58 felony cases are set to be dismissed in a small northern Alabama town after they were tainted by what a grand jury found to be a “rampant culture of corruption” within the local police department. The announcement came on Wednesday, May 7, from Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker, who said in a Facebook post that the crimes are “unprosecutable.”
What did the grand jury find?
“The Grand Jury that unanimously indicted the former Hanceville Police officers determined that the cases made by those officers and other cases by the Hanceville Police Department were unprosecutable,” Crocker wrote.
The grand jury deemed 58 felony cases compromised by corrupt behavior, including that of four officers and the police chief. They were indicted on charges that included abuse of office, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence at the police station.
Why were the cases dismissed?
“The same Grand Jury reconvened in April and voted to no-bill, or dismiss, 58 felony cases due to the illegal actions of those former Hanceville officers,” Crocker wrote. “Most of the cases involved drugs, and only a few were personal crimes with victims.” Crocker added in the post, “One dismissal is too many, but the Grand Jury had no other recourse.”
Crocker included images of an audit, documentation of all the dismissed cases and pictures showing firearms and the messy condition of the police department’s evidence room.
Why was the police department abolished?
As Straight Arrow News reported in March, Hanceville will now have to build its police department from scratch after the same grand jury that indicted the officers recommended abolishing the law enforcement agency in February. The Hanceville City Council subsequently voted unanimously on March 10 to end the department’s operations and begin a search for a new police chief and force.
The grand jury found that the police department behaved “as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency.” They also found it to be an “ongoing threat to public safety” following the death of a 911 dispatcher. Investigators say the dispatcher’s death was “the direct result” of the department’s “negligence, lack of procedure, general incompetence and disregard for human life.” Forensic scientists say the dispatcher died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and other drugs. No officers were charged in the death.
Signs this was coming
Crocker said earlier this year that open access to the evidence room meant some evidence was unusable. He acknowledged pending cases were under review because of the discovery. The district attorney at the time showed pictures of a hole in the wall of the room and a broomstick, he said, was used to prop the door open. A preliminary audit of the evidence room obtained by NBC News noted that drugs such as cocaine, pills and heroin were found in the evidence room, as well as a handgun and more than two dozen undocumented guns.
What are the people of Hanceville saying?
In February, citizens of Hanceville participated in a city council meeting on the future of the police department. Some called for abolishing the department, while others favored a more measured approach.
“Let’s get rid of all of it, get rid of the dirt, get rid of the fraud,” said Kimberly Love.
Charles Wright said, “You should take the grand jury’s recommendation.” Wright added, “I think it would be more cost-effective to have Cullman County take over the police function.”
Other residents voiced overall frustration.
“You need to meet your responsibility and take care of the citizens of Hanceville,” Daria Sullivan told council members. Sullivan continued, “Right now, if you Google Hanceville, the only thing that comes up is this mess.”
