Cases Under Review After Controversial Body Camera Video

Officials with the Office of the Public Defender said they are concerned that Baltimore City prosecutors persist in pursuing cases involving officers who appear to be depicted in body camera video footage planting drugs that resulted in a criminal arrest. Now, both police and prosecutors are conducting a review of what happened and what cases may be tainted.,

The body camera video shows three officers -- one hiding and then finding what appears to be drugs, while two other officers look on and take no action, the public defender's office said.

An assistant public defender, who represented the person charged with the planted drugs, forwarded the video to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office last week, the public defender's office said.

Melba Saunders, a spokeswoman for State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, said in a statement the assistant state's attorney originally made a plea offer to one count of a controlled dangerous substance. Two days before the trial date, the defense attorney came to the assistant state's attorney about the body camera footage and the prosecutor immediately took steps to get the case dismissed.

“Upon notification of this troubling footage, our office immediately implemented established protocols to not only refer this matter to the internal affairs division of the Baltimore Police Department but began identifying active cases involving these officers," Saunders said.

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