Theft and Corruption

Six Detroit police officers have been charged with extortion after receiving bribes from the owners of automobile collision shops in the latest corruption scandal to hit the department in recent months. Two officers were indicted Wednesday and four retired officers have pleaded guilty to committing extortion, according to federal court records. Detroit police Chief James … Read more

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida police officer is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a home during a drug raid. Zachary Immler, 31, of Boca Raton, was arrested Tuesday on a grand theft charge. According to a West Palm Beach police report, the theft occurred Oct. 25 while officers were serving … Read more

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA – Colonial Heights Police say they have arrested a former officer after discovering that he had downloaded videos from a suspect’s phone onto his own phone. The former officer, 30-year-old Bryan Glinn Drake, is charged with three counts of misdemeanor embezzlement and three counts of obstruction of justice. The ACLU is becoming … Read more

Baltimore prosecutor complained in 2014 that Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, the now indicted supervisor of the Gun Trace Task Force, was among a group of officers who had not been truthful in a case involving allegations of evidence planting, the public defender’s office alleged in a new court filing. The specifics of the internal complaint against … Read more

A fifth officer charged in the Baltimore police gun task force scandal is set to plead guilty, his attorney confirmed. Sgt. Thomas Allers, who is charged with stealing more than $100,000 over three years while he was the supervisor of the Gun Trace Task Force, is scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday. Defense attorney … Read more

Another awful story of civil asset forfeiture abuse comes to us via German Lopez at Vox. But at least this one has a happy ending. The beginning, however, is anything but happy. Musician Phil Parhamovich made the mistake of driving in Wyoming without his seatbelt buckled. A click-it ticket in Wyoming usually runs about $25. … Read more

The former manager of the Anne Arundel police crime lab pleaded guilty Monday to charges that she stole prescription drugs from drop boxes at district stations for more than two years. Annette Alchin Box, 48, of Pasadena agreed to the terms of the plea, which sees her plead guilty to three offenses, including misconduct in … Read more

As Louisiana’s longest-tenured State Police superintendent, Mike Edmonson created a life of luxury for his family at taxpayers’ expense, ordering troopers to chauffeur his wife around the state, tapping state resources to service his son’s Jeep and even relying on trusties to walk the family dog at the Department of Public Safety compound where the … Read more

INDIANAPOLIS – Termination has been recommended for a 10-year veteran member of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. According to IMPD, an investigation into computer tampering allegations against 31-year-old Francisco Olmos began in November 2015. Police say it was due to his off-duty activity at a death investigation crime scene. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office says … Read more

Arkansas – Former Flippin Police Chief Dusty Smith has been arrested on a charge of theft of property, according to the electronic jail log of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The log shows Smith, 38, was booked into the jail at 10:41 a.m. Monday morning. The log shows Smith was released after posting a $5,000 … Read more

A former Baltimore Police officer has been indicted for allegedly planting evidence in a suspect’s car during a 2010 arrest, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. Former Sgt. Wayne Earl Jenkins, 37, allegedly planted heroin in a car after a driver who police were pursuing crashed into another car, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the … Read more