A former Baltimore police officer whose career shattered after he was caught taking bribes from a suspect, will tell investigators that other officers are still committing similar offenses in the department, his attorney said.
Walter Jackson-Hill, 35, pleaded guilty to bribery Thursday in Baltimore Circuit Court and was sentenced to three years on probation for taking $400 from a suspect?s girlfriend, agreeing to help the man in court. He resigned as a police officer Wednesday, officials said.
“Apparently there are other officers doing the same types of request for moneys,” defense attorney William Buie said, adding that Jackson-Hill?s information could act as a “catalyst to, in a sense, clean out the police force.”
Jackson-Hill declined to comment. Union president Paul Blair said he had heard nothing about a broader investigation into bribery in the department and dismissed the allegations as “just the ranting of someone who pled guilty.”
“If you really believe there?s corruption … you can report it anonymously,” Blair said. “It never bothered him until he was a convicted criminal.”
Jackson-Hill first told the suspect when he arrested him in September 2005 that he would fail to show up at the man?s court appearances so that the case would be dropped, according to court documents.
When the case didn?t disappear, Jackson-Hill said he would tell the State?s Attorney?s Office that the suspect was acting as an informant so prosecutors would drop the charges, according to court testimony.
Recording the conversation on body wires, the suspect and his girlfriend got Jackson-Hill to acknowledge taking the previous bribe, court documents show. He was arrested after taking another $750 in marked bills from the pair, according to court documents. Buie said Jackson-Hill has moved his family to Pennsylvania and is looking for a job outside of law enforcement.
