Fairfax County Police Watch: 08/27/13

I'm a Fairfax County Cop Because Walmart Isn't Hiring: Fairfax County Police hire cop with Hitler mustach...

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: American are 8 times more likely to be killed by a...

Mount Vernon’s acting police chief suspended

Mount Vernon’s acting police chief was suspended this week, making him the third police department employee — and second police chief — to be suspended this summer.

Acting Chief George Hartz was suspended for three days without pay starting at 12:01 a.m. yesterday for conduct unbecoming an officer, said David Glass, Mount Vernon’s safety-services director. Hartz can return to work on Thursday.

Glass would not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Hartz’s suspension, other than to say his actions involved another person who was not employed by the Mount Vernon Police Department.

Hartz, a 19-year veteran of the department, has been filling in for Police Chief Mike Merrilees.

Merrilees and police Sgt. Kit Morgan were suspended with pay on July 12 because of an internal investigation into their actions involving a former officer who has filed a federal lawsuit over his dismissal.

The officer, Mark Perkins, was fired from the department in April. Perkins’ suit claims that Merrilees and Morgan discriminated against him because he had served in the Marines and was a member of the National Guard. Perkins’ suit alleges that Merrilees passed him over for promotions and made his work life difficult by refusing to approve time off for National Guard activities.

Disciplinary hearings begin for Cleveland officers involved in November's chase, deadly shooting

CLEVELAND - Disciplinary hearings began soon for 20 Cleveland patrol officers facing charges related to the Nov. 29 police chase and shooting. The officers will not face termination, but could be suspended for up to 30 days. A total of 75 patrol officers face charges related to the chase. Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath has yet to schedule disciplinary hearings for the remaining 55 officers. Twelve supervisors have already been disciplined. One was terminated, two were demoted and nine were suspended for their actions.

The chase started when a Cleveland police officer thought he heard gunfire coming from a car driving near the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. Timothy Russell, 43, the driver, then led police on a 22-minute high-speed chase.

The chase ended in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland. Russell and his passenger, Malissa Williams, 30, were killed when officers fired 137 shots at their car. Several officers reported seeing a gun during the chase. No weapon was ever found.

Cops and the women they abuse: Police Officer Charged With Assault after Finding ...

Cops and the women they abuse: Police Officer Charged With Assault after Finding ...: Timothy John ‘TJ’ Brewer walked in on his wife having sex in his son’s room with his own father — fire chief Wesley ‘Corky’ Brewer. TJ ...

Cops and the women they abuse: Officer Charged with Domestic Violence

Cops and the women they abuse: Officer Charged with Domestic Violence: MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – The Madison County Sheriff’s officer, Jacob Askins, was arrested on August 11 and charged with misdemeanor...

South Bend officer suspended for 120 Days

A South Bend Police Officer who's been on paid leave since October will keep his job. Patrolman Theo Robert is accused of interfering with an internal investigation, badmouthing the department and lying. Robert will be suspected for 120 days, without pay, starting Wednesday. He is also being demoted from a Private 1st class to a Private 2nd class for six months upon his return to the department

6 Dallas police officers fired

Seven Dallas police officers have been fired or placed on leave as the result of internal investigations.Dallas Police One officer is accused of rearranging a body at a crime scene and giving false statements to police.

Dallas police chief David Brown fired six officers on Tuesday and suspended one more in a sweeping act of department discipline. All of the terminated officers allegedly engaged in unethical behavior and many stand accused of committing crimes themselves.

The most serious case involves officers Bryan Burgess and Michael Puckett. In April, the officers were following a suspicious person on bicycle in the 1600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Puckett got out of the squad car to pursue the man on foot while Burgess continued driving.

How the bicyclist died is a matter of dispute. Burgess originally said the rider cut in front of his vehicle, but a recording from the scene of the crime paints a different picture. Burgess is accused of running over the bicyclist, repositioning his body and moving his squad car before investigators arrived. Both officers were fired, and Burgess faces charges of negligent homicide. Officer Bryan Burgess is accused of moving a body at a crime scene and lying about it.

Medford officer indicted for alleged cover-up

A Medford police officer has been suspended without pay after he was indicted on charges related to a July 3 double shooting in Stoneham. Officer Miguel Lopez, 53, of Stoneham was indicted on two counts of witness intimidation on Thursday, Aug. 15.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said Lopez allegedly lied to police and removed evidence from his 6 Micha’s Pond Way home in Stoneham to cover up a reported drug deal, which authorities say led to the double shooting. Lopez, who has served as a Medford police officer for 26 years, worked as a uniformed patrolman on the dayshift.

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: Morris Tabak, Former San Francisco Assistant Polic...

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: Morris Tabak, Former San Francisco Assistant Polic...: San Francisco Assistant Police Chief Morris Tabak killed himself last night outside a Sonoma County sheriff's substation. Tabak reti...

Bond reduced for former Birmingham police officer charged with robbery

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - A Jefferson County judge today reduced the $1 million bond set for a former Birmingham police officer accused of robbing the same man twice in one week.

T'Derek Trimayne Luster, 27, was jailed July 25 after he was charged with two counts each of robbery and ethics violations.

The robberies happened in the pre-dawn hours 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.

Coatesville detective charged with theft, forgery from fellow officers

A Coatesville detective was charged with a myriad of theft and forgery offenses Tamid accusations that he repeatedly stole from his fellow officers over a several year period.

Gerald Pawling, who retired from the police force in 2012 after 17 years on duty, was arraigned on criminal charges at Magisterial District Judge Jeffery J. Valocchi’s court in Thorndale. The former detective was charged with eight felony counts of forgery and 51 counts of theft by unlawful taking.

Pawling is accused of stealing over $46,000 from the Coatesville Police Benevolent Association, or the CPBA, the collective bargaining union made up of his fellow officers. The alleged thefts took place from 2009 to 2012, investigators said.

Officer charged in murder fired by McComb police

BROOKHAVEN — McComb Police Chief Greg Martin says a Brookhaven police officer, who was arrested in connection with a slaying in Pike County, had been fired by his department prior to his hiring in Brookhaven.

Brookhaven Police Chief Bobby Bell said the arrest of the officer Jasper Cortez Pittman came as a shock to him. Pittman was arrested by Pike County authorities in the death of 53-year-old Kenneth Thompson.

Officials say Pittman was charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Other charges against him include arson, conspiracy to commit arson and sexual battery.

Thompson's body was found in a shallow grave on Pittman's property. An affidavit filed by Pike County Sheriff's Department investigators reveals that Pittman had a sexual relationship with Thompson's 14-year-old son.

The boy and two others — 17-year-old LeJerrious A. Perkins and 26-year-old Greg Antonio Fortenberry — are charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, arson and conspiracy to commit arson.

Pittman had previously served nearly a year as a McComb police officer but was terminated following a disciplinary hearing concerning the reckless pursuit of a suspect.

Thompson's body was found late Sunday or early Monday near the officer's home near McComb, a town of about 12,700 people in south Mississippi.

Thompson had been stabbed in the neck, according to affidavits filed in Pike County Justice Court.

The arson charges are related to the suspects burning Thompson's truck to destroy evidence, according to the affidavits. The truck was found in the woods near a home of one of Pittman's relatives, the affidavits said.

District Attorney Dee Bates has said both teens are charged as adults, which is customary under Mississippi law for juveniles charged with crimes that carry the possibility of a life sentence.

Milwaukee Police detective being investigated for misconduct

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — A Milwaukee Police detective is being investigated for misconduct. Milwaukee Police have confirmed Internal Affairs is looking into Detective Rodolfo Gomez Jr. His police powers have been suspended, and he has been placed on administrative duty. Gomez Jr. made headlines in June of 2012 when he was arrested while off-duty. The District Attorney’s Office did not file charges.

The Battle for Police Oversight: Neighbors demand police accountability

The Battle for Police Oversight: Neighbors demand police accountability: Syracuse – Dozens of complaints about police have been filed with the Syracuse Citizen Review Board for the past two years. Members of ...

KIDS AND COPS: GEE, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?: Family of teen slain by police awarded $8.5M

KIDS AND COPS: GEE, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?: Family of teen slain by police awarded $8.5M: A jury awarded Annie Johnson $8.5 million for the wrongful death of her son, Aaron Harrison, who was shot and killed by a Chicago police ...

Mpls. police facing 61 lawsuits alleging brutality

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Police department is facing 61 lawsuits alleging officers used excessive force that led to injuries, a figure that's more than triple the 19 misconduct lawsuits pending against St. Paul police.

Minneapolis City Attorney Susan Segal said the number of misconduct suits in Minneapolis wasn't extraordinary. She said the city is the largest city in the state, so the actions of its police force naturally draw extra scrutiny.

Critics say the numbers are excessive. Some say a subset of officers acts with impunity, while others believe race plays a factor.

In addition to the pending lawsuits, 110 misconduct suits have been resolved since January 2011. Of those, 51 were resolved in favor of the city or dismissed by the court, said Peter Ginder, Minneapolis deputy city attorney. The city made payouts in the other 59 cases.

The litigation is costly for Minneapolis taxpayers. Between 2006 and 2012, the city paid out about $14 million in police misconduct cases, according to an earlier Star Tribune report. And in May, it agreed to pay out $3 million for the 2010 death of a homeless man who was forcefully restrained by police.

Robert Bennett, whose law firm represents Gill, said some police officers are competent and professional. But others "act with impunity" under the impression they can get away with abusive behavior, he said.

Others think race is a factor. Teresa Nelson, the legal director of the Minnesota affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, said many minorities think there's an ingrained police culture to violate rights and dehumanize minorities.

Waupun officer charged with attempted burglary resigns

The Waupun police lieutenant charged with attempted burglary of three Green Lake businesses has handed in his resignation, the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen reports.

Lt. Brad Young went on the run after officials say he burglarized a restaurant and stole a pickup truck. He was arrested Aug. 6.

Deputy Police Chief Scott Louden aid the next step is for the Police and Fire Commission to accept the resignation, which would be at their Aug. 29 meeting.

Denver cop who arrested man in police headquarters appeals suspension

A Denver police officer who received a 10-day, unpaid suspension for arresting a man who refused to pass through a security checkpoint at police headquarters has appealed that discipline.

Manager of Safety Alex Martinez said Officer Ryan Burke, a 14-year veteran, "exercised extremely poor judgment" on April 8 when he arrested Faithon Lucas, who had come to the building on Cherokee Street to arrange for off-duty security with a detective. When Lucas repeatedly refused to pass through a metal detector, Burke approached him and told him to leave, according to Martinez's discipline order, signed Aug. 12.

Instead, Lucas began to empty his pockets into boxes in order to pass through the checkpoint. But Burke insisted he leave. When Lucas again refused, Burke grabbed him to put him in handcuffs, he resisted and "a struggle ensued," Martinez wrote. Several people in the lobby watched as Burke eventually handcuffed Lucas and took him into custody.

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: 1 Rape Charge Dropped Against Dunedin Man, Former ...

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: 1 Rape Charge Dropped Against Dunedin Man, Former ...: Prosecutors have decided not to pursue a rape allegation that dates back to 2002 against former Tarpon Springs Police Officer Larry Kobie...

The Battle for Police Oversight: New York City Council passes police oversight meas...

The Battle for Police Oversight: New York City Council passes police oversight meas...: To cheers from the audience, the New York City Council voted to institute tough new rules regulating the city’s police department. “The...

The Battle for Police Oversight: Detroit police oversight board functions curtailed...

The Battle for Police Oversight: Detroit police oversight board functions curtailed...: Detroit— The Board of Police Commissioners, the citizen oversight board that rules on Detroit police policy and personnel matters, is in ...

More drunk and drugged up cops

officer charged with stealing drugs from dead man gets hearing

West Valley City police has been charged with stealing morphine pills from a deceased cancer patient. Officer Ryan M. Humphrey was charged in 3rd District Court with possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony, as well as theft, a class B misdemeanor. If convicted, Humphrey would face up to five years in prison for the drug charge and up to six months in jail for the misdemeanor.

Humphrey, 34, who is accused of stealing 22 morphine pills, has no prior sustained disciplinary history with the West Valley City Police Department, according to Deputy Chief Mike Powell in response to a Salt Lake Tribune public records request.

Cottonwood Heights Police Chief Robby Russo said Humphrey responded about 7 p.m. on June 5 to the death of a terminally cancer patient in West Valley City when a colleague, backing him up, allegedly saw Humphrey place 22 morphine pills that belonged to the patient in his pocket.

The backup officer called a supervisor, who arrived and confronted Humphrey.

"He admitted doing it and was remorseful," said Russo, whose department was asked to investigate.

Police Officer Charged with DUI After Car Accident

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers arrested a North Charleston officer accused of driving under the influence. The 27-year-old officer, identified as Stanley Tucker, was off duty. Officials responded to an incident in which Tucker's pickup truck struck another man's vehicle at around 1 a.m.

Tucker was making a right turn onto Highway 78 and collided with a driver attempting

Former police officer charged with faking DUI reports, collecting overtime pay

SALT LAKE CITY — A former Unified police officer has been charged after allegedly faking DUI reports and illegally collecting thousands of dollars in overtime.

Stephen F. Hall, 43, was charged Tuesday with theft by deception, a second-degree felony; and three counts of falsifying a government record, all class B misdemeanors.

In 2012, Hall reported to his supervisors that he had made 27 DUI arrests, issued 398 citations and impounded 27 vehicles while working shifts funded by the state as part of a DUI grant. The grant allowed officers to work overtime hours to conduct DUI patrol, and the state would later reimburse the department for those hours.

Earlier this year, Unified Police Department supervisors discovered that their own records did not match Hall's grant sheets. According to department records, Hall made just one DUI arrest in 2012 and issued only four citations, according to charging documents. He also fabricated as many as 50 cases, the charges stated.

"None of the manufactured cases involved a real person but contained fictitious information," according to the charges.

Further investigation and comparison of various timecards showed that, dating back to January 2010, Hall reported he was working his regular Unified police shift or at his part-time job doing security at a local hospital or state liquor store, at the same time he claimed to be working a DUI shift, the charges state. In some cases, he was "clocked-in" at three jobs at once, according to prosecutors.

Because of that, prosecutors say from 2010 to 2013, he was "double paid" approximately $14,000 for overlapping shifts."

Hall was placed on administrative leave in January. The 20-year veteran eventually retired in May during the investigation.

sheriff fires officer over DUI, theft charges

KNOXVILLE — Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones fired a veteran officer charged over the weekend with drunken driving and theft at a West Knox nightclub.

Jones fired Jason Hugh Williams, 40, who is accused of swiping a bag with two cellphones and car keys belonging to a couple while they were on the dance floor at Cotton Eyed Joe’s, 11220 Outlet Drive, on Friday night, according to arrest warrants.

Williams then allegedly used the car keys to gain access to the victims’ Lexus and drive off in it

Utah officer charged with time-card fraud

A Unified Police Department officer is accused of filing paperwork falsely claiming to be working as many as three jobs or shifts at once, collecting more pay than he deserved.

Court records show 43-year-old Stephen F. Hall was charged Tuesday with three counts of falsifying government records and one of theft by deception.

Prosecutors say Hall worked regular UHP shifts at the same time he put in for overtime pay for DUI patrols. He mixed it up by sometimes also working as a security guard for a hospital or a state liquor store while on the state payroll.

The charges say Hall collected about $14,000 in unearned pay since 2010.

State commission: Braintree cop tried to intervene in drug arrests

While Braintree’s former police chief says it is “not unusual” for police to ask fellow officers to use their discretion when issuing traffic tickets to friends or family, the state Civil Service Commission ruled this week that one Braintree officer took the practice too far.

In a decision issued Thursday, the commission upheld the termination last year of officer Paul Venuto over two incidents in which he was accused of trying to intervene on behalf of friends facing arrest for drug offenses. Commissioners wrote that Venuto “twice demonstrated a willingness to place the well-being of a friend before the law, his fellow officers, and the public.”

Venuto’s termination was based on two incidents in 2008 and 2009 in which officials say Venuto called other officers who had made an arrest, or were about to make an arrest, in order to intervene on behalf of a friend. The incidents were brought to the attention of former Chief Paul Frazier in 2011 after officials began an internal investigation into unrelated allegations about domestic violence between Venuto and his girlfriend.

According to the Civil Service decision, released Thursday, a Braintree detective testified that in April 2008 he and another officer were conducting undercover surveillance in Weymouth Landing when they asked dispatchers to run the license plate of a red Pontiac and determine whether the owner had a criminal record. Venuto, who started with the department around 2006, testified that he had been listening to the dispatchers and called the detective on his cellphone after recognizing the vehicle’s owner as a friend.

After talking the call, the detective said he told Venuto that he was “watching a five-pound largemouth,” a term used in the department to indicate drug surveillance. Venuto told the detective that he knew the owner of the car and that it appeared his friend “was about to do something dumb,” according to the decision.

Later, after the officers watched what they thought was a drug deal between the driver of the Pontiac and someone in another car, the detective approached the Pontiac and found that the driver was speaking with someone on his phone. Asked who he was talking to, the driver said he had been talking to his friend Paul Venuto.

SAPD officer suspended for ignoring calls for back-up

SAN ANTONIO -- Earlier this summer, the San Antonio Police Department suspended one of its officers who has history of disobeying superiors.

In documents just released, the officer was suspended after a four-month internal investigation concluded he ignored calls to back-up other officers and then screamed at one of his supervisors.

Officer Ruben Saldaña was suspended 15 days in June for his actions during the early morning hours of December 27, 2012.

According to internal affairs documents, Saldaña and two other officers responded around 2:10 a.m. to 911 calls for shots fired in the 3400 block of Oakdale.

After searching there and the Babcock and Callaghan area for possible suspects, Saldaña testified he drove to a nearby parking lot to work on paperwork.

A supervisor testified that Saldaña's Global Positioning tracker was then turned off.

Around 2:25 a.m., police dispatch called for all available officers to respond to Loop 1604 and Braun Road for a car accident with life-threatening injuries.

The scene was approximately ten miles from Saldaña's location.

The accident seriously injured two people, including the driver of a Chevy Camaro who was later arrested for intoxication assault.

Officers on scene requested additional support to help clear a spot for an AirLIFE helicopter, then made a second request for support after spotting a wrong way driver near the scene of the accident.

Saldaña testified he did not "hear the dispatcher call us in."

A sergeant confronted Saldaña and a second officer when they returned to the Northwest Substation to end their shifts around 3 a.m.

The internal investigation indicates the second officer filled out paperwork explaining where he was between 2:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.

The documents do not indicate if he was reprimanded.

When Saldaña was asked to fill out similar paperwork, a form called a 200-OR, several officers testified he "became irate" and screamed at a sergeant in front of other officers.

The internal affairs investigation revealed Saldaña was also suspended three days in February 2012 for insubordination.

Prior to the December incident, Saldaña was also placed in SAPD's "Officer Concern Program".

According to the department, the program "identifies unacceptable behavioral traits in officers before those behavioral traits develop into disciplinary problems for the officer and the Department."

Saldaña is eligible to have eight days of pay reimbursed if he avoids any further violations during the next year.

Richmond police officer suspended as investigation into websites continues

RICHMOND — A Richmond police officer who once worked as a school resource officer at Chariho High School has been arrested by the Rhode Island State Police on charges of setting up a system whereby people who tried to find the town’s police chief on the Internet were rerouted to a website featuring gay sex.

Maj. Todd E. Catlow, detective commander of the state police, said the arrest of Steven Gravier, 41, a seven-year veteran of the department, came Thursday at the end of a seven-month joint investigation by the state police Computer Crimes Unit, the U.S. Attorney, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The probe began in Janunary when Richmond police Chief Elwood M. Johnson reported he had received a warning from an anonymous tipster the month before that Gravier had purchased two Internet domain names that were variations of Johnson’s name — www.elwoodjohnson.com and www.elwoodjohnsonjr.com — which, when accessed, would redirect the user to a website filled with images and links to sexually explicit videos showing men having sex.

Johnson told investigators he was so shocked at what he saw that he made a video with his iPhone of what happened when users tried navigate to his name. He gave the video to the state police.

However, when investigators started their probe they found something different from when the chief recorded his video. Instead of being rerouted to sexually explicit material, users trying to find the chief on the Internet were instead directed to a non-explicit website for a M.A. Excavation Inc. a firm specializing in cellars, drains and land clearing and other construction projects.

Nonetheless, Catlow said, the investigation showed that the domain names elwoodjohnson.com, elwoodjohnsonjr.com and ma-excavation.com all had been purchased by Gravier, the first two from GoDaddy.com, and that using misleading domain names was a federal crime.

After Gravier’s arrest at 9 a.m Thursday on a federal warrant, he was taken to state police barracks at Lincoln Woods and then to federal District Court in Providence, where he was released by U.S. Magistrate Lincoln Almond on $10,000 unsecured bond. The charge, of using misleading domain names on the Internet, carries a federal penalty of up to two years in prison, a monetary fine, or both.

Johnson said Friday that because of the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights he would refrain from further comment about Gravier’s case, but said his alleged actions were an isolated incident that should not reflect on other members of the department. He said Gravier has been suspended without pay and benefits.

School officials for the Chariho School District could not be reached Friday about Gravier’s earlier work as at the high school as a school resource officer.

Judge won't dismiss Hackensack police corruption case against former captain

HACKENSACK — A federal judge won't dismiss a police corruption complaint against former Hackensack Police Capt. Tomas Padilla, the Record reported. Police officers Thomas Aiellos, Vincent Riotto, Donald Pierce and Scott Sybel had valid complaints that their First Amendment, freedom of association and due process rights were violated.

The officers claim they faced retaliation when they refused to contribute to the political campaigns of Padilla and former Police Chief Ken Zisa. Padilla asked Martini to dismiss the case, saying the officers didn't have evidence to back up their claims.

Padilla received a $150,000 payment for unused sick and vacation time when he retired Feb. 1. He receives an annual pension of $118,858.

Padilla retired as interim chief, a position he took up after Zisa was convicted on official misconduct and insurance fraud charges. Zisa was found guilty of removing his former girlfriend from the scene of a 2008 accident and filing a false insurance claim.

Cops and the women they abuse: Smack'n the old woman around

Cops and the women they abuse: Smack'n the old woman around: Texas Cop sentenced to 10 years after stabbing wife with animal-euthanizing drugs using a syringe A fired Northeast Texas police officer ...

Chicago cop accused of plotting murder of witness from behind bars

Former Chicago cop Steven Mandell tried to arrange the murder of a federal witness from behind the bars of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, prosecutors alleged.

The onetime Death Row resident, 61, is awaiting trial for a pair of grisly murder plots, including one in which he allegedly planned to abduct, torture, extort, murder and dismember an unidentified businessman with a butcher’s knife in a custom-built killing chamber.

Held in isolation at the MCC after he allegedly asked his wife to clear up evidence against him following his Oct. 25 arrest, he was recently released back into the jail’s general population on a judge’s orders after he complained his health was suffering.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Amar Bhachu told Judge Amy St. Eve on Thursday that Mandell was returned to the jail’s Segregated Housing Unit after he spent his time in the general population “soliciting the murder of a federal witness.”

A furious Mandell — wearing shackles and an orange jail jump suit — angrily denied the allegation.

He alleged members of the Latin Kings street gang acted as snitches to help the government set him up.

“What I tell inmates at the MCC is utter nonsense — what I say here is the truth,” Mandell said, urging St. Eve to take the allegations with “a pinch of salt.”

“I’m not on oath when talking to the Latin Kings,” he added, insisting he was looking forward to his trial.

Though prosecutors did not identify the informant they say Mandell targeted, Mandell himself named North Shore businessman George Michael as the alleged informant.

Recordings secretly made by the informant are at the heart of the case against Mandell. They capture the former cop revelling in the gory and sadistic details of his kidnap plot, the feds say.

Mandell, of Buffalo Grove, has a long history of battling federal law enforcement.

In addition to the Oct. 25 murder plot, he’s also accused of plotting a second murder on Oct. 5 — in return for income from an “adult entertainment club.”

A Chicago cop for a decade until 1983, he’s a convicted fraudster and jewel thief who has been in and out of court for much of his adult life.

Convicted of a 1984 kidnap plot that bore striking similarities to his most recent arrest, and sentenced to death for a 1990 murder, he was later freed on appeal on both cases and awarded $6.5 million by a civil jury for wrongful conviction, only to see that verdict also overturned.

Unanswered questions remain around the murder of his father, and the disappearances of several of his associates, while his alleged accomplice in the October plots, Gary Engel, committed suicide in prison last year.

Sentencing of former Meriden cop delayed until next month

MERIDEN — The sentencing of former police officer Evan Cossette, son of Police Chief Jeffry Cossette convicted in federal court of using excessive force and falsifying a police report, has been moved to Sept. 23. Cossette was convicted June 3 for pushing prisoner Pedro Temich in a holding cell that resulted in a head injury. He was also accused of lying about it in an internal affairs report. He has since resigned.

Fake letters supporting ex-Gary cop sent to judge, prosecutors claim

A former Gary police officer sent fake letters of support to help convince a federal judge to give him a lenient sentence, federal attorneys claim. A new sentencing memorandum does not say how many of the letters supporting David Finley were faked or how they were faked. Finley pleaded guilty in February without a plea agreement to selling a gun to a known felon last summer, and then to selling marijuana to that same person later that day.

Ex-police chief pleads guilty again in fraud plot

A former suburban Chicago police chief is pleading guilty again in a fraud scheme related to a $1.25 million state grant in 2009. Regina Evans of Country Club Hills where she was chief of pleadedguilty in U.S. District Court to obstruction of justice, conspiracy and witness tampering. She conspired with an unnamed person to create a false story about job-search training conducted with the state grant through a not-for-profit organization. She owned the group with her husband, Ronald Evans. Regina Evans pleaded guilty to fraud in June and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 15 and faces a maximum of more than 50 years in prison.

Fairfax County Police Watch