Alabama: WSFA out of Mobile reported that on August 22 and 23, 2024, a sex trafficking sting operation occurring in several jurisdictions resulted in the arrests of 11 men. Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and other law enforcement officials discussed the results at a press conference. The 11 individuals interacted with people they thought were minors through chat rooms and social media. Then, they willingly traveled to hotel rooms to meet the imaginary minor to engage in illegal sex acts with him or her. Among these 11 was Alabama state trooper Ryan Rhodes, 26. Assistant Chief Deputy Wesley Richerson said, “During the arrest, I was advised by our staff that he did resist, was belligerent, and they had to forcibly take him into custody.” Rhodes resigned after being taken into custody.

California: Watermark Security Inc., has a pretty sweet setup. Started by Jamie McBride, an LAPD union leader, Watermark promises a good paying job to any cops who were suspended or terminated for misconduct. Any terminated cop who has been searching for work would certainly be lured by such promises, especially from someone who had done so much for the LAPD already. After all, if cops can’t trust their outspoken advocate, who could they trust? Turns out, McBride is just as sleazy as the fired cops he employs. In interviews with The LA Times, more than ten Watermark past and present employees said that they were denied overtime and lunch breaks. Meanwhile, McBride was keeping most of the wages. One former employee alleged that McBride was defrauding big name clients like Target, “in the form of overbilling and falsification of officer credentials, in breach of contract, and worse.”

California: According to The Desert Sun, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a July 4, 2024, arrest in French Valley after a viral video raised concerns about a deputy’s conduct. The video shows Martin Huizar entering the home of Adele Shirey, 44, without a warrant after a minor answered and closed the door. The deputy opened the door himself and refused to leave, telling Shirey, “Now that I’m inside your house, I own your house right now.” In a profanity-­laced interaction, Shirey asked Huizar to leave, saying she would speak to him outside, but the deputy insisted on staying. The video captures the deputy initiating physical contact, grabbing Shirey and pulling her onto the porch before arresting her. Shirey was charged with resisting arrest and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Sheriff’s Office has declined to comment on the deputy’s actions, pending the results of its investigation. The video has been seen 355,000 times on Youtube, with many viewers questioning Huizar’s behavior and calling for his firing or criminal charges. Shirey’s GoFundMe appeal to hire a civil rights attorney has raised almost $22,000.

England: The Independent Office for Police Conduct reported the peculiar case of former Surrey Police Community Officer, Olivia Morphew, 24. In June 2022 she was stabbed in an attack while walking home from work. Officers recovered a 9cm kitchen paring knife after Morphew reported the incident. She then submitted a compensation claim to Surrey for her injuries. Morphew resigned in September 2022 during the course of the IOPC investigations. Fast forward to September 11, 2024—Morphew, not an officer anymore—appears before the Westminster Magistrates Court on charges that she perverted the course of justice, in addition to fraud, and possession of a knife in a public place. At the hearing she spoke only to confirm her name, address, and age. She was not asked to enter any pleas, but her lawyer told the court she intends to plead not guilty. Morphew was released on unconditional bail and was due back in court in October. Three teenage males arrested in the fake stabbing incident did not face further action.

Florida: The Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police website features a page with the title “Help Officer Fabio Bolanos.” A beautiful picture of Bolanos with his wife and two children in front of a lavish birthday cake is featured. The text below the family photograph described how Bolanos was shot in the line of duty. On March 2, 2024, Bolanos took a shot in the leg while trying to assist another officer. After he had been shot, the “heroic” officer continued to fight and would eventually handcuff the suspect. A police vehicle transported Bolanos to the hospital: “it was too risky to wait for Fire Rescue because he had lost a significant amount of blood.” According to the Miami New Times, however, the donations page left out significant details that paint a less charitable scenario. First, Bolanos’ wound was the result of mistaken friendly fire from the other officer. Also, law enforcement was initially called to the scene because a witness reported that the man was holding a gun. Turns out, it was actually a cigarette lighter. And the pedestrian with the lighter? He was sent for a mental health evaluation and then released. Bolanos’ supporters raised $17,000 to help the family.

Illinois: It is sad to come outside and find your tires slashed. Undoubtedly, one might even be sadder if it turns out that the tires were slashed by a cop. According to WLS-­TV Chicago, that was exactly what happened during Chicago’s Puerto Rican Parade on June 7, 2024. A cellphone video shows two policemen, Deputy Chief Roberto Nieves, 53, and Jacob Gies, 26, while in uniform, sticking knives into the tires of vehicles parked in an alley as they worked to clear the area to investigate a shooting. An owner of one of those vehicles said, “They started poking everyone’s tires, I guess out of rage.” Nieves had been with the police for almost 30 years. He was once the commander of the Chicago Police Gang Investigation Division and holds a high-­level federal security clearance. Both policemen were arrested and relieved of their police powers.

Illinois: As reported by the Belleville News-­Democrat, in April 2024, two former East St. Louis policemen, Vincent Anderson, 61, and Jason Boyd, 51, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges of using pepper spray against two juveniles in a holding cell while they slept. On September 6, 2024, a third officer, Juan McCoy, was also indicted on civil rights charges stemming from the incident which occurred in October 2019. The smoking gun was surveillance video of the incident which emerged from police circles in 2022. The video shows one policeman taking something out of his belt, and then opening a cell door. He closes the door, and then a juvenile is visibly distressed. Another officer can be seen glancing into the cell and observing the juvenile wiping his eyes, but doesn’t offer any aid. Instead, that officer starts talking to another person. McCoy was charged with deprivation of rights under color of law and conspiracy against rights.

Kentucky: On the afternoon of September 19, 2024, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, shots rang out in the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg. When response teams arrived, District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was found dead in his chambers. Shortly before the shooting, Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines had entered the judge’s reception area and told every court employee that he needed time alone with the judge. Before being elected sheriff, Stines had served as Mullins’ bailiff. The judge and sheriff then walked into his chambers. They were heard arguing, then shots were fired. Stines exited the room and surrendered with his hands raised. On September 23, 2024, Stines had been scheduled to give a deposition in a 2022 lawsuit that accused a former deputy sheriff—who was Mullins’ bailiff after Stines—of offering “favorable treatment for sexual favors.” The lawsuit claims that because the woman could not afford home incarceration, this bailiff deputy sheriff arranged for the woman to meet him in Judge Mullins’ chambers after hours to remove her ankle monitor. Stines is a defendant in the lawsuit, facing charges of failure to properly train. Stines pleaded not guilty to first-­degree murder on September 25, 2024.

Massachusetts: According to WBTS, on September 6, 2024, the suspension of Timothy Brennan’s police certification was stayed by a commissioner of the Peace Officer Standards and Training in a closed hearing. In February 2024, Sergeant Timothy Brennan was terminated by the Hopkinton Police Department for not reporting sexual assault allegations from ten years ago against his superior, nowretired Deputy Police Chief John Porter. The victim, who was 14 and 15 years old at the time, confided the allegations to Brennan as a mentor and not as a police officer. Porter was indicted on child rape charges May 1 of this year. Prosecutors said he assaulted the girl in his car on two different occasions in 2004 and 2005. The POST commissioner who heard Brennan’s suspension hearing wrote, “Brennan also testified that he believed, whether misplaced or not, that as an adult, the Victim had the right to decide when or if she should report the assaults. Again this belief, misplaced or not, does not presently place the public’s health, safety, or welfare in jeopardy, thereby meriting suspension.” On September 4, 2024, Brennan was sworn in at the Milford Police Department after months of controversy regarding his handling of the young woman’s confidential information.

Minnesota: On September 18, 2024, Gordon L. Blackey, 59, a Minneapolis police sergeant was accused by prosecutors of stalking his former girlfriend, another sergeant on the force. According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Blackey, who previously was the driver and bodyguard for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, has been with the department for 27 years. The veteran officer was charged with counts of harassment, unauthorized use of a tracking device, and unauthorized acquisition of non-­public data. Blackey admitted to investigators that his unauthorized monitoring of his former love interest included tracking her car with Apple AirTags and using a police state database to learn personal information about her dad and a co-­worker. The two sergeants had share a brief romantic relationship, but the victim called it off because she wanted to maintain a professional relationship. A few months later, the victim discovered the tracking device on her car’s wheel well. She easily linked the serial number to Blackey’s phone number. Blackey, charged via a summons, was scheduled to make his first court appearance in late October to answer the charges.

Nevada: KLAS-­TV out of Las Vegas obtained documents on September 17, 2024, forecasting stormy times ahead for Thomas Kovach Jr., the former executive director of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) Foundation. According to the records, Kovach is facing 19 theft charges. Each charge is a felony and has a value ranging from $3,500 to $100,000. Kovach founded the non-­profit in 1999 to raise funds to support and supplement Metro’s programs and activities. The homepage of the website invites visitors to “Honor our Everyday Heroes” with a long list of benevolent causes to donate to. However, it turns out that Kovach Jr. for years illegally miscoded payments within the LVMPD Foundation’s accounting system, disguising them as legitimate expenses and directing them into his bank account. Court documents allege that Kovach “misused his position as executive director” to move $350,000 into Project Real, a youth outreach program that teaches thousands of students about the law. Kovach paid himself $182,000 from the Project’s fund without the Board of Directors’ authorization. A summons for his arrest was issued on September 16, 2024.

New York: Remember how Don Corleone would make an income by charging local residents and businesses money for protection in the blockbuster movie The Godfather? And those that would not pay would wind up needing the protection. It’s the oldest and filthiest trick in the book. Now, it seems the New York Police Department is copying that tactic. According to NBC New York, the Southern District of New York and the IRS have seized cellphones of numerous NYPD superiors, including Commissioner Edward Caban. Caban’s twin brother James also had his phone searched. According to federal authorities, James was somewhat of a fixer with local bars and restaurants. The investigation is looking into allegations that James would take money from these businesses and then provide them special law enforcement treatment courtesy of his brother. Commissioner Caban resigned on September 12, 2024, amid a federal corruption investigation, and New York mayor Eric Adams was indicted on corruption charges two weeks later.

New York: New York City policeman Matthew Bianchi is unlike many of his fellow NYPD officers. When making traffic stops, the driver of the car that he just pulled over would sometimes flash a “courtesy card.” Like that sweet ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card in Monopoly, the “courtesy card” makes any pricey ticket attached to a traffic or minor infraction vanish. As reported by AP News, Bianchi, however, would not honor the card. As a result, his superiors punished him, and Bianchi sued. On September 9, 2024, New York and Bianchi reached a $175,000 settlement. Unfortunately, the settlement does not curtail the liberty with which NYPD officers hand out these cards. The cards carry an image of a police badge and the name of a New York City police union on it. When the card is flashed to another cop, the unspoken NYPD tradition is to honor it. This unspoken tradition prevails because it is one of the best perks of belonging to these police unions. They give these cards to union members, who in turn pass them off to friends and family in exchange for a discount on a meal, or a car, or a construction job—the sky is the limit when assessing the reach of these “courtesy cards.”

Oregon: On September 28, 2021, former Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy Ron Brown was called to the scene of a death. Central Oregon Daily reported that during the initial investigation, the girlfriend of the deceased asked Brown, 59, if he would delete sexual images and videos of her and the deceased from his phone to spare his family any additional pain. Instead of complying with the grieving woman’s request, Brown transferred those inappropriate files to his own cell phone. A few months later, the woman called Brown and begged him to help her. She was being evicted from a motel and was being kept from accessing the rented room to retrieve her belongings. Brown allegedly told motel management he was there on official business and was able to gather her belongings. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Brown’s intervention on behalf of the woman constitutes a First-­Degree Official Misconduct charge. He scored another First-­Degree Official Misconduct charge when he called the woman and had her meet him in a parking lot. Both charges are Class A misdemeanors. Brown pleaded not guilty in February 2023 and retired from the department amid investigations by the sheriff’s office and the Oregon State Police.

Washington D.C.: On September 12, 2024, former DC policeman Terence Dale Sutton was sentenced to five and a half years for second-­degree murder, and his superior, Lt. Andrew Zabavsky, was sentenced to four years for conspiring to cover up a pursuit and crash that killed Karon Hylton-­Brown, 20. As reported by WUSA-­TV, on that day Sutton tried to stop Brown for not wearing a helmet while driving a moped. Sutton pursued Brown for three minutes, at times going against traffic and at twice the speed limit, in clear violation of policy which prohibits policemen from chasing suspects for minor traffic violations. Hylton-­Brown would die from severe head injuries after driving his electric moped into oncoming traffic while being pursued. But Sutton and Zabavsky actively concealed evidence by failing to preserve the crime scene. They also failed to notify Major Crash Unit or internal affairs of their department. Former D.C. police chief Peter Newsham called the case against the two officers politically motivated because it happened on the heels of the George Floyd murder. Sutton’s attorneys J. Michael Hannon and Carmen Hernandez will appeal both convictions and the decisions Judge Paul Friedman made to bar certain evidence from the trial.

West Virginia: Jarrod Steven Bennett, 38, had been an officer of the law for 18 years. Now, he will be serving roughly that same amount of time on the other side of the bars, followed by 30 years of supervised release after his sentencing on August 28, 2024 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. He also must register as a sex offender. According to WVRC Digital Metro News, Bennett made two videos of a minor under the age of 12 while she slept in March 2023. At that time, Bennett was a Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department deputy. During the footage, Bennett zoomed in on her bottom. In another video he approached the girl, exposed his penis, and then masturbated. Once the disturbing films were made, he distributed them on Snapchat. In response, Snapchat closed Bennett’s original account. Bennett then created another account and continued distributing images of child pornography. He originally pleaded guilty in March 2024. U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said, “The evidence in this case was overwhelming and I think that’s what led to the plea in this case.”   

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