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Newsbrief:
This
Week's
Cop
Corruption
Story
10/18/02
The Week Online begins a
new feature this week. Lest we forget, starting this week, each week's
issue will have one news brief about police corruption in the drug war.
It won't be difficult to find material. But it may be difficult to
beat this week's nominee, the Detroit Police Department, for the sheer
size of the corruption. On October 10, a federal grand jury indicted
nine people, including a Detroit police officer, a Detroit police civilian
employee and a Michigan State Police officer on charges of stealing a whopping
222 pounds of cocaine from the police evidence room and then selling it
in the city.
Evidence room employee John
Earl Cole is accused of stealing the cocaine over a period of six years
and selling it for $1.3 million. The indictment alleged that Cole
used the proceeds to buy and renovate 18 rental properties and a barber
shop, and to purchase a 1992 Corvette in exchange for three kilograms of
cocaine.
Michigan State Police Lt.
Ernest Myatt and Detroit Police Officer Donald Hynes were Coles' partners,
the indictment alleged, while several Cole relatives and an acquaintance
who is a bank teller helped launder money and hid profits through the web
of rental properties.
The FBI, which is conducting
an investigation of the department, said there is more to come. "There
are a number of public corruption cases that we expect to bring forward,"
acting FBI agent in charge Paula Wendell told the Detroit Free Press.
They might next want to look
at guns. According to Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver, the police
department evidence room lists more than 200,000 seized guns, but Oliver
told the Free Press there is no way of knowing how many are actually there.
"I don't know how many guns we have," he said. "We have far too many
guns."
Oliver, who took over the
top cop job in Detroit earlier this year after leaving a similar position
in Richmond, VA, has publicly and repeatedly called for an end to the drug
war. Now he has one more reason to do so.
-- END --
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Issue #259, 10/18/02
Election 2002:00:00 The Initiatives | Election 2002:00:00 Arizona | Election 2002:00:00 District of Columbia | Election 2002:00:00 Nevada | Election 2002:00:00 Ohio | Election 2002:00:00 South Dakota | Election 2002:00:00 Local Ballot Issues in San Francisco and Massachusetts | November Coalition Journey for Justice Roars through Michigan | Drug War Corruption in Colombia and Mexico | Newsbrief: New Compilation of California Medical Marijuana Guideline Info on MarijuanaInfo.org | Newsbrief: San Diego Medical Marijuana Activist Arrested on Federal Charges | Newsbrief: Damned Sad -- MADD Sues DAMMADD | Newsbrief: This Week's Cop Corruption Story | Newsbrief: DARE Attrition Continues in Kansas City, Kansas | Newsbrief: Canada Study Looks at Marijuana for HIV/AIDS Woes | Newsbrief: In First, British Marijuana User Wins with Medical Necessity Defense | Newsbrief: Virginia Man Lucks Out with Only Two Years in Prison for Sharing Joint with Teenager | Newsbrief: BC City Governments Ask for Tougher Grow Penalties | Newsbrief: Florida School District Wants Positive Drug Test Kids to Pay for Own Counseling | Calling on Students to Raise Your Voices for Repeal of the HEA Drug Provision | Action Alerts: Rave Bill, Medical Marijuana, Higher Education Act Drug Provision | The Reformer's Calendar
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