ARREST OF 'SAINT' SHOCKS CAMDEN

Good cop and bad cop? Thought to be a shining example, a born-again
Camden officer is accused of allegedly helping the bad guys.

On the day Cpl. Michael Hearne was appointed to lead the faith-based
efforts of the Camden Police Department, he drove to a seedy
supermarket to meet an old friend.

The friend had a proposition: Lend me a gun to rob drug dealers, and
I'll give you half the cash.

Hearne agreed, according to state police.

That was Monday, Nov. 6.

The 42-year-old had just gotten a raise with his new job, organizing
church leaders to help fight crime in Camden. But he was still broke.
There was a six-figure tax lien against his Woodbury suburban
rancher. And he was moonlighting as a security guard.

Investigators caught his entire conversation on tape. Later that
week, Hearne was arrested as he thought he was about to meet with the
friend to divvy up the loot.

City leaders were thunderstruck at the news of the arrest. No one
believed that the born-again Christian and 18-year police veteran
might be living a double life.

"He was a saint and did the work of 50 persons," said Camden Mayor
Gwendolyn Faison. "I don't see how anyone could do so many good
things and be accused of this."

Hearne was charged with official misconduct, conspiracy to commit
robbery, money laundering, and possession of a weapon for unlawful
purposes. Police are investigating three robberies in connection with the case.

But this wasn't the first time Hearne had been linked to questionable
circumstances. An FBI investigation in 1997 caught Hearne on tape
advising drug kingpin Jose "J.R." Rivera on how to handle narcotics
investigators.

"Hearne was clearly a confidant of J.R.'s," Kevin Smith, the
assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted Rivera, said last week. "The
only reason J.R. was able to thrive so long was because he had
insiders working with him. Hearne was a perfect example."

There wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Hearne, but he was quietly
suspended from the police force in 2000 for six months without pay.
Police executive Arturo Venegas said last week that he had been aware
of Hearne's conversation with Rivera before naming Hearne chaplain,
but did not believe it had crossed the threshold into criminal conduct.

Rivera, accused of running the biggest drug gang in Camden's history,
was later found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Tainted by the link to Rivera, Hearne was never promoted to sergeant.
His title of corporal is only an honorary one, said senior officers
in the department.

Hearne could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Jeffrey
Zucker, would not comment on details of the case Friday, but said
Hearne was awaiting an arraignment date and had been released from
the Mercer County jail on $175,000 bail.

Hearne's history with the department wasn't always blemished. He was
president of the Brotherhood for Unity and Progress, a minority
officers' watchdog organization, and a director on the board of the
city's Fraternal Order of Police, Venegas said. He led the annual
Mischief Night marches against crime through Camden.

At 6 feet and 300 pounds, he looked like a superhero. Children were
awed by his size. Fellow patrolmen sought him out as a partner,
senior officers said.

Hearne, who once considered a career as a professional football
player, could press 480 pounds. In September 1991, he beat all
competitors at the state's Police Bench Press Championships. He was
declared the "Strongest Policeman in the State."

It was at an East Camden gym that Hearne first met Rivera.

When he testified at Rivera's trial in 2000, Hearne said he knew
Rivera only as a businessman. He told reporters that as a born-again
Christian, he would never do anything to tarnish the reputation of
police department.

It's unclear what spurred the recent investigation into his alleged
criminal activities. State officials began to target Hearne in
mid-October, according to court papers. Investigators would say only
that a confidential informant had tipped them off. In early November,
when Hearne's friend asked for a weapon to hold up the drug dealers,
Hearne offered a shotgun. He didn't realize the friend was wearing a wire.

After a bit of wrangling, Hearne gave him one of his personal
revolvers, a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson registered in his own name,
according to court papers.

Detectives said that on Friday, Nov. 10, Hearne drove to the Super 8
Motel in Bellmawr believing he was going to split the proceeds of at
least three robberies. Hearne was expecting well over $30,000, said
Sgt. Stephen Jones, spokesman for the state police.

It was 5 p.m. Hearne was still in uniform as he circled the motel
slowly in his black van. He pulled into a parking spot in the back of
the motel and waited. State troopers were well hidden. They let
Hearne stew for 10 minutes. Then they pounced.

Suddenly, Hearne's van was surrounded. Weapons drawn, eight SWAT team
officers shouted at Hearne to keep his hands in the air and get out of the van.

Hearne, shocked, gave up without offering any resistance. He was
ordered held on $2 million bail. The following Monday, a week after
he had been named administrative chaplain, his bail was reduced and
he was released.

Later in the day, Hearne was stripped of his new job and suspended without pay.