Bad Cop: Retired Camden officer admits role in rogue operation
Among Camden police officers, Dan Morris was known as "the Terminator" for his prodigious arrest record during his 23 years on the force.
On Thursday, the retired sergeant appeared in U.S. District Court and stoically admitted that he had stolen money from suspected drug dealers, conducted illegal searches, and falsified police records during his last year on the force.
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Source: Bad Cop: Retired Camden officer admits role in rogue operation
On Thursday, the retired sergeant appeared in U.S. District Court and stoically admitted that he had stolen money from suspected drug dealers, conducted illegal searches, and falsified police records during his last year on the force.
Quote from the article:
| Morris, 47, of Moorestown, faces a possible 10-year prison sentence and $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy before Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden. He is the third officer, out of five under investigation, to admit his role in a rogue narcotics-enforcement operation. Authorities say other officers planted evidence, made false arrests, and traded drugs for information from prostitutes. As a result of the misconduct, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office overturned drug charges against more than 185 people, some of whom were in prison on bogus charges. The city, which repeatedly ranks as one of the most dangerous and poorest in the nation, also has been hit with numerous lawsuits by those the officers arrested. More are expected. In one lawsuit filed recently in federal court, Juan R. Trouche of Camden says Morris and other officers stopped him in an alley near Broadway and Viola Street on Nov. 27, 2007. Morris allegedly hit Trouche in the back of the head with gun. "Are you ready to die tonight?" Morris allegedly asked Trouche. According to the lawsuit, the officers then planted 19 bags of crack cocaine on Trouche and charged him with possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school. In May, Trouche was among those released early from prison. "I believe it is important that the public should take comfort in knowing the Camden Police Department is not defined by these rogue officers," Chief Scott Thomson said. "We aggressively investigated them to prosecution and will continue to do so." In the summer of 2008, shortly after he was appointed chief, Thomson initiated an investigation of the officers. It was turned over to the Prosecutor's Office, which worked with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office. By then, Morris had become a sergeant and supervised the other four officers: Kevin Parry, Jason Stetser, Antonio Figueroa, and Robert Bayard. Parry and Stetser pleaded guilty to conspiracy this year. Figueroa and Bayard have been suspended without pay while the criminal investigation continues. |
Source: Bad Cop: Retired Camden officer admits role in rogue operation
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