Over the arrest of 16 corrupt cops. Bet we won't see any riot gear cops here trying to get the to disperse.
NEW YORK ? New York City police officers pleaded not guilty Friday to a range of corruption charges in a sweeping probe touched off by an investigation into whether a Bronx officer had ties to a drug dealer.
In total, 16 officers were arraigned in a packed courtroom. The halls were swarmed with people, and hundreds of officers carrying signs stood outside the courthouse and applauded as the accused officers walked through.
The Bronx officer, Jose Ramos, pleaded not guilty to drug and other charges. An internal affairs lieutenant pleaded not guilty to charges she leaked information to union officials about the probe. The rest of the officers pleaded not guilty to charges including official misconduct and obstructing governmental authority after prosecutors said they abused their authority by helping family and friends avoid paying traffic tickets.
The case evolved from a 2009 internal affairs probe of Ramos, who owned a barber shop and was suspected of allowing a friend to deal drugs out of it. Prosecutors said he also transported drugs in uniform.
"He sold his shield, he violated his oath," Assistant District Attorney Omer Wiceyk said.
Wiceyk said Ramos was recorded as saying he "stopped caring about the law a long time ago."
Ramos' attorney, John Sandleitner, said the charges were ridiculous. "If he had done any of these things that they say, they would've arrested him two months ago. Or two years ago," he said. "Why did they let him go to work, then?"
While listening to Ramos' phone, investigators caught calls from people seeing if Ramos could fix tickets for them. The conversations led to more wiretaps that produced evidence of additional officers having similar conversations.
Internal affairs lieutenant Jennara Cobb, who pleaded not guilty to charges of divulging a wiretap, was accused of meeting with union officials about the probe. As a result, word spread through the department's most powerful union and delegates started to alter the way they fixed tickets, prosecutor Jonathan Ortiz said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45078456.../#.Tqs1VUcRacF