WATCH: Baltimore Police Plant Drugs, Fabricate Evidence, Again
Another shocking video of multiple Baltimore police officers working together to plant evidence came to light Monday after the Baltimore Public Defender’s office said they had incriminating footage on the officers, taken from body cameras.
The video comes two weeks after the same office released body camera footage that appeared to show a police officer putting a bag of what looked like pills in a parking lot in January this year. In the latest footage, a new set of unnamed officers are seen manufacturing evidence. Melissa Rothstein, spokeswoman for the Public Defender’s Office said: “A series of body worn camera videos show multiple officers searching a car, including the front driver side area. After the car has been thoroughly searched, the officers turn off their body cameras and reactivate them.”
Thirty seconds of footage was recorded before the camera was turned on as Baltimore police use cameras which were programmed that way. The footage recorded during this time shows one of the officers placing something in the vehicle. The camera is then turned back on.
Read: Bodycam Footage Shows Venus Williams Being Told By Police She Likely Caused Accident
Later, an official can be heard asking if the area by a particular compartment had been searched. When no one replies, the officer himself searches and locates a bag containing what seemed like drugs. However, charges against the driver of the car were dropped in November, according to New York Daily News.
Although the video was not released to the public by the Baltimore Public Defender’s office, it was obtained by ABC News and an edited version was later posted on YouTube by the news network. The date in the video showed that the incident occurred in November last year.
The additional thirty seconds caught on tape proved to be damaging to the other set of police officers who were seen on body-cam footage, planting drugs in a similar manner at the scene of a suspected drug dealer's arrest in January. Following the incident, one of the officers, Richard Pinheiro was suspended and the other two officers were assigned administrative duties. Charges against the dealer were also dropped.
Moreover, 34 cases of felony, drug charges and gun charges were dropped as they were based on the testimonies of the officers who were implicated in the video in July. 77 more cases are also being reviewed.
Read: Alligator Wrestling Florida Policeman Outside House Recorded On Bodycam
“Anytime an allegation of misconduct is made, we take it seriously and investigate it fully. Right now, we are investigating the allegation that was brought forth by the Office of the Public Defender and the State's Attorney's Office,” the department told ABC about the incidents.
In another instance of faking body cam footage and planting evidence, Officer Seth Jensen of the Pueblo Police Department, Colarado produced fake footage in court, claiming to have found seven grams of heroin and a .357 Magnum in a man’s vehicle in May this year. The footage produced was actually a re-enactment of the entire search conducted by the officer, the court found.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.