Police

Jackpot!

Problems in Baltimore Internal Affairs? I’m shocked. Shocked! Neither, I suppose, is Justin Fenton. Here is his story in the Sun. Remember the whole Staples affair from my era? “Stolen” confidential police files that then showed up in a Dunkin Donuts dumpster? You can’t make this stuff up. And you wonder why cops don’t trust the system…

Police

Police Bribes in Mexico?

Strange question, but have any of you ever paid a bribe to a Mexican police officer in, say, the past 10 years? If so, when, where, why, and how much? There was an article in the New York Times the other day about Cancun police extorting people, in this case a Minnesota state senator. My wife, cookbook and travel writer…

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Police

Dirty money

Cops stealing from a drug house. Too bad the FBI was watching. Now one is going to the Federal Penn for a couple decades. Such cases are inevitable with the war on drugs. All drug cops are not corrupt. But almost all corrupt cops deal with drugs. It’s just too easy to rationalize stealing dirty money. 26 pending major-felony cases…

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Police

Good Cops

Most Baltimore cops are clean. The vast vast majority. But of course there are dirty cops. We know so because they get caught. Too bad the record of prosecuting dirty cops in Baltimore isn’t too good. Peter Hermann reports.

Police

C.I. Payments vs. Criminal Bribery [continued]

I’ve still very curious about all this and your comments make it all the more interesting. Here’s the law again: BRIBERY NOT INVOLVING PUBLIC SERVANTS S 180.00 Commercial bribing in the second degree. A person is guilty of commercial bribing in the second degree when he confers, or offers or agrees to confer, any benefit upon any employee, agent or…

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Police

Not so fine a line after all

Looks like the line between paying a C.I. and criminal bribery isn’t so fine after all. Thanks to Marc S. for commenting on this post and informing me that what the DEA agent did is in fact a crime. It’s called commercial bribing in the second degree and in New York State it’s a class A misdemeanor. Had the $1,000…

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