Former Official Accuses Baltimore PD of Corruption

BALTIMORE --

The former chief of the Baltimore City Police Department Internal Disciplinary System said the department is rife with corruption and turns a blind eye to bad officers patrolling the streets.

Former Internal Affairs prosecutor Joann Branche was fired in April and is being blamed for the dismissal of at least 50 police misconduct cases.

On Thursday, she spoke publicly for the first time, taking shots at her former department.

Branche said good police officers are in the crosshairs of the department while bad ones are running willy-nilly in the city, undermining public safety.

"It is important that we have the right officers on the street and the wrong officers off the street, and it has become apparent that the police department is not serious about policing their own," said attorney Warren Brown, who is representing Branche. Joann Branche

Branche said the unit is micromanaged for political reasons and punishment is doled out based on who you know.

"There were, in fact, back-door deals in punishment. There were instances where recommendations for punishment were not followed. In fact, there were cases that should be punished that were dismissed," she said.

In response, police department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, "The Baltimore Police Department has a fair and prudent disciplinary system that has to be applied judiciously across the board. The department is not going to comment on personnel issues."

"The police department never affirmatively stated that she had done anything wrong," Brown said.

"I do not believe, based on my experience, that the department is capable of policing itself."

- Joann Branch

One high-profile case dismissed accused two white officers of forcing a black coworker to view racist material on the Internet. Another regarded the southwest district's flex squad in which officers were accused of raping a woman inside the police station.

"I realized the investigation had serious flaws," Branche said.

Branche contended that all of her decisions were micromanaged by Deputy Commissioner Debora Owens, who interfered with the process.

But the chief claim against Branche is an allegation that she violated officers' due process rights by backdating documents after the time expired to file charges. The department cleared Branche of one of those allegations.

Branche has not filed suit. She said she wants the department to come clean and for the mayor to dismantle Internal Affairs.

"First and foremost, I want to clear my name, but more importantly, I want to shed light on what I see as travesties in the department. I do not believe, based on my experience, that the department is capable of policing itself," she said.

Branche suggested that the mayor create an outside entity to handle police misconduct cases.

A spokesman for the mayor said she has no plans to do that.