The Thin Blue line Racket
7 Cops Arrested on Federal Charges
Release: Officers Allegedly Robbed Victims, Filed False Affidavits and Made Fraudulent Overtime Claims
Share
This Article
By Ron Lee
Investigative Journalist(US~Observer) Baltimore, Maryland - With President Trump imploring the US people to "support the incredible men and women of law enforcement" during his congressional address, the March 1st indictment and arrest of seven Baltimore police officers, on various federal racketeering charges, serves as stark reminder as to why many people don't trust law enforcement to begin with.
Statistics of crimes committed by officers of the law have rarely been assembled as there is literally no nationwide reporting requirements or data collected for research purposes. In essence, it is almost impossible to know just how many cops commit crimes themselves. In 2016, a report was received by the Department of Justice that relied on Google searches to provide information of crimes committed by officers from 2005-2011. The searches uncovered "6,724 cases in which sworn law enforcement officers were arrested..." but the researches admit the data collection "methodologies have thus far failed to produce systematic, nationwide data on police crime." In short, no one knows how many police commit crimes. But, based on the numbers in the 2016 study, roughly 1 officer in 1,000 are arrested per year. That's approximately 1,121 law enforcement officers arrested per year - and that's just REPORTED arrests. This doesn't address the overall amount of crime committed by those of the thin blue line. Just how many get away with their crimes? Is it a small margin, as everyone in law enforcement would like the public to believe, or is it a larger problem that is hidden from public view in order to keep the racket going? The public will never know until all of the great officers of the law step forward against those corrupt individuals who give ALL lawmen a bad name, as is the case in Baltimore.
Reported by a Department of Justice March 1st release:
“This is not about aggressive policing, it is about a criminal conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Prosecuting criminals who work in police agencies is essential both to protect victims and to support the many honorable officers whose reputations they unfairly tarnish.”
“As evidenced by these indictments the FBI will continue to make rooting out corruption at all levels one of its top criminal priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson, FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Coupled with strong leadership by Commissioner Davis and his department, this investigation has dismantled a group of police officers who were besmirching the good name of the Baltimore City Police Department.”
Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis“The police officers charged today with crimes that erode trust with our community have disgraced the Baltimore Police Department and our profession," said Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis. "We will not shy away from accountability, as our community and the men and women who serve our City every day with pride and integrity deserve nothing less. Our investigative partnership with the FBI will continue as we strive to improve. Reform isn't always a pretty thing to watch unfold, but it's necessary in our journey toward a police department our City deserves."
As for the 7 officers indicted and arrested, they are reported in the release to be:
Detective Momodu Bondeva Kenton Gondo, a/k/a GMoney and Mike, age 34, of Owings Mills, Maryland; Detective Evodio Calles Hendrix, age 32, of Randallstown, Maryland; Detective Daniel Thomas Hersl, age 47, of Joppa, Maryland; Sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins, age 36, of Middle River, Maryland; Detective Jemell Lamar Rayam, age 36, of Owings Mills; Detective Marcus Roosevelt Taylor, age 30, of Glen Burnie; and Detective Maurice Kilpatrick Ward, age 36, of Middle River.
The report succintly described their racketeering charges:
The racketeering indictment alleges that the police officers stole money, property and narcotics from victims, some of whom had not committed crimes; swore out false affidavits; submitted false official incident reports; and engaged in large-scale time and attendance fraud.
Police have a hard job, to be sure. It is made harder by those who choose to view the job with an "us vs. them" philosophy, perpetrating the myth that there is some sort of brotherhood that will have fellow officers turn a blind eye to their crimes.
The reporting of crimes committed by the public can be easily researched, as the information is compiled by the federal government; yet there is no such ability to research crimes committed by law enforcement personnel. You'd think those that are supposed to protect us would be held to a higher standard and information of their transgressions would be readily available.
The public needs more good officers to come forward to keep crimes like those committed by the Baltimore 7 from ever happening again. In fact, they need to come forward and stop ALL crime from happening in their ranks. It will be then, when the criminal few are rooted-out, that all within the thin blue line will have the public's due respect.
More from the US~Observer:
• Dairy Queen Manslaughter Case is Precedent Setting Prosecution and All-Around-Tragedy
• Inebriated Deputy paid over $200,00 for being fired, was rehired, now in trouble again
Get
a subscription
to US~Observer
delivered right
to your mailbox via
first-class mail!
Click Here for more information