In January 2013 police raided the home of a Cleveland drug dealer,
saying in a search warrant that an informant had recently bought crack
cocaine there.
But the drug dealer had surveillance cameras
that proved the officers were lying. He gave the tapes to his lawyer,
who showed the FBI. The feds then worked to uncover a massive scandal of
a rogue street-crimes unit that robbed and framed drug suspects who
felt they had no choice but plead guilty to fraudulent charges.
Four years later, authorities are still unwinding the damage.
Three cops who worked for the city of East
Cleveland are in prison. Cases against 22 alleged drug dealers have been
dismissed. Authorities are searching for another 21 people who are
eligible to have their convictions tossed. On top of those injustices
there is a slim chance that any of them will be fully reimbursed,
because the disgraced officers and their former employer don't have the
money.
"I always took it on the chin when I got
arrested for something I know I did. But when a cop lies to get you in
prison, that's a different story," said Kenneth Blackshaw, who was
arrested in a 2013 traffic stop and spent two years behind bars before
his drug conviction was overturned.
Click here for the full article.
No comments:
Post a Comment