gun trace task force

• News

Will Baltimore have to pay for rogue Gun Trace Task Force officers' misdeeds? One lawsuit is a bellwether.

Attorneys and city leaders are closely watching a lawsuit that may prove a bellwether for the raft of police corruption lawsuit

By Tim Prudente

Jul 4, 2019

• News

Maryland State Police begins review of Baltimore Police Det. Sean Suiter's death

Suiter’s death remains controversial — it is officially a homicide, with questions raised about whether he killed himself and staged it to look like a murder.

• Opinion

What will it take to convince Baltimore police that plainclothes cops are a bad idea?

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison thinks plainclothes police can be an effective part of crime fighting; we disagree.

• News

Despite corrupt unit, Baltimore commissioner says plainclothes units are needed to fight crime. Some disagree.

Despite corruption that has sometimes flourished in plainclothes squads, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison says they still have a place.

• Opinion

Story about rogue cop should have not run on Father's day

The Baltimore Sun should not have chosen Father's Day to run Justin Fenton's story about a rogue member of the Baltimore police Gun Trace Task Force.

• Podcast

Behind the scenes of 'Cops and Robbers' with Justin Fenton (bonus episode)

In this bonus episode of Newsroom Edition, hear more about the reporting process of 'Cops and Robbers,' Justin Fenton's three-part investigative series.

• Opinion

Note to Baltimore's FOP: Some cops are bad

The Fraternal Order of Police needs to putting up obstacles to rooting out bad cops.

• Maryland

Cops and Robbers: How a rogue group of Baltimore police officers used their badges to commit crimes

Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton spent a year delving into the operations of Wayne Jenkins and his officers, both as members of the Gun Trace Task Force and

• Podcast

Justin Fenton discusses key takeaways from his 'Cops and Robbers' Gun Trace Task Force series

New findings from Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton reveal how rogue members of the Gun Trace Task Force thrived in the police department for so long.

• Crime

Retired Baltimore Police sergeant pleads guilty in gun-planting case, offshoot of Gun Trace Task Force scandal

Keith Gladstone entered a guilty plea in a case in which a toy gun was planted on a man chased by police to justify an officer running him down with his car.

• Maryland

Baltimore County councilman questions police nominee Melissa Hyatt on city career

A Baltimore County councilman questioned Melissa Hyatt, the nominee for county police chief, about her two-decade career in the Baltimore Police Department.

By Alison Knezevich

May 28, 2019

• News

Former Baltimore Police detective sentenced to 12 years in Gun Trace Task Force corruption case

A former Baltimore police detective was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Tuesday, the last officer to be sentenced in the Gun Trace Task Force case.

• Graphic:

Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force corruption case timeline

Timeline following the federal racketeering case of Baltimore's Gun Trace Task Force.

• News

Former Baltimore Police sergeant to plead guilty to planting fake gun at crime scene

Gladstone has been described as a mentor and frequent collaborator with Jenkins, who went on to lead the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force unit.

• News

Maryland State Police to review death of Baltimore police Det. Sean Suiter after outcry from family

The move follows an outcry from Suiter’s family that the unsolved case was being ignored.

• News

Sentencing set for last officer in Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force corruption case

The last former Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force detective to be sentenced is asking for a term of just three years in prison.

• Maryland

Baltimore City's liability in Gun Trace Task Force lawsuits to be decided case by case

A Baltimore judge has thrown out a request by city attorneys seeking to ensure taxpayers won’t be responsible for lawsuits against the Gun Trace Task Force.

By Tim Prudente

May 13, 2019

• Maryland

State of Maryland reaches agreement with retired Baltimore police sergeant to cease charity operations

A retired Baltimore Police sergeant has agreed to cease soliciting money for a police charity that the Maryland Attorney General’s Office says misled the public about its operations.

• Catherine Pugh

Baltimore can't function if mired in scandal

Baltimore can't recover if it continues to be stuck in controversies like 'Healthy Holly' or the Gun Trace Task Force.

• News

Former Philadelphia, Baltimore cop sentenced to 9 years in Gun Trace Task Force case

A former police officer in Philadelphia and Baltimore was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Friday afternoon for helping a member of the Gun Trace Task Force sell drugs taken off the street here.

• News

Maryland lawmakers pass bill to make it easier for prosecutors to overturn convictions

Maryland lawmakers have passed a bill, pushed by the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, designed to help clear the way for prosecutors to overturn convictions they deem tainted or unjust.

• News

Baltimore's city solicitor presses case to get taxpayers off hook for Gun Trace Task Force misconduct claims

City Solicitor Andre Davis told Circuit Judge Gregory Sampson that the conduct of the convicted former Gun Trace Task Force officers was so far outside the “scope of employment” that an agreement with the police union to cover officers’ lawsuit damages shouldn’t apply.

• News

Prosecutors say Baltimore police officers encouraged De Sousa's tax fraud, seek 1 year in prison for ex-chief

In a sentencing memorandum filed Friday, the prosecutors for the first time linked De Sousa’s prosecution with the wider corruption case, saying they uncovered evidence that city officers shared tips about how to get tax refunds by claiming fraudulent deductions.

• News

From one consent decree to another: Can police chief Harrison repeat New Orleans' success in Baltimore?

Michael Harrison, who left the New Orleans department to become Baltimore’s next police commissioner, is again taking the challenge of leading a troubled department through expansive court-ordered reforms, while also dealing with a community largely distrustful of police.

By Jessica Anderson

Mar 11, 2019

• News

Federal judge on alleged Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force victim: 'Who would've believed him?

Two years after federal prosecutors in the Gun Trace Task Force case took Keyon Paylor before a grand jury to testify against Det. Daniel Hersl, lawyers with the U.S. Attorney’s Office say they doubt his account and are fighting his effort to get his conviction overturned.

• Maryland

Document: Retired Baltimore Police Sgt. Keith Gladstone indicted on civil rights and witness tampering charges

A former Baltimore police sergeant has been indicted for allegedly assisting a member of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force, prosecutors say.

• News

Bill seeks to extend deadline for state Gun Trace Task Force commission's work

The timeline for a state commission’s investigation into the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force scandal would be extended another year under a bill put forth by key legislators.

• Education

Rod Rosenstein to speak at University of Baltimore law school graduation

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will deliver the keynote speech for the University of Baltimore Law School's graduation.

By Sarah Meehan

Feb 13, 2019

• News

Ex-Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force detective gets 10 years in prison after offering 'powerful testimony'

Former Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force detective Momodu Gondo, who stole money as an officer while aiding members of a drug crew on the side, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday.

• Opinion

Mosby again wants to skirt the legal system

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby wants to overrule judges based on what she perceives as bad evidence, which her office presented, due to the Gun Trace Task Force scandal.

• News

Baltimore prosecutors want greater flexibility to undo convictions after Gun Trace Task Force scandal

City prosecutors continue to review more than 2,000 cases involving officers convicted of federal racketeering charges as well as others accused of misconduct by convicted officers.

• News

Former Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force detective to be sentenced in corruption case next week

Gondo faces the highest possible sentence of the officers convicted in the case, due to the fact that he was also indicted along with the drug crew.

• News

At Baltimore police graduation ceremony, new officers reminded to emphasize integrity, fair policing

At 21, Alexia Davis was the youngest trainee to graduate Friday from the police academy, and will be fulfilling her lifelong dream as a patrol officer assigned to the Northeast District.

By Jessica Anderson

Feb 1, 2019

• News

Gun Trace Task Force commission gets briefed on new Baltimore police civilian oversight plan

The legislative panel investigating the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force corruption scandal was pitched Monday on a new plan for community oversight regarding officer misconduct.

• News

Baltimore consent decree monitor calls for internal investigation into Gun Trace Task Force scandal

The independent monitoring team overseeing Baltimore’s consent decree is calling for an internal affairs investigation into the Gun Trace Task Force scandal, including investigating officers implicated in the case who have not been charged with a crime.

By Jessica Anderson

Jan 18, 2019

• Politics

Monitor: Deep dysfunction in Baltimore Police Department means reforms will take years longer than expected

A monitor overseeing reforms of the Baltimore Police Department says the dysfunction within the agency is so deep and widespread that it will take years longer than anticipated to root it out. Kenneth Thompson testified before the House of Delegates' judiciary committee in Annapolis.

By Luke Broadwater

Jan 17, 2019

• Maryland

In Baltimore, public trust in police force hard to find

Maryland's Commission to Restore Trust in Policing, which has subpoena power and is underway after initially being opposed by Baltimore City leaders, is focusing on providing as much clarity as possible about how orchestrated police corruption went undetected for years.

• News

Baltimore police expunged officer's internal affairs files; public defender's office calls for investigation

The Baltimore Police Department had a widespread practice of wrongly expunging internal affairs files of officers accused of misconduct, the public defender’s office alleges, and it’s calling for an investigation into the department’s practices.

By Jessica Anderson

Dec 26, 2018

• News

Baltimore reaches 300 homicides for the fourth straight year

A 30-year-old man shot in the face and upper body late Wednesday night on Baker Street in the Western District died overnight, becoming the 300th homicide victim this year in Baltimore City.

By Jessica Anderson

Dec 20, 2018

• Maryland

The 10 biggest news stories of 2018 in the Baltimore area

These were the top 10 biggest news stories from the past year.

By Sarah Meehan

Dec 20, 2018

• News

Conflicting takes on how to address Baltimore police corruption emerge at commission on Gun Trace Task Force

The state commission exploring the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force scandal heard contrasting testimony in its first meeting held in Baltimore.

• News

Feds: Ex-Baltimore police officer admitted misconduct, expanding scope of Gun Trace Task Force corruption probe

A former Baltimore police officer has admitted to the FBI that he stole money, lied in police reports, and improperly used electronic surveillance devices, federal prosecutors in California said — widening the scope of police misconduct unearthed by the Gun Trace Task Force scandal.

• News

Documents show FBI was investigating Baltimore officer, who has since resigned, for alleged drug trafficking

A Baltimore Police officer who resigned from the force in June was being investigated for alleged drug trafficking, with the FBI obtaining a tracking warrant for her phone after receiving detailed allegations from a confidential source, records show.

• News

Baltimore Police whistleblower flagged Gun Trace officer, helped launch racketeering case, documents show

A whistleblower within the Baltimore Police Department flagged investigators to corrupt members of the Gun Trace Task Force years ago — crucial information that later helped launch the federal racketeering case that took down an entire squad of crooked officers, new documents show.

• News

Commission investigating Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force scandal will get secret records — but has to keep them secret

A state commission investigating the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force scandal will get secret records from the police department — but will have to sign an agreement to keep them from public view.

• News

Flurry of activity suggests more Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force fallout on its way

A flurry of recent activity by federal authorities is suggesting there could be more fallout coming from the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force case.

• News

Ex-Philly cop pleads guilty to drug conspiracy with Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force

A former Baltimore and Philadelphia police officer entered a guilty plea in the midst of his trial on charges that he conspired to sell drugs with corrupt members of the Gun Trace Task Force.

• News

Convicted Baltimore police Gun Trace Task Force officer testifies against ex-Philly cop in drug dealing case

Convicted Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force Det. Momodu Gondo testified Tuesday that his stealing money started in 2008 as part of a “culture” of city plainclothes detectives building trust with each other.

• News

How a Philadelphia cop fits in to the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force scandal

A brief look at the Gun Trace Task Force scandal, and where former Philadelphia cop Eric Snell fits in.

By Christina Tkacik

Oct 29, 2018

• News

'Everything on the table' as commission begins examining corrupt Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force

Members of a state commission created to look into the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force scandal convened their first meeting in Annapolis on Tuesday, with a state senator giving a sobering assessment of the state of the city to emphasize the importance of their work.