My father always said that there is a fine line between a cop and common theif

Former cop enters special program following gun theft charge
FEBRUARY 7, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JEFF GREEN
CLIFTON — A former special police officer who was charged with stealing two handguns belonging to another police officer has agreed to a lifetime ban from serving in law enforcement, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Nayeska Bermudez, formerly a part-time officer in Guttenberg in Hudson County, accepted the condition as part of an agreement with prosecutors to enter a three-year rehabilitation program for first-time offenders, said Andrew Palestini, a senior assistant prosecutor. Bermudez also must complete 200 hours of community service, he said.
Clifton police charged Bermudez, a city resident, with theft of firearms in May, alleging she stole two 9mm Glock handguns from the home of a Union City police officer who also lives in Clifton. The charge would be dismissed at the end of her participation in the Pretrial Intervention Program.
During the investigation, police searched the Hudson River for the guns, but the firearms were never recovered. While Bermudez did not admit to stealing the weapons, she signed a court document indicating what happened to them, Palestini said. The judge ordered that document sealed; its contents are not public, the assistant prosecutor said.
If the weapons ever turn up in a way that’s inconsistent with what she said in the document, Bermudez could be prosecuted for providing a false statement, the prosecutor said.
Bermudez resigned from the Guttenberg Police Department and agreed to the resolution of her case in December. Her attorney, Brian Neary, did not a return a call seeking comment.
Clifton police issued Bermudez a summons to appear in Municipal Court, and she was released without bail even though the theft of firearms offense was a third-degree indictable crime. However, even if a warrant had been issued for her arrest, Palestini said the case would have landed on the prosecutor’s desk in the same amount of time.
"The most important thing is that the charge gets here to the Prosecutor’s Office," he said. "The matter was thoroughly reviewed and it was looked into and we decided to resolve it."
Because Clifton police initially withheld some information about Bermudez’s case, including the fact she’d been arrested in May, the Prosecutor’s Office contemplated intervening to ensure the investigation was being handled properly. Palestini would not comment about the department’s release of information but said he had no concerns about how the police handled the investigation.

  
Former Miami police officer charged with extortion
Federal indictment alleges Jerry Sutherland agreed to protect illegal gambling operation in exchange for cash
MIAMI -
A former Miami police officer has been charged with two counts of extortion.
Wilfredo Ferrer, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, the FBI and Miami police Chief Rodolfo Llanes made the announcement Monday.
A federal indictment alleges that Jerry Sutherland, 28, agreed to protect and facilitate an illegal gambling operation in exchange for receiving cash payments.
Sutherland is alleged to have done so on two occasions last year -- once in January and once in July.
"I am disappointed and disheartened that Officer Jerry Sutherland has been arrested today by the FBI," Llanes said in a statement Monday.
Llanes went on to say he "will not tolerate any conduct that discredits this organization. Any time a law enforcement officer is accused of tarnishing the badge, it is an embarrassment to all the honest, hard-working members of this profession who work, day in and day out, to protect and serve with integrity. The allegations surrounding Mr. Sutherland are in no way a reflection of the hard-working men and women of the Miami Police Department." 
Sutherland faces up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.

Edwardsville officer now charged with arson
Alexandra Martellaro, KSDK 8:35 p.m. CST February 2, 2015
Officer Brian Barker(Photo: Illinois State Attorney's Office)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- An Edwardsville police officer already facing over a dozen charges in connection with a string of burglaries is now facing even more charges.
Officer Brian Barker was charged in December after being linked to several burglaries over the span of more than two years.
Now, he's facing new charges of arson, burglary and money laundering.
Police believe Barker started a fire on November 18, 2013 on South Pointe Drive that damaged several businesses including the office of Illinois State Representative Dwight Kay. Monday he was charged with one count of arson and five counts of burglary in connection with that incident.
Barker has also been connected to two additional burglaries of businesses and faces a count of money laundering after police say he tried to sell stolen car parts and electronics.
Barker is being held at the Madison County Jail on a $300,000 bond