Aug 6, 2008 8:47 pm US/Eastern
Police Apologize For Falsely Accused Officer
BALTIMORE (AP) ―
The Baltimore police department has issued an apology to a 13-year veteran who was falsely accused of a sex offense.
The department apologized to Sergeant Robert L. Smith for statements made by officers saying he had committed a drug or sex offense.
The police department also said it regretted including Detective Vickie Mengel in a search warrant application accusing her of drug law violations.
An application for a search and seizure warrant was leaked to the media during a probe of the Southwest District Flex Squad that alleged Smith and Mengel were violating drug laws. No drugs were found in their possession during the search.
Baltimore's Board of Estimates approved a $200,000 payment for Smith, $50,000 for Mengel, and $40,000 for their lawyer, Clarke Ahlers, on Wednesday.
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