East Cleveland, OH — All too often, those who continuously apologize for crimes committed by police officers are able to justify some of the most egregious instances of outright murder by claiming the officer was a bad apple. Almost as often, however, as TFTP has shown numerous times, many folks forget the second half of that euphemism which is, “one bad apple spoils the entire bunch.”
A situation has been unfolding in Ohio recently, perfectly illustrating the nature of the bad apple theory. Eleven current and former East Cleveland Police officers were indicted last week for participating in “appalling” behavior, according to authorities.
These “bad apples” face charges including assault, dereliction of duty, and interfering with civil rights, authorities in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, said after they released a compilation video akin to something the Free Thought Project would make.
The 11 cops indicted last week bring the total number of officers to be indicted to 16 in just the previous seven months. In addition, other officers have been charged with crimes, including aggravated robbery, bribery, and theft.
“Make no mistake, there has been a cancer growing in the East Cleveland Police Department,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said. “We are doing our best to remove every tentacle of that cancer so that this department can rebuild and grow to put itself in a position to hire officers who enforce the law as well as follow the law.”
As reported by Cleveland.com, the video released by O’Malley showed one “officer stomped on a victim as he was being pushed to the ground. Another kicked a kneeling victim from behind. Another unleashed a flurry of hook punches to a man curled up in the street, followed by a strike to the groin, while a fellow officer yelled, ‘Get his ass, boy!’ Yet another officer repeatedly tased a defenseless man in what Cuyahoga County’s top prosecutor described as ‘a form of torture.'”
The recent arrests and indictments follow a two-year investigation by the regional field office of the FBI, and the results of it have wiped out nearly half of the department.
O’Malley said only about two dozen officers remain on the force, and as a result, city officials have sought help from Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies and state troopers.
The following officers were indicted on Wednesday:
· Patrol Officer Nicholas Foti
· Detective Ian McInnes
· Sgt. John Hartman
· Patrol Officer Tristan Homan
· Patrol Officer Laurice Mans
· Patrol Officer Tre Dehart Robinson
· Patrol Officer Brian Parks
· Patrol Officer Tyler Mundson
· Patrol Officer Brian Stoll
· Investigator Kyle Wood
· Patrol Officer Daniel Toomer
Cleveland.com reports that in addition to assault and civil rights violations, several officers were charged Wednesday with tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, theft in office, and telecommunications fraud. They will be arraigned at a later date and are expected to self-surrender, O’Malley said.