Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld set up the arrests of more than a dozen officers involved in a towing kickback scheme by calling them to the police academy under the ruse of an equipment inspection.
Fifteen of the 17 officers who have been charged reported to the academy, and were stripped of their badges. An academy recruit witnessed the arrests, which included Commissioner Bealefeld saying, "I'm here to reclaim our badge."
The commissioner, who was accompanied by the FBI's Baltimore director Richard A. McFeely, said he wanted the arrests done in a "very deliberate way" that was "meaningful and respectful," and also sent a stern message to the 3,000-member force, reports the Baltimore Sun.
The officers are charged with steering traffic accident victims to the Magestic Auto Repair Shop in Rosedale in exchange for kickbacks.
