Representatives from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, the FBI and the Broward State Attorney's Office were conducting a news conference late Friday morning following the arrests of two Fort Lauderdale officers who are accused of stealing drugs and cash from pain clinic customers.
Two Fort Lauderdale detectives allegedly made traffic stops with and without probable cause in order to search motorists for money and pills.
If the detectives found either money or pills or both, the officers would write false reports and make arrests in order to justify the stops and the seizures.
Following the arrests, the detectives would allegedly keep some of the money and pills and then put some of the cash and drugs into evidence.
Among the charges both are facing are racketeering, kidnapping, extortion, false imprisonment, grand theft, and falsifying records.
Both men will be placed on house arrest once they post their bonds. Their whereabouts will be monitored by electronic anklets.
This case is unfortunate. On one hand, two veteran law enforcement officers are being charged with very serious felonies. On the other hand, if the allegations are true, then there may be many innocent people out there whose lives were ruined over false allegations by a couple of rogue cops.
This is why criminal defense attorneys do their own investigations. Because sometimes the cops aren't always telling the truth.