The Death of Detective Sean Suiter: How Deep Does the Corruption Go?

Journalists Jayne Miller and Luke Broadwater discuss the burgeoning scandal inside the Baltimore police department over the mysterious death of homicide detective Sean Suiter, who was found dead in an alley shot, with his own gun

STEPHEN JANIS: Almost seven years ago, I wrote a book with a former Baltimore homicide detective called 'Why Do We Kill?' In it, we recounted a Baltimore police department that was seemingly infused by corruption, but it turns out we were wrong.

In light of recent scandals, the agency is, in fact, defined by it. A damning report for the Department of Justice, a consent decree, ballooning overtime costs, and seemingly the most disturbing development: a burgeoning scandal involving at least eight officers of the Gun Trace Task Force who are accused of stealing money from residents, dealing drugs, and racketeering. Now, with the killing of Detective Sean Suiter, who recently was set to testify in the case, things have gone from bad to worse, as Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis just asked the FBI to take the case.

But, amid all the obvious dysfunction, not a single police officer has been fired, and the city and charitable organizations keep giving the department money, more, not less. So, what's going on, and is there a path forward to fix this? And, is this department beyond repair?

To help me answer this question are three of the best journalists in town with too many awards to mention. Jayne Miller is an investigative journalist for WBAL-TV, Luke Broadwater works for the Baltimore Sun and covers City Hall, and Taya Graham is a Real News reporter and member of the infamous Mod Squad. Thank you all for joining me. I really appreciate it.

Before we get started, we have a package from Taya to give us an update on where we are in the death of Detective Sean Suiter.

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