Police Corruption Causes Dozens Of Felony Cases To Be Dropped In Alabama

58 felony cases are group to beryllium dismissed successful a mini bluish Alabama municipality aft they were tainted by what a expansive assemblage recovered to beryllium a “rampant civilization of corruption” wrong nan section constabulary department. The announcement came connected Wednesday, May 7, from Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker, who said successful a Facebook post that nan crimes are “unprosecutable.”

What did nan expansive assemblage find?

“The Grand Jury that unanimously indicted nan erstwhile Hanceville Police officers wished that nan cases made by those officers and different cases by nan Hanceville Police Department were unprosecutable,” Crocker wrote.

The expansive assemblage deemed 58 felony cases compromised by corrupt behavior, including that of 4 officers and nan constabulary chief. They were indicted connected charges that included maltreatment of office, unlawful distribution of a controlled constituent and tampering pinch grounds astatine nan constabulary station.

Why were nan cases dismissed?

“The aforesaid Grand Jury reconvened successful April and voted to no-bill, aliases dismiss, 58 felony cases owed to nan forbidden actions of those erstwhile Hanceville officers,” Crocker wrote. “Most of nan cases progressive drugs, and only a fewer were individual crimes pinch victims.” Crocker added successful nan post, “One dismissal is excessively many, but nan Grand Jury had nary different recourse.”

Crocker included images of an audit, archiving of each nan dismissed cases and pictures showing firearms and nan messy information of nan constabulary department’s grounds room. 

Why was nan constabulary section abolished?

As Straight Arrow News reported successful March, Hanceville will now person to build its constabulary section from scratch aft nan aforesaid expansive assemblage that indicted nan officers recommended abolishing nan rule enforcement agency successful February. The Hanceville City Council subsequently voted unanimously connected March 10 to extremity nan department’s operations and statesman a hunt for a caller constabulary main and force.

The expansive assemblage recovered that nan constabulary section behaved “as much of a criminal endeavor than a rule enforcement agency.” They besides recovered it to beryllium an “ongoing threat to nationalist safety” pursuing nan decease of a 911 dispatcher. Investigators opportunity nan dispatcher’s decease was “the nonstop result” of nan department’s “negligence, deficiency of procedure, wide incompetence and disregard for quality life.” Forensic scientists opportunity nan dispatcher died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and different drugs. No officers were charged successful nan death.

Signs this was coming

Crocker said earlier this twelvemonth that unfastened entree to nan grounds room meant immoderate grounds was unusable. He acknowledged pending cases were nether reappraisal because of nan discovery. The territory lawyer astatine nan clip showed pictures of a spread successful nan wall of nan room and a broomstick, he said, was utilized to prop nan doorway open. A preliminary audit of nan grounds room obtained by NBC News noted that narcotics specified arsenic cocaine, pills and heroin were recovered successful nan grounds room, arsenic good arsenic a handgun and much than 2 twelve undocumented guns. 

What are nan group of Hanceville saying?

In February, citizens of Hanceville participated successful a metropolis assembly gathering connected nan early of nan constabulary department. Some called for abolishing nan department, while others favored a much measured approach.

“Let’s get free of each of it, get free of nan dirt, get free of nan fraud,” said Kimberly Love.

Charles Wright said, “You should return nan expansive jury’s recommendation.” Wright added, “I deliberation it would beryllium much cost-effective to person Cullman County return complete nan constabulary function.”

Other residents voiced wide frustration.

“You request to meet your work and return attraction of nan citizens of Hanceville,” Daria Sullivan told assembly members. Sullivan continued, “Right now, if you Google Hanceville, nan only point that comes up is this mess.”