Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Thank goodness the prison guards are keeping up their end of the bargain, because the police have been pretty well behaved this week. The one bad cops story we have this week actually appeared last week and was based on events that occurred last month. Let's get to it:

In Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department has for the second time this year disbanded one of its "Special Enforcement Teams" and launched an internal investigation into its activities, jeopardizing dozens of pending criminal cases, the Baltimore Sun reported last week. The department disbanded the squad last month, but didn't announce it until last week. According to department spokesman Matt Jablow, the investigation involves "allegations of misconduct." "Sources close to the investigation" told the Sun the officers are accused of lying in charging documents, mostly involving drug arrests. Baltimore's "Special Enforcement Teams" are supposed to be "deployed in a rapid manner to respond to emerging violent crime problems throughout Baltimore," according to the department's 2005 annual report, but of the more than 7,000 arrests made by the Southeast-side SET, most were drug and nuisance cases. At the end of last December and into January, a Baltimore police "flex squad" on the Southwest side was disbanded after allegations that a woman was raped by officers. Those officers were also accused of stealing and planting evidence. They face trial in December. No officers have yet been arrested in the latest emerging scandal.

In Malone, New York, a veteran prison guard has been arrested for allegedly selling heroin to inmates at the Bare Hill Correctional Facility, the North Country Gazette reported Monday. Michael Bradish, 43, a 16-year officer, went down after a months-long investigation by the state Department of Corrections Inspector General's Office. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance, receiving a bribe, attempted possession of prison contraband, receiving a reward for official misconduct, and conspiracy. He is in the Franklin County Jail until and unless he comes up with $100,000 bail.

In Douglas, Arizona, an Arizona Department of Corrections officer was arrested last Friday on cocaine possession and sales charges. Prison guard Renee Dias, 29, was arrested at the Douglas Prison complex, the Douglas Dispatch reported. Officers serving a search warrant at Dias' home found a half-pound of cocaine valued at more than $5,000, according to the Douglas Police. Dias is charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics for sale, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is currently residing at the Cochise County Jail in nearby Bisbee.