Broken Badges: Cases from Police Internal Affairs Files Read online

  PRAISE FOR BROKEN BADGES

  “Broken Badges is a book about police misconduct. Lou Reiter has written a remarkable book in which the reader is introduced, through the author’s eyes, to the culture of police corruption which permeates many law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Broken Badges, while fiction, describes the very essence of the abuse of power for personal gain, the very definition of corruption.

  “This book is not an indictment of the thousands of professional, honest and dedicated law-enforcement officers in the USA who perform their duties on a daily basis working in an environment that is depressing, dangerous, and requires them to perform an almost impossible job which is always second guessed by the Monday morning quarterbacks. This book is a tribute to the brave men and women who resist the culture of corruption which can invade any police department, as well as the courageous police investigators who are willing to buck political pressure, at the risk of their own safety and career advancement in order to bring the corrupt officials to justice, regardless of their own personal consequences.

  “Lou Reiter is one of these courageous individuals and he has written a book which is not only entertaining but will enlighten the reader concerning a major problem facing our Criminal Justice System, namely corruption at the highest levels. I have known and worked alongside Lou as a police trainer and consultant for over 25 years. Lou has established himself as an Icon in law enforcement circles for his knowledge, integrity, and level of professionalism. Lou is able to identify problems in the application and delivery of police service and assist police agencies in pursuing misconduct and improving their ability to fight crime without compromising their core values.

  “This book is a fascinating window into the world of police misconduct written by an author who has unmatched credibility in this field.”

  - Steve Rothlein, Deputy Director Miami-Dade Police Department (Retired)

  “Lou’s almost fifty years of experience bring three important aspects to Internal Affairs matters and organizational culture. He has been immersed in the field and many of our most critical issues for decades, this brings an important view of history and evolution into view. Secondly, he has been instrumental in oversight at the Federal, State and Local levels developing reforms for many matters impacting policing for five decades. And Finally, he understands the importance of conducting thorough investigations while respecting the rights of all involved parties and most importantly the development of organizational culture. Lou is a professional and the Reno Police Department and our men and women are better for his oversight and interaction.”

  - Steven Pitts, Chief of Police Reno Police Department

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  William H. “Bill” Parker, who was my first Chief at the LAPD. He singlehandedly, with a little help from Jack “Sgt. Joe Friday” Webb, took the agency from corruption to professionalism during the 1950s up to the Watts Riot in 1965.

  G. Patrick Gallagher, who gave me the opportunity to experience law enforcement outside the LAPD.

  The crew at the Legal and Liability Risk Management Institute, Public Agency Training Council, Jim and Cheryl Alsup, Jack Ryan, Steve Campbell and Steve Rothlein, who kept me true to my professional principles.

  Alice Eachus, who did the first edit on this book, encouraged me to continue, and affectionately ended up referring to it as “50 Shades of Blue.”

  This book is dedicated to the thousands of cops I’ve met and the many more thousands who I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting who are in Internal Affairs policing the police. Many work without support of their bosses and usually take constant abuse from their fellow officers. But their work matters!

  PROLOGUE

  Why do some cops turn bad? Men and women become cops for many reasons. Some are simply looking for a job that’s somewhat steady, pays well, sounds exciting, and removes them from the confines of a cubicle. Others are driven by a calling to be protectors and serve their communities. But then there are the few who see the role of a cop as getting laid, stealing what they can, and using the badge to reinforce personal prejudices.

  Most people in police work say bad cops can be weeded out at the front end, specifically during the hiring process. Backgrounds and job experiences can predict those who will most likely become bad cops. The psychological screening process should find the deviants. Many times this is true. In law enforcement, each time entrance requirements are lowered, we know that three to five years down the road, the residue and cancer caused by the knee jerk reaction to get more warm bodies into police cars will have to be faced.

  Yet, many of the bad, nasty cops are successful candidates at the front end. They have stellar backgrounds. They are often church-going family men and women. The nature of the job changes them. Hard drinking, access to easy or vulnerable women, cutting corners, and trashing the Constitution all have profound impact. Many bad cops believe the “Noble Cause” serves the community and only scum, dirt bags, and criminals are affected. The access accorded by a police badge suddenly gives entry to money, sex, and power. “Noble Cause” is a known concept in law enforcement. It means that a cop can bend the law or lie on official reports if the end result is that some dirt bag or criminal can be brought to justice. When cops bend the rules and step on anybody’s Constitutional rights, everyone’s rights are jeopardized.

  Police misconduct and bad cops aren’t found only in big, urban cities. The presence permeates even the smallest agencies. Malfeasance can be found in rural areas, idyllic communities, and places few outsiders visit. Most police or sheriff agencies never make the local newspaper’s front page with scandals. Others seem to fight each other to expose more atrocious, salacious scandals. So what determines why some agencies are successful and others are not?

  Departments that are well run rarely face scandals. The chief or sheriff sets the tone for the entire department and knows what’s happening in the field when his cops are out alone, often without supervision. The chief or sheriff continuously talks with officers, asks about personal lives, and knows the good deeds and services each has accomplished in the past week. This high-ranking official puts on the same uniform the field guys wear, and not just for an appearance at a press conference. A good chief will join the street cop on routine calls, not only showboat the hot calls or glory in the aftermath of solving a horrendous crime. This chief or sheriff demands the same high standards from every supervisor and manager in his department. These leaders all care about their people and the community they serve.

  And what about police departments that have scandals continuously running and often breed bad cops? In those departments, the chief or sheriff may have an open door policy, but he’s never in to answer the door. This ranking official is constantly out politicking, worrying about his job, and wondering if he will own the majority at the next commission meeting. This chief or sheriff hogs the limelight at news media events at the expense of the cops actually doing the job. This highest ranking department official only comments on things that went wrong and never seems to know or recognize the good things his field cops are doing. This chief or sheriff wouldn’t know how to audit the work of his cops or special units, either because he never bothered to learn the technique or has forgotten.

  And then there’s the Internal Affairs Unit that’s supposed to “police the police.” In well-run police departments, this unit recognizes complaints, even from known dirt bags and criminals often offer and provide valuable information.

  Bad cops usually abuse those who have little or no credibility within the community and are on the marginal side of humanity; they are usually not the
town bank president or PTA leader. A well-run IA Unit accepts their job as being impartial fact-finders. They work as hard to protect the name of good cops as they do to uncover misconduct or mistakes. They treat complainants and cops equally and professionally. They are the guards who protect the reputation of the chief, sheriff, and agency. The chief or sheriff in a well-run police agency knows Internal Affairs will protect his back, and their ranks aren’t filled with “yes men and women” who simply pat backs.

  In malignant police agencies, the Internal Affairs Unit is either nonexistent, works only to clear officers, or is known to be “badge/tin collectors” or “headhunters,” getting a thrill when a cop making a mistake is uncovered or is caught engaging in wrongdoing. In these agencies, IA often abuses citizen complainants. They create hurdles and obstacles for anyone who might be interested in filing a complaint.

  In every law enforcement department, good cops know who the bad cops are. They know the skirt chasers, the heavy-handed brutal bullies, those who make “hummer” or bad arrests, those on the take, those who sleep through shifts, and those officers who are racist, homophobic, or sexist. Mingling with cops and keeping your ears and eyes open will reveal much. Bad cops often believe no one is looking and no one cares. When no one looks or cares, bad cops can control the agency.

  Internal Affairs units aren’t always the same, but the task of policing the police remains the same. Sometimes the unit is called Professional Standards or Public Integrity. In 1949, the first Internal Affairs unit in the United States was created by William H. Parker; he set forth its original mission to root out corruption. Parker became the Chief of Police of the Los Angeles Police Department the following year. His IA unit was designed to eliminate political influences affecting policing in Los Angeles, a practice that had become commonplace. Bill Parker was a strict disciplinarian and ruled the Police Department for the next sixteen years, until his death in office. History shows he was the guiding force responsible for positive changes in the LAPD and was instrumental in creating the department’s international reputation as a respected, professional police agency.

  It’s easy to become jaded when dealing with police misconduct. At first glance it seems to be pervasive. But in reality, only a minuscule number of cops turn bad. Most work hard and give a day’s worth of protection and service for their salaries. Some are even superstars. Unfortunately others steal, cheat, abuse, and demean those they come upon in the community or inside the police station.

  Internal Affairs is designed to vacate cancers within the ranks. But, Internal Affairs is also there to protect hardworking cops when false allegations of misconduct are pleaded against them. Internal Affairs also uncovers flaws or oversights in the management of a police agency so immediate steps can be taken to correct challenging issues.

  There are many reasons an officer becomes an investigator for Internal Affairs. Sometimes it’s just the last sergeant appointed. Other times it’s someone selected by the chief of police or sheriff to cover the top cop’s back. Many times it’s an essential rung on the employment ladder of a supervisor to allow that individual to become an even better manager or administrator. Unfortunately, sometimes the appointment is given to someone who wants to mess with other cops, their careers, and personal lives. The terms “badge hunter, headhunter, and tin collector” come from actual experiences.

  Most police and sheriff agencies don’t have a designated unit for Internal Affairs. They don’t have the workload to warrant it. In the United States there are approximately 15,000 law enforcement agencies and about 85 percent of those have fewer than fifty employees.

  When misconduct strikes a law enforcement agency, someone in authority makes the decision how to handle the investigation. In only one or two percent of misconduct allegations is the act by a cop truly criminal in nature. But those small numbers of cases are the ones that give a black eye to everyone within law enforcement.

  Law enforcement agencies sometimes turn to the outside for help in egregious cases. Another police agency or unit of the State Police or Attorney General’s Office may be called for resolution. Private, independent investigators also offer this type service.

  This book explores case histories using techniques and tools an outside investigator would have in his arsenal. This method allows the book to traverse political jurisdictions. It allows a variety of police misconduct cases to be presented. Very few single police agencies would handle this volume or diversity.

  The cases and stories presented in this book are fiction. The characters are fictitious. The locations are not real. But the stories are based on real life occurrences in existing police files. They are instances and investigations that are occurring on a regular basis in a law enforcement agency somewhere in the United States. These stories are designed to show the hurdles and hindrances facing police departments as they search to uncover misconduct. This is your real life introduction to the operations and investigations of Internal Affairs.

  CHAPTER 1:

  THE SEXUAL PREDATOR

  Complainant: Anita Gomez

  Allegation: Sexual misconduct

  Agency: Greenwood Village, IL

  Accused employee: Officer Marcus Reynolds

  Anita Gomez was feeling really good this sunny Saturday afternoon in late April. Winter had abandoned the Chicago area and trees and shrubs were finally showing budding glory. Six years before, Anita arrived in the U.S. with the help of nuns at the Catholic church in her small hometown in Guatemala. The nuns untangled the endless ribbons of governmental red tape so young Anita could obtain a student visa. Fortunately, most of the nuns knew enough English to wade through the arcane muddle. Ever since Anita arrived in the States, she studied hard and was conquering English. Maybe she spoke a little Spanglish now and then, but Anita was proud of how far she had come.

  Of course, her visa was overstayed and she was now in her sixth year living in America. Anita had no desire to return to Guatemala. There was nothing there for her. Her father had disappeared during one of the many ceaseless civil wars, and her mother died within a year of Anita’s leaving for America. A nun had kept her informed of her mother’s wellbeing and ultimately her declining health. Anita’s sister stopped responding to her letters after her first year in America.

  America was Anita’s home now. She had a car of her own, a rusted out Toyota Tercel but Anita was happy to have any transportation. She couldn’t afford insurance on the car and didn’t really care. Anita lived in an apartment and shared the tiny space with Rachel, who had come from El Salvador. The girls often talked about what their lives might have become if they hadn’t left their home countries. Anita figured she would be married, pregnant, and living in a hovel, following her mother’s lead in life. She shuddered when she thought of the raw sewage still running down the gullies defining the dirt road in front of her childhood home. Anita knew most of her roommate’s friends were now whores in San Salvador and suspected many of her young friends also were forced into the world’s oldest profession.

  Anita worked two jobs. She worked late nights on a crew that cleaned office buildings. Although it was hard work, she liked the job. Most night cleaners on the crew were from Mexico and Central America, with a few Colombians thrown into the mix. It helped keep her Spanish connections alive since most of her co-workers didn’t speak a word of English. She was paid in cash for that work. The boss man was a big, ugly goon from Panama whom she suspected pushed weed on the side. But the goon kept his hands to himself and left her alone.

  Anita’s day job was at a dry cleaning establishment. Immigrants ran that shop as well. The industrious Patel family of six had arrived from Pakistan a few years before and hard work became the family’s mantra and ethic. Anita was the only person working at the shop who was not a member of the family, although they treated her as such. The Patels often invited Anita to stay for dinner on the nights she wasn’t cleaning office buildings. The Patels lived above the dry cleaners to save money. Anita loved spicy food, but
Pakistani dishes were almost more than she could handle. She liked visiting the family, but didn’t like how the pungent curry odor invaded her clothing and hair.

  Anita had been saving $200 a month, but was reluctant to open a savings account because she didn’t have current legitimate documentation. Soon after her arrival in the U.S., Anita got her driver’s license. Illinois wasn’t like other states that required a Social Security card to obtain a license. Anita attended two semesters at the local community college and had a picture ID card from the school that she used to prove her identity. She would have liked to hold a green card, but that was out of the question.

  One night while cleaning offices she asked the ugly boss man, named Manuel, if he had a green card. The one he showed her looked official. He told her he could get her one exactly like it, but the price had just gone up to $2,500. Anita knew that was out of her reach, at least in the near future.

  Rialto, Anita’s new home, was a nice, nondescript town scattered among many other nondescript towns in the Chicago area. Maybe once the town had an interesting identity, but now was home to new immigrants and people who once worked at Abbott Labs. Abbott had closed the plant a few years earlier and moved the enterprise lock, stock, and barrel to nearby Wisconsin. Now people lived in Rialto, but worked somewhere else. It was surprising there were so few blacks living in the town. A few fast food joints crowded each intersection on the main road into Chicago, but little else. Main Street, where the dry cleaning shop was located, still boasted a few small Mom & Pop businesses, just enough to keep the town alive. There had been a grocery store in Rialto, but vacated the town several years before. The old A&P Market now housed the Boys and Girls Club.

  Today was like most others. It was a Saturday and Anita was scheduled to work at the dry cleaners until it closed at noon.