Alabama: On February 19, 2025, a grand jury called for the immediate abolition of the Hanceville Police Department for its “rampant culture of corruption” that turned it into a criminal enterprise. The New York Post reported that an investigation followed the death of dispatcher Christopher Willingham, 49, who died at work from a lethal drug combination due to the department’s gross negligence. Chief Jason Marlin, appointed in March 2024, and several officers were charged with evidence tampering, drug crimes, and abuse of power. The evidence room was unsecured, with a hole in the wall and a broom propping the door open. Officers allegedly used their positions for personal gain and made key evidence unusable. The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office has taken over law enforcement duties of Hanceville, a small town of some 3,000 people north of Birmingham, and Mayor Jimmy Sawyer pledged corrective action. Prosecutors condemned the department’s failures, saying it endangered public safety and denied justice to crime victims. Despite the arrests, none of the officers have been charged in Willingham’s death. All were released on bond.

Arkansas: According to KATV out of Little Rock, Hot Spring County Sheriff Derek Scott Finkbeiner pleaded guilty on February 14, 2025, to a federal felony charge of misleading the FBI in a drug investigation. The charge stems from his false claim that a drug dealer, from whom he admitted using methamphetamine and crack cocaine, was a confidential informant. Facing up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release, Finkbeiner awaits sentencing in four months. This marks his third arrest since taking office in 2022. The plea deal comes as Finkbeiner, 47, also faces state charges, including sexual solicitation and unauthorized access to the Arkansas Crime Information Center, with a trial set for May 8, 2025. Previously, he was charged with obstruction of justice and drug-related offenses. He resigned on February 21, ending his tenure as a sheriff tainted by legal controversies that destroyed public trust.

California: Joanne Segovia, former manager of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, was sentenced to three years’ probation and 100 hours of community service on January 21, 2025, after confessing to smuggling opioids from foreign suppliers. Segovia, who ran the operation from her home, blamed her actions on years of opioid addiction rather than profit-seeking. Prosecutors confirmed she lost tens of thousands annually on her habit, smuggling drugs like Tapentadol, Zolpidem and Tramadol. The investigation began in 2022 when Homeland Security agents linked her to a network in India. Between 2015 and 2023, Segovia received over 60 suspicious packages that were labeled as harmless items like makeup and chocolates. Despite initial accusations of smuggling fentanyl, tests revealed it was Tapentadol. That reduced her maximum possible sentence of 20 years to no prison time for the 65-year-old grandmother. The case exposed questionable oversight by the police union, which was accused of obstructing the investigation despite promises to cooperate.

Colorado: Yvonne “Missy” Woods, a now-retired forensic scientist who worked for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (“CBI”) for 29 years, was charged on January 22, 2025, with 102 felony charges tied to 58 instances of alleged misconduct. KDVR Denver reported that Woods is accused of falsifying or deleting DNA testing data in over 1,000 cases, including 35 sexual assaults and seven homicides. Allegations include cybercrime, perjury, forgery, and influencing public servants from 2008 to 2023. The data tampering raises questions about the validity of more than 500 cases and damages confidence in CBI’s forensic reliability. Woods admitted to altering data and blamed workload pressures. Fiscal costs tied to her misconduct exceed $11 million, with numerous convictions potentially impacted. The scandal has led to calls for external audits and operational reviews of CBI’s forensic processes. Woods was released on a $50,000 surety bond on January 23. Woods’ attorney Lindsay Brown declined to comment after the bond hearing.

Delaware: On February 13, 2025, former Bethany Beach Police Chief Michael Redmon and former Captain Darin Cathell pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges tied to overtime fraud schemes. Both admitted to falsifying overtime claims over several years, with Redmon stealing more than $80,000 for 760 hours of work he never performed and Cathell fraudulently claiming $68,000 for 800 unworked hours. The fraud, partially paid for by federal grants, happened from 2019 to 2024. Prosecutors presented evidence, including surveillance footage, key entry logs, and phone data, proving the men were not working during the claimed hours. Both men confessed in court and acknowledged their false claims. Each faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, though first-time offenders rarely receive maximum sentences. Sentencing is scheduled for August 2025. The scandalous misuse of public funds was not addressed by Town Manager Cliff Graviet, who attended the hearing. The defendants and their attorneys had no comment either.

Florida: Tyler Williams, 30, a former Hendry County sheriff’s deputy, was convicted on February 12, 2025, of violating an individual’s civil rights and obstructing justice in federal court. A jury had previously deadlocked on a verdict three months prior, according to New-Press. Williams faces up to 10 years for using unreasonable force and 20 years for obstruction, with sentencing pending. The incident which led to his April 2024 indictment happened on July 4, 2023. Williams responded to a burglary and threw a handcuffed suspect to the ground, knocking him out cold when his chin hit the asphalt. Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden ordered the investigation after seeing body cam footage of the excessive force which left him “shocked and appalled.” Prosecutors used the same footage to show Williams grabbing the man by the shoulders and slamming him to the ground. Williams then invented a false version of the event in his report and obstructed justice. Previously fired from Fort Myers Police in 2021 for violating policies during a 2020 traffic stop that led to a toddler’s death, Williams has a history of misconduct.

New Jersey: On February 13, 2025, suspended Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst, 57, was convicted of seven charges, including sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and multiple counts of official misconduct. Advance Local Media reported that the charges stem from allegations of prolonged sexual abuse and harassment of subordinates, with some incidents dating back to 2008. Prosecutors detailed how Herbst assaulted a civilian employee repeatedly for over a decade, sexually harassed two other employees, and misused police resources, including viewing pornography on department computers. The jury also found him guilty of flashing his badge in public while under suspension. Herbst’s conviction follows an investigation by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s Office. The case began in 2022 when one victim filed a civil lawsuit, alleging frequent sexual assaults, groping, and harassment, including masturbating in front of her. That civil suit led Manville Borough to suspend Herbst in 2022. Attorney for Herbst, Jim Wronko, plans to appeal based on statute of limitations concerns.

New Mexico: Former Las Cruces police officer Brad Lunsford was convicted of voluntary manslaughter on February 12, 2025, for fatally shooting Presley Eze during a 2022 gas station confrontation. According to Los Alamos Reporter, prosecutors argued Lunsford’s use of deadly force was unjustified after Eze, accused of stealing beer, placed his hand on another officer’s stun gun during a scuffle. Lunsford reacted by immediately withdrawing his service weapon and shooting Eze in the back of the head at point-blank range. Attorney General Raúl Torrez condemned the shooting as an abuse of power, emphasizing that law enforcement officers are not above the law. Body camera footage presented at trial showed the struggle leading to the shooting. Lunsford faces up to nine years in prison, including a firearms enhancement. Lunsford’s attorney Jose Coronado will challenge the verdict, claiming the state failed to meet its burden of proof.

New Mexico: Reason online magazine reported that, for over 15 years, a corruption scandal has involved Albuquerque Police Department (“APD”) officers in its DWI unit. Prosecutors allege officers conspired with attorney Thomas Clear and investigator Ricardo Mendez to dismiss DWI cases in exchange for bribes, including cash, gifts, and free legal services. The scheme operated on all levels of the department and was shielded by senior officers, including internal affairs leaders tasked with rooting out corruption. Recent guilty pleas from officers Honorio Alba Jr. and Joshua Montaño revealed how bribes led to case dismissals, often through prearranged no-shows at hearings. Alba even recruited colleagues into the racket while warning Clear and Mendez about whistleblowers. Despite evidence dating back to 2022, APD’s internal probes overlooked widespread misconduct and only acted after the FBI became involved in 2023. In one particularly bad case, Alba did not file charges on “a repeat drunk driver” who was “pulled over driving down Central [Avenue] with his car on fire … and later blew three times the legal limit on an alcohol breath test.” The fallout of the corruption scandal included the dismissal of 200 DWI cases by prosecutors and a lawsuit from a falsely accused victim, Carlos Sandoval-Smith. The scandal has revealed a troubling lack of oversight, with Police Chief Harold Medina facing criticism for enabling corrupt officers to be in leadership roles.

New York: Richard Snyder, a Petersburgh, New York, town justice since 2013, resigned in December 2025 after a disciplinary panel flagged his misconduct according to The New York Times. Snyder, a 68-year-old part-time judge without formal legal training, tried to avoid grand jury duty in October 2023 by claiming he couldn’t be impartial. “I know they are guilty,” he stated, arguing those in his court wouldn’t be there otherwise. Snyder’s remarks revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of the presumption of innocence and prompted a disciplinary complaint. Earning just $6,000 annually to handle minor cases, Snyder defended his record as fair but admitted limited knowledge of legal processes. His resignation highlights concerns about New York’s system of non-lawyer judges presiding over cases. Robert Tembeckjian of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct criticized Snyder’s actions, emphasizing that impartiality is essential for justice. Petersburgh’s town supervisor, now seeking a replacement, noted the need to question candidates on their understanding of judicial impartiality.

Pennsylvania: Former Philadelphia Police Detective James Pitts was sentenced to 32 to 64 months in state prison for perjury and obstruction of justice on February 7, 2025, according to WCAU. The 54-year-old disgraced detective coerced a false confession from Obina Onyiah, leading to Onyiah’s wrongful murder conviction in 2010 for the shooting of jeweler William Glatz. Pitts’ conviction marks a historic moment—the first time in nearly 50 years that a Philadelphia officer was held criminally accountable for perjury tied to coerced confessions. Onyiah, 6’3”, was implicated by a jailhouse informant and confessed under Pitts’ violent interrogation, despite witnesses describing the suspect as “very slight of build” and 5’7”. Evidence later confirmed Onyiah’s innocence, including expert photogrammetry analysis proving he could not have been the perpetrator. Onyiah spent 11 years in prison before his exoneration in 2021, aided by District Attorney Larry Krasner’s Conviction Integrity Unit (“CIU”). CIU prosecutors emphasized Pitts’ deliberate misconduct, including perjury and abuse of authority. Pitts’ crimes robbed Onyiah of over a decade of his life and allowed the true murderer to go free, a very real and very tragic consequence of law enforcement corruption.

Pennsylvania: A former security guard at the Dauphin County Courthouse will spend the next seven to fifteen years in state prison after being sentenced on February 3, 2025, for victimizing teenagers. Rickey Williams, 56, was classified as a sexual predator for his actions in the 1990s and in 2021. PennLive reported that in 2021 he asked a 14-year-old friend of his daughter to send videos of herself urinating which he later described as playing along with a prank started by the teen. The mother showed the phone to a Dauphin County detective who filed charges. Dauphin County suspended Williams without pay the same day he was arrested in April 2021 and later terminated his employment. When the kiddie porn allegations were made public, another woman came forward and told authorities about the sexual abuse she and her sister suffered beginning in 1994, assaults which lasted into her teenage years. At Williams’ trials in October 2024, prosecutor Erin Varley told the court, “He is in complete denial—he’s dangerous. He seems to think he is above the law.” Williams maintains his innocence and has refused mental health treatment in prison, instead opting for recreation.

Texas: Former Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) Officer Manuel Perez Jr., 32, of El Paso, was denied bond on February 13, 2025, after being arrested on federal charges of human and drug smuggling. El Paso Times reported that Perez, a member of the La Linea cartel, received up to $400,000 for allowing undocumented migrant crossings and cocaine smuggling. Perez allegedly used his inspection lane at the Paso Del Norte Bridge to allow unauthorized crossings, earning $2,500 per person. He is also said to have altered official CBP records to disguise migrants as legal entrants. Witnesses testified that Perez spent 80 percent of his time in Mexico, had armed security, and openly displayed cartel ties. Authorities uncovered $18,000 in cash at Perez’s home in Juárez and evidence linking him to a cocaine smuggling route from El Paso to North Carolina. Prosecutors described Perez as a flight risk and a danger due to his cartel affiliation. Perez’s attorney Ruben Ortiz previously suggested that co-conspirators were “pointing fingers, perhaps to gain favor from the government in their own cases.” Perez denies the allegations against him, and if convicted, he faces 10 years to life in prison.

Tennessee: Six law enforcement officers from three agencies were indicted on February 10, 2025, for misconduct in the violent arrest of Jackson Hopper, a murder suspect accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Ellie Young in a Memphis park. According to USA Today, the October 2024 incident followed a multi-county chase ending in Dyer County, where Hopper crashed his vehicle. Video footage shows officers pulling Hopper from his overturned car and striking him while he was on the ground, leaving him with visible injuries. Toward the end of the video, Hopper is seen being put into the back seat of a patrol car with black eyes. A Dyer County grand jury indicted Bryan Lane, Zachary Antle, Dakota Wilkerson, and Samuel Chastain on charges of official misconduct, official oppression, and assault for their alleged use of excessive force. Two additional officers, Benjamin Stanifer and Matthew Lawler, face charges of tampering with evidence for allegedly altering or concealing body-camera footage. Sheriffs from the departments involved claim the officers acted courageously, but critics argue the violent arrest and evidence tampering are serious misconduct. All six officers were released on $25,000 bond, pending trial.

Washington: According to TechDirt, former Auburn Police Officer Jeffrey Nelson, sentenced to nearly 17 years for the murder of Jesse Sarey on January 25, 2025, has cost taxpayers millions due to his misconduct. Nelson, convicted of second-degree murder for the fatal 2019 shooting of Sarey, has a troubling history of deadly force incidents eerily like this case. He previously killed Isaiah Obet in 2017 and Brian Scaman in 2011, both involving knives and headshots. All three murdered men had mental health issues. Taxpayers paid $1.25 million to settle Obet’s wrongful death lawsuit, and Sarey’s family, $4 million. Beyond these killings, Nelson’s actions have resulted in an additional $2 million in civil rights settlements. Another burden to the taxpayers: He had been on paid administrative leave since the shooting in 2019. Nelson’s reaction to seeing a knife and immediately shooting has drained over $7 million from public funds and raises serious concerns about police department accountability. The prosecution of this case was aided by Senate Bill 5066 and makes Nelson the first officer to be convicted of murder. Supervisors overlooked a pattern of violent behavior, enabling Nelson to remain on the payroll and leave taxpayers holding the bag.

Wisconsin: Former Milwaukee County public defender Travis Schwantes, 54, appeared in court on December 20, 2024, facing six charges—four felonies—stemming from a Milwaukee prostitution ring investigation. His alleged misconduct, which includes solicitation and falsifying legal documents, weakens public trust and exposes oversight failures in the system. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that five others, including a Milwaukee firefighter and a retired Kenosha judge, were also charged. Schwantes is accused of soliciting women he represented, knowing they were being trafficked and struggling with addiction. He allegedly used internal public defender records to identify vulnerable clients and falsified information to qualify one woman for legal representation. Milwaukee has settled related lawsuits for undisclosed amounts at the taxpayers’ expense. Schwantes’ next court appearance was scheduled for February 14, 2025. No information was available from that hearing at the time of publication.  

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