This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Some Utah narcs are having a spotlight shined on them, an NYPD cop goes down for robbing drug dealers, and a Florida deputy gets caught buying pain pills on the street and stealing them from his aunt.Let's get to it:

In Salt Lake City, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday they were dropping eight cases involving the suburban West Valley City Police Department's narcotics unit, which was disbanded in December. Local prosecutors had already dropped an additional 19 cases last month. All but one of those cases involved drug offenses, and all 19 of the cases dropped by local prosecutors involved West Valley narcotics investigator Shaun Cowley. Last week, the FBI announced it was joining investigations into corruption in the dope squad, as well as whether there has been a cover-up in the November shooting death Danielle Willard, a suspected heroin user who was gunned down in her car by Cowley and Detective Kevin Salmon. Five months later, West Valley police have yet to make any public pronouncements about results of investigations into her death.

In New York City, an NYPD officer was arrested last Wednesday on charges he was a member of a crew that robbed drug dealers of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs. Officer Jose Tejada, 45, is accused of taking part in three robberies or attempted robberies in 2006 and 2007, while he was assigned to Harlem and in uniform, according to federal prosecutors. He also supplied police uniforms, paraphernalia and police vehicles to crew members. He is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to facilitate drugs, and unlawful use of a firearm. Tejada is the second NYPD officer charged in more than 100 robberies of drug dealers that began in 2001 and netted more than 250 kilograms of cocaine and a million dollars in cash. Former officer Emmanuel Tavarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison last May for his role in the same crew.

In Key West, Florida, a Monroe County Sheriff's deputy was arrested Saturday on charges he bought drugs from an informant and stole drugs from relatives. Deputy Jaime Miranda went down in a sting, buying fake oxycodone from an informant while on duty, in uniform and in his police cruiser. He was stopped shortly thereafter, and police found nine fake oxycodone tablets (he admitted eating the 10^th as soon as he bought it), as well as hydromorphone tablets he admitted stealing from his aunt's house.  Miranda is charged with three felonies: conspiracy to purchase narcotics, possession of synthetic narcotics and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He made $12,000 bond Saturday night and is suspended without pay pending further investigation.