Lawsuit Claims Former BPD Deputy Commissioner Turned Blind Eye To Plainclothes Officer Misconduct

There are new claims in a civil lawsuit accusing a former top commander of the Baltimore Police Department of turning a blind eye to the misconduct of plainclothes officers, such as those in the Gun Trace Task Force. It's the latest in a federal lawsuit filed against the department and a member of the GTTF.

Plainclothes policing was long a darling of police commanders in Baltimore. But with high numbers of citizens' complaints and the crimes of the GTTF, the strategy is now being blamed for a culture of abusive practices and little accountability.

"We start at ground level, come out here and get the corner boys," former BPD Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere said in an interview with 11 News in 2003.

Palmere went on to top command as deputy commissioner. Now he is targeted in new filings in a federal lawsuit, which claims he and the department failed to stop police misconduct, like the crimes committed by the Gun Trace Task Force.

"Dean Palmere oversaw many of the BPD's plainclothes units throughout his tenure, and had actual or constructive knowledge of the Officer Defendants' misconduct," the filings say, "yet he did nothing to stop their practices."

The suit was filed by Umar Burley and Brent Matthews. They were stopped by Officers Wayne Jenkins, Sean Suiter and Ryan Guinn in 2010. Thinking they were being robbed, they took off, were chased and slammed into another car, fatally injuring an 86-year-old man.

Their convictions in the case were overturned when the federal GTTF investigation revealed officers planted drugs in their car to justify the chase. Palmere, the suit says, supervised the officers.

The new filings list a history of bad behavior by Former Sergeant Wayne Jenkins and other officers assigned to plainclothes units dating back long before the GTTF.

The filings include the 2006 investigation revealed by the I-Team of a plainclothes unit in southeast Baltimore that focused on falsifying charging documents. The filings also cite the 2005 federal case against Officers William King and Antonio Murray, convicted of robbing drug dealers.

The new filings argue Palmere was in charge of plainclothes units as he rose through the ranks. Rather than hold officers accountable, the filings say Palmere and the department just changed names of the plainclothes units.

Palmere retired last year after his name came up in the GTTF corruption trial. Former Detective Momudu Gondo testified Palmere coached officers about what to say in the deadly shooting of Shawn Cannady in 2009. Former GTTF Detective Jemell Rayam was the shooter.

Palmere was previously quoted as denying Gondo's claim. 11 News was not successful in reaching Palmere Tuesday.

The estate of Sean Suiter has been dropped as a defendant in the lawsuit.