BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - A Birmingham police officer robbed the
same citizen twice in four days, and now is in jail and without his job.
Police Chief A.C. today announced the arrest of 27-year-old
T'Derek Trimayne Luster on charges of robbery and ethics violations. The chief
said Luster resigned today just before he was to go before top police officials
to answer to the administrative charges. He is charged with two counts of each
charge and will be held in the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $1
million.
""We're extremely disappointed by the actions of
this former officer. As the leader of this department, I will not tolerate
illegal behavior by any of our personnel,'' Roper said. "Luster betrayed
the public trust which is critical to successful police community relations."
Luster was assigned to the evening shift at the city's West
Precinct. He joined the department in December 2008. His brother is also a
Birmingham officer, and remains on the force.
The robberies happened in the pre-dawn hours last week while
Luster was off duty. The first took place on July 13 at 1:30 a.m. on 51st
between Terrace M and Court M. The second happened July 17 at 3:30 a.m. in the
5100 block of Terrace M.
The chief said the male victim was robbed of cash, but
authorities declined to say how much. The officer and the victim appear to be
acquainted in some way. "It's our understanding that they did operate in
similar circles,'' Roper said. "We have not been able to identify the
specific relationship yet."
It wasn't disclosed whether Luster was in uniform when the
robberies happened. Asked if the officer was armed, Roper said, "We
wouldn't say a weapon was used but the fact that he was a police officer, we
would say that implies force even if not intended,'' he said.
Roper said police officials were notified of the victim's
claims on July 17. Detectives launched parallel investigations - criminal and
administrative. The officer was put on administrative duty pending the outcome
of both. "We wanted to keep an eye on him,'' he said.
Police officials said they are thankful the victim felt
comfortable and confident coming forward with allegations against an officer.
"I appreciate the fact that the victim recognized the fact that this
illegal behavior would not be tolerated by the Birmingham Police Department,''
Roper said. "So he trusted us to investigate and bring this suspect to
justice. We will not tolerate crime or corruption from anyone at any
time."
Asked if any other police officers are under investigation
in connection with Luster case, Roper said, "Since this is an ongoing
investigation, I really can't respond to that question,'' he said. "We
will simply say we will follow the evidence wherever it leads."
The announcement of Luster's arrest came just hours after
another former Birmingham police officer was sentenced to 100 years in prison
on arson convictions related to six fires last year in Warrior and Ensley.
Curtis Thornton, 28, was found guilty June 13 of four counts
of second-degree arson and one count each of attempted second-degree arson and
first-degree criminal mischief in four fires in Warrior and two fires in
western Birmingham during April and May 2012.
Roper said officer ethics is so important to him that he
personally teaches the ethics class to all new recruits. "They hear from
me what the expectations are and what the code of ethics means to this
department,'' he said. "That way no one can say they were confused about
the accountability and the expectations."
The majority of his officers, he said, heed the warnings.
"I do understand some people have a tendency to stereotype all police
officers based on the action of a few, but the bottom line is we do a good job
of policing ourselves," he said. "So when somebody loses their way,
it's disappointing to us but we also keep heart in the fact 99 percent of our
officers are doing the right thing."
