Mosby: Body Camera Incident Has Led To 34 Dismissals

Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Friday that at least 34 cases have either been dismissed or are set to be dismissed after police body camera video came to light that led to concerns an officer had planted evidence in a drug case.

Mosby said the three officers were tried to around 123 open cases. She said she couldn't comment on the substance of allegations against the three officers, as it's still an open investigation.

"However, the credibility of those officers has now been directly called into question," Mosby said.

Her evidence review team identified 12 viable cases. All defendants in those cases remain incarcerated. The cases being dismissed are largely felony drug cases or free-standing firearm possession charges. At least 40 cases are now only starting the review process.

One of three officers in video was suspended, and the other two were placed on "non-contact" duty.

The body camera video that led to the investigation showed three officers -- one hiding and then finding what appears to be drugs, while two other officers looking on take no action. That action was recorded because Baltimore police body cameras automatically record 30 seconds of silent video before the officer presses the button to record. Other videos released by police showed them apprehending a drug possession suspect and canvassing the yard in south Baltimore where the possibly incriminating video takes place.

The review by prosecutors has included more than 500 police body camera videos associated with multiple cases. In that process, Mosby's reviewers found another video showing possible police misconduct. That video was turned over to police internal affairs, Mosby said, adding that she has been in communication with Commissioner Kevin Davis.

Police spokesman TJ Smith said in an email that the new video is from a case that involves two arrests and the recovery of drugs during a traffic stop. He said there's a gap in the body worn camera video between the recovery of drugs and before the final recovery of more drugs. That incident is under investigation.

"Our police department has invited a heightened level of scrutiny since we have adopted one of the largest [body-worn camera] programs in the nation," Smith said. "Our transparency efforts are ongoing as we strive to train our police officers with this new technology. When shortcomings are apparent, we will investigate and act accordingly."

To date, more than 110,000 hours of police activity have been recorded and officers have been disciplined, counseled and trained based on interactions caught on video, Smith said.