Baltimore cops arrested in corruption probe

Baltimore cops arrested in corruption probe

www.msnbc.msn.com

More than a dozen Baltimore police officers and the owners of a car repair shop have been charged in a towing extortion scheme.



Federal authorities announced Wednesday that 17 officers and two brothers who own Majestic Auto Repair Shop in Rosedale were charged in the conspiracy. Prosecutors say the brothers paid officers to arrange for their company, rather than a city-authorized company, to tow vehicles from accident scenes and make repairs.

Prosecutors say the officers received $300 for each vehicle they steered to Majestic and over the two-year scheme officers received payments

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Okay, exactly how are we to tell the good cops from the criminal ones?

Especially when the bad ones are uncovered en masse. It sure doesn't give me any confidence in ANY cop if so much criminality can flourish in their midst right under their noses.

If 17 cops are involved, it seems to me that an awful lot more knew and did nothing.

Please "good" LEOs explain this to us: how the hell do we know when you roll up on us whether we're dealing with an honest public servant or a criminal in a uniform?

A criminal complaint was filed today charging 17 Baltimore City Police officers and two brothers who own a car repair shop with conspiring to commit extortion in connection with a scheme in which the repair shop owners paid police officers to arrange for their company, rather than a city-authorized company, to tow vehicles from accident scenes and make repairs.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, the general pattern of the extortion scheme allegedly consisted of the following: from January 2009 to the present, the BPD Officers were either dispatched by the police department to the scene of an accident, or otherwise showed up at the scene. Shortly after arriving at the accident scene, the BPD Officer would call Moreno, or use the vehicle owner’s cell phone to call Moreno, and provide Moreno with details about the accident and the damage to the vehicle.

www.msnbc.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Well it could have been a nice hussle,if they didnt # up...

reply to post by apacheman


The same way we tell a law abiding citizen from a criminal - Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If their is enough evidence, then nail their butts to the wall.

Take part in Government, keep an eye on your local police, and ask questions.

I'm from Baltimore, and I was not surprised when I read this to say the least.

I've heard many local stories about the city cops willing to take just about anything, usually jewelry, but often drugs as well. I know this happens in every city, but Baltimore really is a cesspool. We have a lot of good history and proud people here, but the cops really do have an innumerable enemy here on the streets. Instead of drawing up new battle plans, I suppose they admit defeat and have taken to extortion. Very sad to see this.

Originally posted by apacheman


Okay, exactly how are we to tell the good cops from the criminal ones?

The simple fact is that you can't. Exercise the same caution you would when dealing with any other stranger. Police are human. They have the same ability to be as corrupt as anyone else and have more power to do damage.

Originally posted by Xcathdra
reply to post by apacheman

 

The same way we tell a law abiding citizen from a criminal - Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If their is enough evidence, then nail their butts to the wall.

Take part in Government, keep an eye on your local police, and ask questions.

Except you have the right to view us as murders the moment we are pulled over, wave guns around, speak to us like we are trash

While if we react we get jailed at best.....or beat....paralized....or killed.


In reality, only the cops, Government and those rich enough to have connected lawyers are considered innocent....the rest of us they just rubber stamp our convictions.


BTW this isnt a personal attack against you

You and Seashrink seem to be honestly good guys walking a thin line, we will never see eye to eye on this issue, but you two have my respect

Originally posted by Big Trouble in Little Chi
I'm from Baltimore, and I was not surprised when I read this to say the least.

I've heard many local stories about the city cops willing to take just about anything, usually jewelry, but often drugs as well. I know this happens in every city, but Baltimore really is a cesspool.

Yeah, you definitely lived there alright. I can tell.
I loved all the corruption scandals, and insane police running wild on the streets.

Remember the Cop caught giving a guy a body cavity search on the sidewalk in front of the public, then dropping the soiled glove and riding away when he didn't find the drugs?

The Cop caught in an I.A. integrity sting planting drugs on a random Black male, but avoided charges because someone broke into the evidence locker and removed key pieces?

The (caught on tape) Cops that tased and beat a group of Hispanics because they thought they were bank robbers, but when they found out they got the wrong guys...the just left?

How about the claims that metermaids were told not to ticket cars in wealthier neighborhoods, but they have no problem ticketing everyone else into oblivion?

I will NEVER move back to Baltimore.
I don't even want to visit.

This story is no surprise, and I hope the charges stick and someone finally cleans up that negative zone called a City.

- Lee

Baltimore is pretty famous for corruption. So much so that it was the topic and setting for the HBO hit series "The Wire". They had enough fodder there for a show they ran for 5 seasons. I think it is one of those open secrets.

reply to post by Xcathdra


Problem with that approach is the power disparity and consequence disparity:

We aren't armed and/or dangerous, usually, and have no power to effect massive changes in the life of a cop.

If a bad cop rolls up on us, life as we know it is likely over for the next year or so.

What recourse do we truly have?

Sure we can report it, but if it's Baltimore and we reported one of the 17 to another of the 17, what exactly would that accomplish? Pretty much anything flowing from that situation has negative outcomes so far as I can see.

In my lifetime it has been extremely rare to see an LEO charged, much less convicted, no matter how blatant the violation of law. Simple fact.

Trusting a cop to be a good one simply isn't a safe option: it's far too dangerous and has far too many far-reaching consequences.

Hmmmm....

You know, there might be a business opportunity there: bad cop insurance kits. Three or four lipstick cameras and a phone plugin so that if you are pulled over you can provide a live feed of the stop to a central state/national recording site and a local website ensure your safety. The lipstick cameras would be positioned to cover the rear and sides of the vehicle, with audio pickup. Just have your phone plugged in and the website on speed dial.

I wonder how many bad cops that might remove or curtail? Probably not as many as would show idiot driver behavior, but it might cut down on that, too, and any way to get rid of bad cops by exposure is good.