Hundreds of criminal investigations are under review following the resignation of two Iowa police officers amid accusations that they planted evidence.
It is not currently clear what the outcome of the case was, but police Sgt. Paul Parizek said at a news conference on Tuesday that the department was only informed about the incident in question on Friday as the result of a “complaint.” He did not specify who filed it.
Judge and Teut reportedly resigned on Monday. The accusation could eventually lead to criminal charges and an internal investigation has already been launched – which will now be tasked with examining hundreds of cases worked on by both of the “hero” cops dating back to August 2013 when they each joined the department.
“This is going to be a long, very extensive internal investigation. It’s going to be very thorough,” Parizek said at the news conference. “This is the outlier. This is not how our organization is. This is not representative of who we are.”
Parizek added that no other “heroes” have been accused of wrongdoing as a result of the allegation and stipulated that the department will keep the Polk County Attorney’s Office updated as the investigation moves forward.
Some are calling for more stringent measures however – like a Dept. of Justice and FBI probe – and say that the outcome of the investigation will have extensive implications for Des Moines. These might even include overturning the convictions of violent criminals who have been prosecuted based on the work of Judge and Teut.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Parizek asserted that “people know they can trust us,” and maintained that if the department probe reveals any policy that might have helped facilitate the officers’ behavior, it will be reviewed and addressed.
Listen to news conference:
Good morning Eric
Are you a sovereign citizen?
Was the ‘suspect’ ever convicted of having drugs on him or arrested for something not even related to the evidence tampering case?
Hi Abby,
I am sympathetic in principle to the “sovereign citizen” idea – that is, that we are each (morally) sovereign over our own selves and our own lives and – unless we have explicitly delegated such authority to another – no one else has moral authority over our selves and our lives. But as a practical matter, it’s a non-starter. Meaning, if you tell an enforcer (or a judge, the mack daddy enforcer) you are a “sovereign citizen,” it will do as much good as telling them you are Napoleon.
Regarding your question: Can you clarify? Are you defending the enforcer?
If so: I don’t know whether this particular enforcer is guilty of the particular act in question. I do know he is guilty of serial abuse. Every enforcer is guilty of serial abuse. It’s what they do.
They are not peace keepers. Their primary purpose is not to “keep us safe” – much less protect our property.
It is to enforce laws – regardless of the impact on our safety, no matter the damage done to our property.
@mrfnuts, don’t you just love how these officers are proven guilty without an investigation being completed? I’m willing to make a pretty solid bet that the department jumped the gun and released an emotional compulsive response to something that hasn’t yet been proven.
Hi Abby,
Well, these enforcers are certainly guilty of tyrannizing their fellow citizens as a matter of routine; it’s what they do – every day. Because what they do consists of enforcing tyrannical laws – defined as mere violations of statute without any harm caused to any other person. These range from petty (but tyrannical nonetheless) “buckle up” laws to the more egregious ones that empower them to literally steal tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of property on the basis of the “offender” having been “caught” in “possession” of arbitrarily illegal “drugs” to outright curbside murder, while squealing “Officer Safety!”
I support peace keeping.
But law enforcement is another matter.
I really believe that in cases where one plants evidence, or gives false testimony, the punishment should be that of what their victims would have faced. Ultimately had it not been discovered that the evidence was planted, many people would have received very serious punishment — forever life changing punishment. Why do these heroes who were willing to have this dispensed on innocent people merely face the prospect of being fired? And in the case of one of them, still gets to keep his other ‘hero’ employment in the National Guard.
Disgusting pigs.