Two Baltimore police officers who once raided a home belonging to one of Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's relatives and came up empty-handed have sued the city for $30 million, claiming the mayor has gotten his revenge by ruining their careers.
Officers Chris Wade and John Mohr, two former Northwestern District narcotics officers, allege in the lawsuit that the mayor has sought to "avenge himself" for the July 17, 1991, raid by subjecting them to malicious prosecution and menial police assignments.
Both officers have been assigned to police department desk duties for more than three years, with Officer Wade in Central Records and Officer Mohr in the Evidence Control section.
"They're trying to tuck us away for the rest of our careers," Officer Wade said yesterday. "It's the mayor's vendetta. This smells of a lot of political interference."
On the night of the raid, Officers Wade, Mohr and three others broke down the door of a home on Taney Road in Northwest Baltimore and stormed inside looking for cocaine that an informant claimed was being kept there.
But no drugs were found in the house, which turned out to be the residence of Ronald E. Hollie, who is married to a cousin of Mr. Schmoke's wife. The officers -- all the while claiming they were set up by an informant -- were later charged with lying to obtain search warrants.
One of the chief orchestrators of the raid, Officer Nicholas S. Constantine, said he targeted the house after the informant told him he had bought drugs at the residence. But the informant's story was deemed unreliable by police officials, who criticized the raid.
Officer Constantine, who last year personally sued the mayor in response to fallout from the raid, resigned from the force last month after pleading guilty to stealing police memorabilia from the department's quartermaster unit. He had been a clerk there since the raid.
The perjury charges against the officers were later dropped when Circuit Court Judge Andre Davis ruled that the violations were not willful violations and were more likely well-meaning attempts to expedite the search-and-seizure process.
But the officers have claimed that city officials continue efforts to punish them. In the past, Mr. Schmoke and his staff have denied those claims, although at one point the mayor said he thought the raid was curiously timed to occur just before his re-election bid.
The mayor was unavailable for comment yesterday. His spokesman, Clint R. Coleman, referred all questions to city solicitor Neal Janey, who also couldn't be reached.
The lawsuit names the mayor, former city State's Attorney Stuart O. Simms, former Police Commissioner Edward V. Woods and prosecutor Haven Kodeck as defendants. It charges malicious prosecution, civil conspiracy and intentional interference with the officers' right to earn a living.
"In effect, the mayor . . . viewed the raid in question as a personal affront to himself, his political career and his family and sought to avenge himself or his family for the July 17th raid," the lawsuit says.
"In reality, Officers Wade and Mohr had no knowledge whatsoever that the home they attempted to search was owned and/or leased by a relative of the mayor's wife," the suit said.
Officer Wade, 36, is an eight-year veteran of the force. Officer Mohr, 39, is a 21-year veteran.
Barry S. Brown, the attorney representing the officers, said the lawsuit "is about misuse of power. The careers of these top-flight narcotics officers are destroyed. They're over."