Visalia Chief: 'We are angry' after 2 cops arrested, face prison

Two Visalia detectives who have patrolled the streets for more than a decade each will now face the legal system after accusations of misconduct while serving multiple search warrants in Tulare.

Narcotics detectives Shane Logan and Bryan Ferreira, once members of SWAT and the gang unit, face 43 total criminal counts — 38 felonies. Those include falsifying police reports, conspiracy, falsely and maliciously trying to indict someone for a crime, perjury under "color of authority," and illegal use of the California Department of Motor Vehicles databases.

The detectives, who will face charges as co-defendants, have been on administrative leave since May, according to Visalia police.

They're both behind bars. However, both are expected to make bail out.

As a result, prosecutors have dismissed 40 criminal cases that Logan and Ferreira worked on. District Attorney Tim Ward said he expects more cases to come to light soon and can't recall a time when prosecutors have had to dismiss so many cases.

He said he's making full list of cases involving both officers available to defense attorneys.

The investigation began in Tulare after the Visalia officers, part of the Special Enforcement Unit, served a series of search warrants. Tulare officers said they weren't notified of the busts, although such notification is common courtesy when one agency goes into another's city.

Police officers, two from Visalia and two from Tulare, who spoke to the Visalia Times-Delta on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said stories surfaced during drug busts in Tulare.

Ward said the alleged drug deals claimed to obtain search warrants never happened.

According to the Tulare officers, confidential informants were working for Tulare Police Department. The informants went to Tulare detectives with information about crimes that hadn't been committed. Tulare began investigating their Visalia colleagues when police reports didn't match up, the sources said.

"This has strained our relationship. We worked well together, now we dread coming to Visalia for any reason," one Tulare officer said. "We don't trust them and they don't trust us."

Tulare detectives served search warrants on Logan's and Ferreira's cell phones, which are being held as evidence, a Visalia police officer told the Times-Delta on condition of anonymity.

Tulare Chief Barry Jones did not respond for comment.

After six months of investigation, the Tulare officers said detectives uncovered dozens of allegations of misconduct stemming from evidence and interviews from confidential informants. They handed the case, along with the officers' cell phones, over to district attorney investigators.

Investigators followed up on interviews for two months, working with a prosecutor to determine if charges would be filed. Ward said that Jones allowed a full-time detective to help DA investigators.

Ward added that prosecutors can't talk about the facts of the case, but said he expects more details to come out as the justice system goes to work.

Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar called the actions "sad and disappointing." He added that the actions should not reflect on the police department as a whole.

"We are angry about it and we will deal with it," Salazar said. "Our mission doesn't change."

He added that moral was low among fellow officers, but the force is working through the process.

On Friday morning in an unannounced and unscheduled hearing at Tulare County Pretrial Facility, the men got a first glimpse at what they'll face.

After every Tulare County judge recused from the case, a Kings County judge signed the formal complaint Friday morning and issued an arrest warrant. Both officers paced and combed through the pages of the complaint as they waited for the hearing.

Arraignments are held daily at 1 p.m. Logan and Ferreira's hearing was set for 11 a.m. The only people present were lawyers for both officers and a judge via closed-caption television.

The Times-Delta watched from a monitor in the lobby, which was otherwise empty.

The charges weren't read aloud, but in a copy of the complaint obtained by the Times-Delta, the men are charged with 11 counts of perjury by a police officer, 18 counts of filing false police reports, nine counts of falsely and maliciously indicting someone for a crime and five counts of using the California DMV database to find personal information used in the above charges.

The DMV allegations are misdemeanors.

“All I know is what I read in the complaint,” said Fresno-based attorney Roger Wilson, representing Logan and Ferreira. “I haven’t received the discovery.”

Logan's bail was set at $225,000 and faces 11 years in prison. Ferreira faces a steeper $575,000 bail and nearly 25 years in prison.

A formal hearing is set for Monday.

Logan has been a Visalia officer since 2005 and works with College of the Sequoias Police Academy as a "police evaluator." He has worked multiple specialty assignments and has a total compensation of more than $130,000 a year.

Ferreira also has been with Visalia police since 2005. He, along with Detective Adam Collins, was shot in 2015 while on a routine gang patrol in Visalia. His total annual compensation is also more than $130,000.

Ferreira was also named the 2018 Visalia Officer of the Year.

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