DIRTY COPS RUIN REPUTATION OF ALL COPS

I usually write about lighthearted things, but this week I want to
address some of what we've been reading about the mess surrounding the
Carteret County Sheriff's Department.

I won't comment on the allegations against the individuals who have
been indicted or are still under investigation. I know some of them
and honestly can't say I saw this coming. I've been out of law
enforcement for a long time now and, although I had occasion to deal
professionally with that department, it wasn't a frequent
interaction.

It has to be discouraging for the citizens of Carteret County to open
the pages of the paper and see where some of the highest-ranking law
enforcement in the county from the most recent past administration
have been accused of acts that they should rightfully be prosecuting.
It reminds me of an internal investigation that took place many years
ago at the Jacksonville Police Department.

Being too low on the totem pole to be in the loop, my partner back in
criminal investigations - the late Candido Suarez - and I could tell
by the electricity in the air that something big was going down that
day. The honchos were all congregated in Chief Halbert's office; and
the drug boys, who usually worked when the sun went down, were in
during daylight hours. There was a lot of whispering and people being
shuttled from office to office, as well as a general air of things out
of the ordinary. Suarez and I decided to hit the road so we could
figure it out.

Soon we heard a couple of officers check into booking with prisoners.
We waited until we knew they were finished booking, then snuck back to
the station and I ran into booking to see whose name was on the log.
As it turned out they had just arrested two of our fellow JPD officers
on multiple drug charges.

Both of the arrestees were junior officers. They were both charged and
later convicted of misappropriation of drug evidence and other,
related crimes. It was all at once both sobering and depressing.

The worst part was they sullied the reputations of every officer who
wore that uniform. I have often said that no one hates a dirty cop
more than other cops: They make a mockery of all of the good, honest,
hard-working, courageous men and women who fight tremendous odds to
keep others safe. Chief Halbert was happy to get those guys off the
streets, but saddened by the impact they had on the department and the
profession in general. We all shared his sorrow and anger at what they
had done to a profession where public trust is so important. And as I
read the paper, all of these long-ago memories flood back. For every
so-called officer who crosses the line, hundreds more wouldn't even
consider it.

They're the real cops.