Detroit Free Press – by Gina Damron, Eric D. Lawrence and Tresa Baldas
Two former Detroit narcotics officers are accused of committing the kinds of crimes police are supposed to investigate: robbery, extortion, drug deals.
Among the allegations — the veteran lieutenant and officer made traffic stops and fake arrests to steal drugs, money and property, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court.
Lt. David Hansberry and Officer Bryan Watson – whose nicknames are Hater and Bullet – were arraigned today on a litany of charges, including robbery conspiracy, extortion, aiding and abetting, and cocaine possession. If convicted of the most serious charge – conspiracy – the officers would each face up to 20 years in prison.
Kevlin Omar Brown, 45 — who the indictment calls an “associate” of Hansberry — is charged with one count of interference with commerce by robbery or extortion from an incident in January 2012.
The indictment comes after Detroit Police Chief James Craig disbanded the department’s troubled drug unit last year and officers became the target of a federal investigation.
At a news conference, Craig said he was “troubled” by the allegations against Hansberry and Watson, who are suspended without pay. Craig said criminal allegations of this magnitude impacts the public trust.
“The vast majority of the men and women of the Detroit Police Department are honest and hardworking, they honor the badge they wear and the oath they took to serve and protect the citizens of this city,” Craig said.
Hansberry and Watson are accused of arranging drug transactions with civilians, including informants. But instead of completing the drug sales, the indictment says, the officers “would rob and extort participants in those transactions of controlled substances, money, and personal property.”
According to the indictment, the alleged scheme ran from June 2010 through October.
In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Hansberry, 34, and Watson, 46, used their status as police officers “to assist in their scheme.” It says they drove police vehicles, activated the lights, wore police clothing and badges and carried firearms.
The officers, according to the release, “also allegedly identified themselves as police officers to coerce their victims into complying with their demands and to encourage their victims to flee, leaving behind illegal drugs, money, and personal property.”
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Mona Majzoub entered not guilty pleas today for Hansberry and Watson, who were both ordered not to possess firearms while out on bond.
Brown also appeared in court, but his arraignment was continued to Friday because he did not have an attorney. He was ordered to clear up any outstanding warrants within 90 days, must remain confined to his Detroit home and must wear a tether.
Brown ignored requests for comment as he was leaving the courtroom after the hearing.
Thursday’s indictment comes almost 11 years after a federal jury acquitted eight Detroit police officers of planting evidence and writing phony reports in several cases to justify the arrests of suspected drug dealers and prostitutes.
“The media was in an identical frenzy 10 years ago when the Fourth Precinct case was brought in federal court,” Watson’s lawyer, Steven Fishman, said. “The noise died down quickly when all of the officers were found not guilty on each of the 104 counts. Sometimes history repeats itself.”
Michael Harrison, Hansberry’s attorney, said his client, who has been aware of the investigation for months, maintains his innocence.
The indictment says Hansberry was a sergeant in the department’s narcotics section from November 2009 through November 2013, when he was promoted to lieutenant.
Hansberry is “confident he’ll be vindicated,” Harrison said, adding that his client has been a police officer since he was 18 years old. “Never had so much as a parking ticket.”
At the news conference today, Craig said a few former narcotics officers remain suspended with pay “until this investigation is fully complete.” Craig said he couldn’t comment on whether those officers would face charges.
In place of the disbanded narcotics unit, the department — which Craig previously said also investigated narcotics officers for an allegation of theft — created the Major Violators Section. Craig said officers assigned to that section work there for a limited duration of time.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement: “We applaud Craig’s commitment to root out any officers who tarnish the badge.”
In a news release today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case was investigated by the FBI Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force, in collaboration with the police department’s Internal Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
McQuade said: “Officers who violate the law cannot be tolerated because effective law enforcement requires public trust.”
Contact Gina Damron: 313-223-4526 or gdamron@freepress.com
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/04/09/detroit-officers-indicted/25517033/
its Detroit , the criminal justice system in that city doesnt work,,
just look at the debacle the trial on its mayor was and how many got away with murder ( the dancer, and many others as potential witnesses etc) Mike Cox is still a free man and lied under oath
I’ll be surprised if these cops get anything but community service , and it shows they already have no clue what community service is
they may report that they are getting stiff sentences , fines etc.. but the reality is no one in the public are following the end results of these “Bad” cop sentencing ..chances are they are covered for buy their own , and these bad cops are out on the streets of another town and never do any hard time
This is nothing new. Cops have been doing this forever, and it’s why “drug busts” are the only arrests you hear about. That’s where the money is.
And it’s also why every cop in the country dreads seeing the “war on drugs” come to an end. It will also end most of his income stream.
“The vast majority of the men and women of the Detroit Police Department are honest and hardworking, they honor the badge they wear and the oath they took to serve and protect the citizens of this city,” Craig said.”
Repeat a lie often enough…