Chkultr
Regular Member
imported post
By Matthew Bowers
Michelle Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 4, 2008 NORFOLK
Three city police officers - two active, one recently resigned - were indicted Wednesday on charges they lied in court testimony or on police reports in two incidents.
Additional "serious allegations" concerning other incidents are under legal review, police Chief Bruce P. Marquis said. He declined to say whether different officers were involved.
Those indicted:
- Gregory W. Dudley, 24, of the 4900 block of Rugby St. in Virginia Beach was charged with procuring another to give false testimony - a felony - and making a false report to police - a misdemeanor - on Oct. 12. The indictments allege that he induced another to give false testimony under oath and that he gave a false report to a law enforcement official about a crime. He resigned Oct. 31, after two years as a patrol officer.
- Andrew Todd Wenzel, 29, of the 4600 block of Captain Carter Drive in Chesapeake was charged with two counts of perjury - a felony - and making a false report to police. The indictments allege that Wenzel gave false testimony while under oath in General District Court in September 2007 and in Circuit Court in April.
- Robert A. Jacobs, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with obstruction of justice - a misdemeanor. His indictment says he made a false statement to a law enforcement officer on Sept. 17 while the officer was investigating a crime committed by someone else.
Jacobs and Wenzel are three-year patrolmen. The three men turned themselves in Wednesday and were released on their own recognizance pending trials. Marquis said he suspended Wenzel and Jacobs with pay and took their police identification and weapons, pending the outcome of their trials and of departmental administrative proceedings.
They had been on desk duty while the department investigated allegations that came to light recently, Marquis said. The police findings were forwarded to the commonwealth's attorney's office, Marquis said. He would not elaborate.
"We take these matters very seriously over here," the chief said.
Michael McKenna, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 412, blamed Wednesday's indictments in part on a lack of seniority and reduced hiring standards, as veteran officers leave the department seeking better pay.
"We're left now with 70, 80 percent of people with under five years" of experience, McKenna said. "... They're good guys, but they don't know what they're doing."
Mayor Paul Fraim expressed confidence in the force. "I do know that our hiring practices are as good as they are anywhere in the commonwealth," he said.
He added that all police officers are subject to background checks, a polygraph test and psychological tests.
Fraim spoke after he emerged from a 70-minute emergency City Council meeting Wednesday evening in which Marquis, City Manager Regina V.K. Williams and Fraim briefed the council members on the issue. All but Fraim declined to comment.
While stressing that "these are only allegations," Fraim nonetheless acknowledged that Marquis and Williams need to ensure that the incidents were isolated.
"This is a very difficult moment for us," he said. "We're all concerned about the implications of police misconduct.
"At the same time," he added, "we believe these are separate incidents, that this is not a cultural issue with the department. We are very proud of the Norfolk police."
Williams and Fraim expressed confidence in Marquis.
Marquis said he did not know whether the charges would affect ongoing cases.
Marquis said that since the allegations were raised, senior officers have re-emphasized officers' training in integrity and accuracy in note-taking. A January training session has been revised to focus more on ethics and note-taking for legal matters, and the commonwealth's attorney's office will offer refreshers in laws concerning arrests, searches and the rules of evidence.
"We are held to a higher standard," Marquis said. "And acts like this can do harm to the Police Department. And we must be on our best behavior at all times."
Defense lawyers said the indictments could affect a number of cases in which the officers testified or are scheduled to testify.
Attorney George Neskis said any case in which an officer is charged "opens a Pandora's box for the prosecution." It also means defense lawyers may seek review in cases in which clients had already been convicted based on the indicted officers' testimony.
Sherri Carr, the city's chief public defender, said that if the indicted officers were to testify, defense lawyers could use the indictments to challenge their credibility.
"I have a feeling there may be more at the gate," Carr said. "The commonwealth will have to look at the other cases and determine whether they will go forward."
Amanda Howie, the commonwealth's attorney's spokeswoman, said prosecutors will deal with cases in which the indicted officers are witnesses as they come up. She did not estimate how many cases that would be.
Howie said she could not reveal how the allegations came to light nor could she give the nature of the underlying court cases involved.
The charges stem from separate matters, she said, with Wenzel and Jacobs involved in one incident and Dudley involved in another.
The commonwealth's attorney's office sought the indictments after receiving information from the police detective division, she said.
Defense la wyer Peter Decker III said he knows all three of the officers indicted and considers them "real good guys."
"I don't see them putting their careers at risk to get a conviction," Decker said. "I don't think they'd ever intentionally do something wrong."
Pilot writer Harry Minium contributed to this report.
Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com
Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com
By Matthew Bowers
Michelle Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 4, 2008 NORFOLK
Three city police officers - two active, one recently resigned - were indicted Wednesday on charges they lied in court testimony or on police reports in two incidents.
Additional "serious allegations" concerning other incidents are under legal review, police Chief Bruce P. Marquis said. He declined to say whether different officers were involved.
Those indicted:
- Gregory W. Dudley, 24, of the 4900 block of Rugby St. in Virginia Beach was charged with procuring another to give false testimony - a felony - and making a false report to police - a misdemeanor - on Oct. 12. The indictments allege that he induced another to give false testimony under oath and that he gave a false report to a law enforcement official about a crime. He resigned Oct. 31, after two years as a patrol officer.
- Andrew Todd Wenzel, 29, of the 4600 block of Captain Carter Drive in Chesapeake was charged with two counts of perjury - a felony - and making a false report to police. The indictments allege that Wenzel gave false testimony while under oath in General District Court in September 2007 and in Circuit Court in April.
- Robert A. Jacobs, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with obstruction of justice - a misdemeanor. His indictment says he made a false statement to a law enforcement officer on Sept. 17 while the officer was investigating a crime committed by someone else.
Jacobs and Wenzel are three-year patrolmen. The three men turned themselves in Wednesday and were released on their own recognizance pending trials. Marquis said he suspended Wenzel and Jacobs with pay and took their police identification and weapons, pending the outcome of their trials and of departmental administrative proceedings.
They had been on desk duty while the department investigated allegations that came to light recently, Marquis said. The police findings were forwarded to the commonwealth's attorney's office, Marquis said. He would not elaborate.
"We take these matters very seriously over here," the chief said.
Michael McKenna, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 412, blamed Wednesday's indictments in part on a lack of seniority and reduced hiring standards, as veteran officers leave the department seeking better pay.
"We're left now with 70, 80 percent of people with under five years" of experience, McKenna said. "... They're good guys, but they don't know what they're doing."
Mayor Paul Fraim expressed confidence in the force. "I do know that our hiring practices are as good as they are anywhere in the commonwealth," he said.
He added that all police officers are subject to background checks, a polygraph test and psychological tests.
Fraim spoke after he emerged from a 70-minute emergency City Council meeting Wednesday evening in which Marquis, City Manager Regina V.K. Williams and Fraim briefed the council members on the issue. All but Fraim declined to comment.
While stressing that "these are only allegations," Fraim nonetheless acknowledged that Marquis and Williams need to ensure that the incidents were isolated.
"This is a very difficult moment for us," he said. "We're all concerned about the implications of police misconduct.
"At the same time," he added, "we believe these are separate incidents, that this is not a cultural issue with the department. We are very proud of the Norfolk police."
Williams and Fraim expressed confidence in Marquis.
Marquis said he did not know whether the charges would affect ongoing cases.
Marquis said that since the allegations were raised, senior officers have re-emphasized officers' training in integrity and accuracy in note-taking. A January training session has been revised to focus more on ethics and note-taking for legal matters, and the commonwealth's attorney's office will offer refreshers in laws concerning arrests, searches and the rules of evidence.
"We are held to a higher standard," Marquis said. "And acts like this can do harm to the Police Department. And we must be on our best behavior at all times."
Defense lawyers said the indictments could affect a number of cases in which the officers testified or are scheduled to testify.
Attorney George Neskis said any case in which an officer is charged "opens a Pandora's box for the prosecution." It also means defense lawyers may seek review in cases in which clients had already been convicted based on the indicted officers' testimony.
Sherri Carr, the city's chief public defender, said that if the indicted officers were to testify, defense lawyers could use the indictments to challenge their credibility.
"I have a feeling there may be more at the gate," Carr said. "The commonwealth will have to look at the other cases and determine whether they will go forward."
Amanda Howie, the commonwealth's attorney's spokeswoman, said prosecutors will deal with cases in which the indicted officers are witnesses as they come up. She did not estimate how many cases that would be.
Howie said she could not reveal how the allegations came to light nor could she give the nature of the underlying court cases involved.
The charges stem from separate matters, she said, with Wenzel and Jacobs involved in one incident and Dudley involved in another.
The commonwealth's attorney's office sought the indictments after receiving information from the police detective division, she said.
Defense la wyer Peter Decker III said he knows all three of the officers indicted and considers them "real good guys."
"I don't see them putting their careers at risk to get a conviction," Decker said. "I don't think they'd ever intentionally do something wrong."
Pilot writer Harry Minium contributed to this report.
Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com
Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com
