The police are entrusted to uphold the law and justice not extort, rob, and sell drugs. Reports out of Philly show police corruption at its finest.
Philly police officers used gangland tactics to rob drug dealers, say federal authorities
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Six city narcotics officers used gangland tactics to shake down drug dealers, robbing them of large sums of cash and drugs for years, federal authorities charged in an indictment unsealed Wednesday.
The officers once held a suspect over an 18th floor balcony and used a steel bar to beat someone else in the head, authorities said. Another suspect was held captive in a hotel room for several days while he and his family were threatened, they said.
The plan “was to identify suspected drug dealers and use extortionate means or threats to get their money and profits,” U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger said.
The scheme ran from 2006 to 2012, when Officer Jeffrey Walker was arrested. He has since pleaded guilty and cooperated in the two-year probe. Walker and a colleague “stole and distributed a multi-kilo quantity of cocaine, like everyday drug dealers do,” Memeger said.
This type of police corruption is not isolated. It is more frequent than we may fear. Too much power and not enough oversight create an environment where corrupt officers can get away with crimes for years and not get caught.
It is sad that cops like these, who were dishonest, were entrusted to protect the public. Who knows how many of the citizens they had arrested over their careers were actually innocent?
Justin McShane
PA DUI attorney Justin J. McShane is the President/CEO of The McShane Firm, LLC - Pennsylvania's top criminal law and DUI law firm. He is the highest rated DUI attorney in PA as rated by Avvo.com. Justin McShane is a double Board certified attorney. He is the first and so far the only Pennsylvania attorney to achieve American Bar Association recognized board certification in DUI defense from the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. He is also a Board Certified Criminal Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Approved Agency.