two officers allegedly looked the other way.
The three officers have an absolute right to defend themselves; they
are innocent until proved guilty. But when police are accused of
wrongdoing, it reinforces every bad thing said about a cop. It makes
every officer suspect, undermining those who strive to "protect and
preserve life and property."
The victim's account of her arrest - she says she was parked in a car
with three other people smoking marijuana Dec. 27 - is indeed
disturbing. The 22-year-old contends that the flex squad officers let
go the two men in the car, but handcuffed her to the other woman and
took them to the station. Why were the women singled out? The victim
also claims that she was asked what she knew about any homicides - the
right line of questioning, given the increase in murders in the
district from 24 in 2004 to 40 in 2005. When she could offer no help,
the inquiry turned, according to her account.
Even if the flex officers are cleared of the . charges, there
remains the matter of the contraband found in their office. Who was
supervising this squad? Police policy requires an immediate inventory
of evidence to guard against contaminating or losing it and
compromising the prosecution of criminal cases.
An internal police investigation continues, and the FBI plans to review
the case for civil rights violations. But Police Commissioner Leonard
D=2E Hamm would do right to order a review of flex squad operations in
all nine districts to ensure that the units, which focus on violent and
drug crimes, are following police procedures - and the law.
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