Baltimore Police Det. John Clewell worked nearly two years on the department’s gun trace task force — an elite unit that raided homes throughout the city searching for firearms in an effort to quell historic rates of violence.
We’re “the ‘make stuff happen’ police,” Clewell told a Northeast Baltimore couple whose apartment he raided in April 2015, according to his own account of the incident in charging documents.
Now Clewell is the only member of the task force who has not been indicted on federal racketeering charges.
Apparently the charges were stealing money from suspects and fraud on overtime pay. In many big cities, narcotics and vice are the areas where corruption of police is widespread. (A friend moved out of Petaluma because a neighbor was selling drugs, and the police started providing traffic direction at the neighbor's home.) I would never have guessed a gun control task force would be corrupted that easily. Many pending prosecutions by the unit are now likely to be dropped.
Keep in mind that people also use their gun safes to hold coins or even gems. So when they raid the home for firearms they also find other items. And given how difficult it is to get back your guns, try to get a $1,000.00 in silver coins back.
ReplyDelete"What $1000 in silver coins? We didn't see any. Do you have any witnesses?"
ReplyDeleteMany of these incidents probably involved low level drug dealers who often have lots of cash.