This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

New York City seems indifferent to the costs imposed on it by rogue narcs, a Florida deputy gets popped for growing weed, a US Virgin Islands environmental cop gets popped for cocaine trafficking, and a rogue California narc heads for prison. Let's get to it:

In New York City, news broke on Sunday that a Brooklyn NYPD narcotics team had cost the city more than $1.5 million settlements, even as the officer who led the team was being promoted. NYPD Lt. Daniel Sbarra and his rogue narc squad have been hit with nearly 60 lawsuits, with at least 15 cases involving him personally. Those lawsuits include charges ranging from racial profiling slinging racial slurs to the unprovoked beating of a man in front of his young son. The city's Law Department, which must defend the cases seemed unconcerned. "Being named in a lawsuit or settlement is not an accurate barometer for evaluating an officer’s conduct," it said in a statement. "For example, an officer who works in high-impact roles, such as narcotics or emergency services, is more likely to be sued in his or her line of duty than an officer in a less confrontational role."

In Fort Myers, Florida, a Lee County sheriff's deputy was arrested last Friday after authorities executed a search warrant at his home and found marijuana plants. Now former Deputy Piotr Urbanski and his girlfriend were both arrested after the raiders found 30 plants two to four inches tall. Both are charged with one count each of producing marijuana, possession of marijuana over 20 grams, and possession of drug equipment or paraphernalia. Urbanski went down after the department "received information" there might be a grow at his home. In addition to the plants, deputies found 12 grams of processed pot and two pipes "that reportedly had been used to ingest pot." Urbanski posted $4,000 bail and is free pending trial.

In the US Virgin Islands, the islands' head environmental enforcer was arrested last Friday after allegedly being caught with a cache of cocaine on a government patrol boat. Robert Tapia, director of environmental enforcement for the Virgin Islands' Department of Planning and Natural Resources, was armed, uniformed, and in possession of a bag containing 15 pounds of cocaine when he was arrested. He is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and was being held without bail pending a hearing this week.

In Oakland, California, the former head of the Contra Costa County drug task force was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison for heading up a drug-stealing and -dealing scheme that also involved a local private investigator. Norman Wielsch, 51, admitted stealing drugs from police evidence lockers for resale, as well as conspiring with the PI to do illegal search-and-seizure operations against prostitutes they located via Craigslist and target spouses in divorce cases handled by the PI for fake drunk driving arrests. Wielsch cried during his sentencing Monday.