Seven officers who were part of an elite unit of the Baltimore Police Department were indicted Wednesday on federal racketeering charges for allegedly robbing residents, filing false affadavits, and claiming overtime they didn’t actually work.
The officers were part of a gun task force that worked to get illegal guns off the streets. They are accused of stealing from local residents, including one victim’s rent money, and more than $200,000 from a safe and bags at a location they searched, The Washington Post reported.
Baltimore Police Chief Kevin Davis called the arrested men "1930s gangsters as far as I am concerned," the Post reported. He also called the allegations "heinous acts."
One of the seven officers arrested also was charged in relation to "being part of a drug organization and tipping them off to investigations," The Baltimore Sun reported.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, who prosecuted the case, called it “a pernicious conspiracy scheme that included abuse of power” and said the officers’ conduct “tarnishes the reputation of all police officers,” the Sun reported.
Davis admitted the indictments were embarrassing to the department, but that they were part of efforts to root out bad police officers and reform the department.
The Justice Department released a report in August detailing ways the Baltimore Police Department routinely conducted unlawful stops and used excessive force, particularly in poor, mostly black neighborhoods, the Sun reported.
Baltimore entered a consent decree with the Justice Department in January that included sweeping reforms. The agreement is pending approval by a federal judge.
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