Feds: Baltimore officers discussed how to beat charges

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 10:29 am, Wednesday, June 7, 2017


BALTIMORE (AP) — Federal prosecutors allege that several Baltimore police officers charged with racketeering met in a detention center to discuss how to "beat" some of their charges.

The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/2s409sU) that the allegations were made in a recent filing in the case against Detective Marcus Taylor, one of seven officers indicted in March. They're accused of robbing people, filing false court paperwork and making fraudulent overtime claims. They have pleaded not guilty.

The filing, an attempt to keep Taylor behind bars, says he discussed the case with co-defendants while being held, but doesn't name other officers.

Howard County Department of Corrections Director Jack Kavanagh says the officers were separated from the general jail population, but the jail wasn't asked to keep them apart from each other.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Prosecutors-Indicted-officers-discussed-how-to-11202147.php

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(Short article, no more at link.)

[politicat]

1. Okay, so... behaviorally, this looks like a culture-bound pattern.

We've got historical evidence that Baltimore PD has done similar collaboration when facing charges (documented in Homicide: Life on the Streets; seen in the Freddie Gray case and some other recent Baltimore cases).

It looks like this is how BPD thinks they're supposed to do their jobs. Which is a massive, foundational issue.