Logic says you can not steal your own car. A=A, right? What?s mine is mine.
But for some members of the Baltimore City police, what?s yours is theirs ? to sell.
Four police officers arrested Keith Spence, 28, who is black, and two friends in February for allegedly stealing his red 1993 Cadillac.
Then police sold it at auction two months before he went to court in June for his supposed crime.
How can you sell a car before you know if the person was actually guilty of stealing it?
Since Spence held the title, the question seems particularly pertinent.
And what about other people whose cars are seized for drug crimes they may or may not have committed?
Are their cars sold before trial too?
Police constantly battle the image that they arrest people for “driving while black.”
This event does not help.
Neither does the fact that it does not seem to be a big deal.
Police spokesman Matt Jablow told The Examiner?s Stephen Janis that “we?re looking into the circumstances surrounding why the car was sold.”
Looking into the circumstances?
How about, “The police department sincerely apologizes for its mistake” and “Mr. Spence will receive a check to purchase a new car this week”?
Without question and delay, Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm must order the police officers who made the arrest to publicly apologize to Mr. Spence and recount how the arrest led to the sale of his car.
And the police department must review and report publicly its policies surrounding how confiscated property is sold to ensure what happened to Mr. Spence does not recur.
We?d like to know if any other cars have been sold before their owners/operators being proven guilty in court.
To prevent future illegal auctions, police must post publicly online a description of the cars they hold with the trial date and verdict for the arrested people connected to them.
That way, the police can better monitor when its appropriate to sell or release a vehicle.
At stake is not just personal property, but the trust of the community.
