WASHINGTON — Following news of more body-worn camera video that could indicate Baltimore police officers planted evidence, the police department is urging people not to jump to conclusions and let investigations take their course.
According to the state’s attorney’s office, video from a November incident shows officers thoroughly searching a car for drugs and finding nothing. Then, cameras were turned off. When they came back on, a bag of what appears to be drugs was found in the car.
“Does that mean that when the camera was off, some type of criminal misconduct was taking place by police officers? I think that’s a conclusion that we just can’t jump to because a camera is off,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said Wednesday in a news conference.
“I’m not going to call something a strike that’s not a strike; and this investigation has to take place before I reach a conclusion,” he said.
A different video released a few weeks ago appears to show a similar but separate incident that happened during a drug arrest in January, wherein Baltimore officers appeared to place a can in a trash-filled lot and then pulled out a bag of white capsules from it. The charges were dropped in the case; one officer was suspended and two others placed on administrative duty.
