Source: Drew Angerer/Stringer / Getty
Baltimore Police Department is under fire after public defenders say police planted evidence on suspects after pulling a man over in early November last year. In this particular incident, officers body cameras caught the entire incident up until the police search of the car for drugs turned up empty. The camera comes back on as an officer “finds” drugs in the car. Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis thinks that it’s “irresponsible to jump to conclusion” so soon. Let’s break down the video that is not available:
- One officer searched the car and can be heard on his body camera upset that they came up with nothing and that there’d be negative consequences if they didn’t recover drugs and make an arrest.
- The officers turned their body cameras off and then back on at staggered times. One officer told another, “No, you weren’t supposed to turn yours on.”
- When the videos turn back on, one officer is seen squatting by the driver’s seat area, another officer asks if the area by that compartment has been searched
- Nobody responds, and the officer reaches in and locates a bag that appears to contain drugs right by where the prior officer was
According to time stamps and when the “drugs were found” the car had been thoroughly searched about a half an hour prior with absolutely no results.
