Former Philadelphia police officer: 'I planted drugs too many times to count'

[eridani]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/14/1377712/-Former-Philadelphia-police-officer-I-planted-drugs-too-many-times-to-count

Former Philadelphia police officer Jeffrey Walker was once hailed as one of "Philadelphia's finest"—participating in well-publicized drug raids. That is, until he was busted by the FBI:

Fifteen years later, an FBI case revealed a different Jeffrey Walker, then a member of the Narcotics Field Unit. Busted in a sting in May 2013 - the FBI caught him stealing money from a drug dealer - Walker pleaded guilty and began cooperating with federal investigators.

Walker, who is in federal custody awaiting sentencing for his February 2014 guilty plea in federal court, faces a maximum of life behind bars.

In the meantime, he is expected to be a star witness this week in the federal trial against six Philadelphia narcotics officers arrested with his help: Thomas Liciardello, Perry Betts, John Speiser, Michael Spicer, Linwood Norman - Walker's longtime partner on the narcotics unit - and Brian Reynolds, Walker's old "Robin."

Walker took the stand today and stunned the courtroom with his testimony:

A disgraced ex-police officer testifying against his drug squad colleagues acknowledged Tuesday that he stole drug money, planted evidence and lied on police paperwork too many times to count.

Jeffrey Walker told jurors that the Philadelphia Police Department drug squad targeted white “college-boy, … khaki-pants types” who were “easy to intimidate.”

[jtuck004]

1. "lied on police paperwork too many times to count." < I wonder what a nationwide polygraph

test administered to all police officers would reveal? I bet he is not alone - by the millions of people.

Some would say they aren't reliable. My question would be, do you mean the polygraph, or the police officers?

[Ed Suspicious]

2. I hope the Philly courts see lot's and lots of appeals. I hope they're buried in appeals.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. I hope they just automatically void arrests associated with this cop

[ncjustice80]

17. They should void every arrest in the city to be honest.

Sounds like the whole department is tainted. Fire everyone and start fresh!

[leftynyc]

3. Is anyone really surprised?

We've known this is happening since Serpico. Anybody that is in jail and has this repulsive worm on their police records should sue immediately. So should those with criminal records due to him. Philly will be paying for this for decades. Maybe they'll be more careful in the future but someone I doubt it.

[tridim]

4. The war on drugs isn't failing, it has already failed, completely.

This article is the proof. End it today.

Still SMH at what I just read. Wow.

[City Lights]

5. Wish I could say I was surprised.

[Sunlei]

6. Him and all the narcotics officers named, every case they were involved with should be removed

from the records. The State will have to make those hundreds? of people and their families whole again.

Personally I think every police officer who comes in contact with cash money/does home raids- should pass polygraph that they never took any cash or took anything.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. My Prediction

Some judge who is a hard-edged drug warrior will refuse to hear the cases because of an assumption of guilt, despite these confessions.

Nobody is getting off, unless the governor starts commuting or pardoning.

[RedCappedBandit]

7. I'm sure he's a bad apple and this essentially never happens!

lol

[Ed Suspicious]

15. The problem with the bad apple metaphor is that in reality a bad apple

spoils the bunch. I don't think the bad apple metaphor works as well as they think it does.

[LuvNewcastle]

8. Somebody better find the photo

of the cop with the milk jug. There's more big news about crooked cops every day, and it's some sickening shit.

[Octafish]

9. Frat boys have rich parents.

Coincidentally.

[RussBLib]

11. and in how many OTHER cities has this been happening?

ALL of them???

[Comrade Grumpy]

13. Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Tulsa, Memphis, Miami, Jackson, MS...

That's just off the top of my head.

These guys cover drug war police corruption on a weekly basis. They always have something. Every week:

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/apr/15/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

In New York City, two Brooklyn narcotics officers were under investigation last Thursday after a video taken during a raid on a bodega appeared to show one of them pocketing $4,000 in cash. Detective Ian Cyrus, 49, from the Brooklyn North Narcotics Squad has been suspended, and Sergeant Fritz Glemaud, 44, has been placed on modified assignment. The investigation continues.

In Detroit, two Detroit police officers were arrested last Thursday on charges they robbed drug dealers and stole drugs and money during police raids. Lt. David Hansberry, 34, and Officer Bryan Watson, 46, allegedly identified themselves as police officers to scare their victims into complying with their demands, then stealing their cash, drugs, and personal property. They had been members of the now-disbanded Detroit Police Narcotics Section, but had been suspended since last October. They are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, multiple counts of interference with commerce by robbery and extortion, possession with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine and two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking crime.

In San Francisco, a San Pablo police officer was arrested last Wednesday after police who were monitoring him saw him make what appeared to be a drug sale. Officer Kenneth White, 32, had a two-year-old child in his back seat when the deal went down. Police suspect he was dealing heroin and cocaine, and he's now being held on suspicion of narcotics violations, weapons violations, and child endangerment.

In Chicago, a Melrose Park Police detective was arrested last Thursday on charges he stole cocaine from the evidence room, plotted to steal drugs from the state lab, and agreed to transport a load of drugs in his unmarked squad car. Detective Gregory Salvi, an 18-year veteran, went down in a sting. He was arrested at a storage facility where he'd gone to pick up a 5-kilogram load of cocaine that he thought he was delivering to another drug dealer. But the dealer was actually a federal informant. He's charged with possessing 5 kilos of coke or more with intent to distribute and is looking at a mandatory minimum 15-year sentence if convicted. He's also charged with using a firearm in furtherance of crime, which is good for another five years.

In Lafayette, Louisiana, a state trooper and a Lafayette Parish sheriff's deputy were arrested over the weekend on charges they conspired with a local businessman to plant drugs in his brother's car and have him arrested. Bryan Knight, the brother of businessman Mark Knight, was arrested in June 2014 after a Mark Knight employee planted drugs in his car and the two cops then showed up to bust him. Evidence on the cell phone of a Mark Knight employee implicated Trooper Corey Jackson and Lafayette Parish deputy Jason Kinch, who was assigned to the narcotics task force. The two cops and the employee were allegedly paid $100,000 for setting up the brother. Both cops are now charged with racketeering in the case.

[eridani]

16. Excellent reference. Thanks n/t

[jwirr]

14. The cases he was a part of should all be released for false evidence. They are all in question.