FOUR VETERAN POLICE NARCOTICS DETECTIVES FACE MULTIPLE

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Four veteran police narcotics detectives face
multiple federal charges, including conspiracy, drug trafficking and
civil rights violations, after an eight-month federal investigation
exposed alleged corruption in the Buffalo Police Department.

Darnyl Parker, John Ferby, David Rodriguez and Robert Hill who all
have 12 or more years of service with the police force were arraigned
in U.S. District Court Thursday afternoon. They are accused of shaking
down drug dealers, taking money, jewelry and drugs for their own
profit and letting the dealers go free.

Ferby was working as a member of the Drug Enforcement Administration
at the time of his arrest, while Parker had previously been assigned
to the DEA. All four detectives have been decorated for their work in
narcotics investigations in recent years.

William Parker, Darnyl Parker's son, and Reno Sayles, believed to be
Darnyl Parker's cousin, also face charges following the investigation,
which was conducted by the FBI, the DEA and the Internal Revenue Service.

Each face sentences of up to 20 years in prison and as much as $1
million in an array of fines.

Following their arrests, the four detectives' homes and personal work
lockers were searched.

Bernard A. Tolbert, the FBI special-agent-in-charge of the
investigation, said he and his fellow agents found it to be a heavy
burden investigating other police officers.

"Law enforcement bears a heavy obligation to the public. We take that
obligation seriously and we consider the public trust placed upon us
to be an honor that can never be forsaken," Tolbert said. "Any one law
enforcement officer betrays that trust, we all suffer a personal loss."

The investigation began when a confidential source, described as a
drug dealer, tipped off the FBI about Parker's alleged illegal
activities, Tolbert said.

The source, whose gender was not identified, "had a relationship" with
Parker for 20 years, Tolbert said.

Tolbert said the FBI have audio and video surveillance evidence to
back up their charges, including:

Videotape of the four detectives allegedly breaking into what they
believe to be a Jamaican drug dealer's apartment, which was actually
set up by the FBI. While allegedly stealing a gold watch and 14-karat
gold diamond ring, the four failed to locate a stash of $12,000 which
the FBI hid in a plastic bag under a mattress.

On a separate occasion, the four detectives allegedly took a bag
containing more than $36,000 after searching the car of an FBI
undercover agent, whom they believed to be a drug dealer.

Tolbert stressed that the investigation "is not an indictment of the
Buffalo Police Department ... nor indicative of systemic corruption in
the department."

Buffalo Police Commissioner Rocco Diina was saddened when he was
informed of the investigation on Wednesday.

"I think that the vast, vast majority of the women and men in the
Buffalo Police Department are honest. And I think that anyone that
breaches the integrity of public trust unfairly throws everyone in a
bad light," Diina said.

"It's not a happy day for the Buffalo Police Department, but I think
we have to stand strong and remind the public of the vast, vast
majority of our fine officers."

Saying the department will fully cooperate with any further
investigations, Diina said, "There is no room for corruption of any
sort in the Buffalo Police Department."