New Book Details Activities of Corrupt Baltimore City Police Squad

Authors Baynard Woods and Brandon Soderberg talk about their new book on the disgraced Baltimore City Police Gun Trace Task Force

THE COUNTRY FOR*CHANGE, INTHE WAY POLICE OFFICERS DOTHEIR JOBS..

THOSE CALLS HAVEGOTTEN MUCH LOUDER SINCE THEDEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, INMINNEAPOLIS..

HERE INBALTIMORE, THE CITY POLICEDEPARTMENT HAD A HEAD START ONREFORM━ PROMPTED BY THE DEATHOF FREDDIE GRAY BACK IN 2015..BUT INSTEAD OF GETTING BETTER━ A GROUP OF ROGUE POLICEOFFICERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THECHAOS, AND CREATED WHAT MAY BETHE WORST POLICING SCANDAL INU━S HISTORY.

WMA━2 NEWS'CHRISTIAN SCHAFFER TALKED WITHTHE AUTHORS OF A NEW BOOKABOUT THE "GUN TRACE TASKFORCE"━ TO FIND OUT WHATTHEIR CRIMES COULD MEAN FORLAW ENFORCEMENT IN BALTIMORAND ACROSS THE COUNTRY:AFTER THE DEATH OF FREDDIEGRAY IN 2015..*REFORM OF THEBALTIMORE CITY POLICEDEPARTMEN━ WAS SUPPOSED TO BEHAPPENING..*SCATTERED CALLSFOR CHANGE... ...STARTTURNING INTO A MOVEMENT.

INFACT THE NEW BOOK "I GOT AMONSTER" BY FORMER CITY PAPERCOLLABORATORS BRANDONSODERBERG AND BAYNARD WOODS,*STARTS WITH THIS SENTENCE━"BALTIMORE ALMOST HAD AREVOLUTION" BUT, AT THAT SAMETIME, SEVEN OFFICERS ON THECITY POLICE "GUN TRACE TAFORCE"━ WERE PUSHING BACK.....FOR EXAMPLE━ THE ADDITIONOF POLICE BOD━WORN CAMERAS...LIKE OTHER OFFICERS, MEMBERSOF THE GUN TRACE TASK FORCE*DID HAVE TO START WEARINGTHEM, AS PART OF A REFORM OFTHE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THIS ISBODY CAM VIDEO FROM A ━━ ━FTRAFFIC STOP, IN AUGUST OF2016..

BUT IF THE CAMERA ISNOT*ON, RIGHT FROM THE START━ THERE IS NO WAY FOR A FUTUREJUDGE OR JURY TO KNOW WHETHERTHE*DRUGS AND THE GUN, FOUNDUNDER THE VISOR..

WERE*THERE,WHEN THE OFFICERS PULLED THATMAN OVER━ OR WHETHER THEOFFICERS PUT THEM THERE.

AFTERTHIS STOP, GTTF MEMBERSARRESTED THAT MA━ ALBERTBROWN..

THEN DROVE A FEWBLOCKS AWAY, AND BURGLARIZEHIS HOME..

MORE THAN*SEVEN*MONTHS, AFTER BROWN WASARRESTED, ALL CHARGES AGAINSTHIM WERE DROPPED.

THE BOOKDETAILS CRIMES SO EGREGIOUS━MONEY AND DRUGS STOLEN, PEOPLESENT TO JAIL FOR CRIMES THEYDIDN'T COMMIT AND 10'S OFTHOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INOVERTIME━ FORGED..━ THATFEDERAL AUTHORITIES EVENTUALLYSTARTED A RACKETEERING OR"RICO" INVESTIGATION.━USUALLY,*THAT'S FOR FIGHTINGORGANIZED CRIME..*THIS TIMETHE FEDS BUILT A RICO CASEAGAINST MEN WHO HAD SWORN ANOATH, TO PROTECT AND SERVE..SEVEN GUN TRACE TASK FORCEMEMBERS WERE ALL ARRESTED ONTHE SAME DAY━ MARCH 1ST2017.

THERE'S THAT WORD AGAI━"REFORM"... FROM THE NO━FORMER COMMISSIONER OF THECITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, JUSTAFTER NEWS OF THE ARRESTSDROPPED ON HIM, HIS DEPARTMENTAND THE PUBLIC..

MORE ARRESTSWOULD FOLLOW━ BUT EVEN THAWAS NOT THE WHOLE STORY.SODERBERG AND WOODS SAY THEYBELIEVE THE OUTRAGE ACROSS THECOUNTRY, AFTER THE DEATH OFGEORGE FLOYD IN POLICE CUSTODYHAS MOVED PEOPLE TO STOPDEBATING*WHETHER, REFORMS ARNEEDED... ...AND STARTTHINKING ABOUT WHAT*SHOUHAPPEN.

IF THAT'S TRUE, THEYSAY THE GUN TRACE TASK FORCESCANDAL SHOULD SERVE AS*WARNING FOR OTHER CITIES.THEY DO SUPPORT MAJOR CHANGESTO POLICING..

INCLUDING, FOREXAMPLE, THE ABOLITION OFPLAINCLOTHES UNITS LIKE THGUN TRACE TASK FORCE.

IT IS ASCANDAL, THAT A LOT OF PEOPLEMIGHT HAVE HOPED WAS ALREADYOVER.

BUT AFTER THESE AUTHORSSPENT MORE THAN THREE YEARSDIGGING INTO THE*SYSTEMS INPLACE IN BALTIMORE━ THEIR NEWBOOK SHOWS HOW EASILY THEY CANBE USED, TO CREATE A MONSTERA*SECOND BOOK ON THECORRUPTION OF THE GUN TRACETASK FORCE CALLED "WE OWN THISCITY" IS BEING WRITTEN BYBALTIMORE SUN REPORTER JUSTINFENTON.

THAT ONE IS EXPECTEDTO BE RELEASED IN NEXT YEAR..“I GOT A MONSTER" WILL BEAVAILABLE NATIONWIDE ONE WEEKFROM TODAY, JULY 21ST.TO SEE PART ONE OF