Alaska: The Anchorage Daily News reported that former Seward Police Department (SPD) Off. Matthew Susko, 40, was fined $600 on July 16, 2026, for unauthorized use of his smartphone while transporting a teenage arrestee in November 2024. Law enforcement officers are permitted emergency cellphone use while driving, but as he ferried the unnamed juvenile 102 miles from Seward to the Kenai Peninsula Youth Facility in Soldotna, Susko’s body-worn camera (BWC) captured at least 15 minutes when he used the device with one or both hands to view and send messages or play oldies like “Jailhouse Rock” on the Spotify app. It was unclear why his case took so long to reach court, but his guilty plea to misdemeanor Driving with Screen Operating (DWSO) was entered in a deal with prosecutors to drop a felony reckless driving charge. DWSO carries a $500 fine, to which $100 was added because Susko committed the infraction inside a Highway Safety Zone. He also surrendered his state Police Officer Certification. SPD Chief Louis Tiner did not say how the crime came to light, nor if Susko resigned or was fired. The cop’s 15-year-old passenger was reportedly unharmed.

California: On July 13, 2026, former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Dep. Scott Allen Simpkins, 34, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and fined $10,000 for obstructing a federal extortion investigation into crypto businessman Adam Iza, 25. Simpkins was the fourth LASD deputy convicted in the FBI probe, which found that he and fellow former Dep. Michael Cadman, 34, were hired by former Dep. Eric Saavedra, 43, to work an off-duty security detail at Iza’s mansion, where the businessman extorted $25,000 from a party planner, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Central District of California. Saavedra and Cadman also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. The fourth former deputy, Michael David Coberg, 44, is serving a 63-month term with the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) after admitting to helping Iza extort another victim in 2021.

Florida: On July 7, 2026, a Palm Beach County judge sentenced former Riviera Beach Police Department (RBPD) Off. Carl Johnson to 18-and-a-half years in state prison, following his April conviction on two counts of vehicular homicide, WPBF in West Palm Beach reported. In June 2023, Johnson sped his RBPD patrol car at 94 mph though a 35-mph zone without activating his emergency lights or sirens, slamming into another vehicle and killing driver Danielle Bell, 43, and passenger Rodneshia Saunders, 29. He claimed to be responding to an emergency request from his superior officer at the time. His driver’s license was also revoked for 10 years.

Georgia: Former Thomas County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) Chief Dep. Ron James, 55, was arrested on May 29, 2026, after an investigation found he stole firearms from the TCSO and fenced them to support his drug addiction. WCTV in nearby Tallahassee, Florida, reported that James faces nine counts of theft by taking and one count of violation of oath of office stemming from conduct dating back to 2018. The investigation began after Sheriff Tim Watkins received video of James using a meth pipe. James claimed he was smoking THC, but a pipe found in his patrol vehicle tested positive for meth. He was also accused of trading some of the guns to a former employee for Adderall.

Georgia: A Savannah court dismissed 27 DUI cases on July 9, 2026, after four fired Georgia State Patrol troopers failed to answer subpoenas. That was after Tyler Byrd, Joseph Curlee, Isaiah Francois, and Hunter Waters were terminated in March, WTOC in Savannah reported. They were accused of collecting over $100,000 in insurance payouts from fraudulent claims for injuries sustained in high-speed on-duty crashes which they caused by targeting fleeing vehicles with Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers. Collaborating with local attorney Tina Maddox, the troopers presented their claims as victims in the collisions, concealing their law enforcement status in the “PIT for Pay” insurance fraud scheme, investigators found.

Illinois: Former Summit Police Department Chief John Kosmowski, 58, was sentenced to three years in federal prison on July 15, 2026, for his role in a bribery and obstruction conspiracy, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. In 2017, Kosmowski conspired to split a $10,000 bribe from local businessman Krzystof Hodurek with City building inspector William Mundy to grease a liquor license transfer. Grand jurors heard the then-Chief caught on tape coaching a co-conspirator to lie with a promise that “it’s gonna be their version against ours.” A separate recording caught him disparaging a government cooperator as “a little rat,” words that sounded like those of a “gangster,” observed Judge Steven Seeger of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Defense attorney Thomas Leinenweber argued unsuccessfully for a year of home detention, noting that Kosmowski had lost his career, his reputation, and a $3 million pension. Mundy pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, as is Hodurek, whose guilty plea included a statement ratting out the two corrupt City officials.

Illinois: Antoine Larry, 50, a former cop with the Phoenix Police Department (PDP) in suburban Chicago, was sentenced to five years in federal prison on June 8, 2026, for an extortion and robbery scheme targeting motorists, the Chicago Tribune reported. His confessed co-conspirator, former PDP Sgt. Jarrett Snowden, is scheduled for sentencing in October 2026, after testifying that he and Larry extorted bribes of cash, drugs, and firearms from drivers they pulled over, at times utilizing a “bagman” or gas station drop-offs to avoid charges or towing.

Louisiana: On July 10, 2026, former Deputy U.S. Marshal Joshua Firmin, 49, was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of violating a prisoner’s civil rights with excessive force that Firmin attempted to cover up with a falsified official report. WNTZ in nearby Natchez, Mississippi, said that Firmin assaulted the fully restrained detainee at the federal courthouse in Lafayette in February 2024 in retaliation for insulting remarks, dragging him by the hair from his cell and slamming his head into a wall, leaving a scalp laceration that required staples to close. Firmin then filed a false use-of-force report claiming the prisoner resisted and accidentally struck his head. Another deputy marshal reported the assault, prompting an investigation by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Louisiana: The DOJ’s OIG said that FBI Special Agent Mose Countryman, 34, was sentenced on May 1, 2026, for falsely reporting in December 2024 that he lost his government-issued assault rifle; in fact, the Colt M-4 carbine rifle had gone missing from his government vehicle that August. Countryman was arrested for making a materially false statement to the FBI. He pleaded guilty, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ordered him to serve a year of supervised probation and pay a $1,200 fine, plus a $100 special assessment.

Massachusetts: After two arrests for domestic abuse, State Trooper (MSP) Michael Gagnon, 36, was under investigation in July 2026 for allegedly acting as middleman in a “straw purchase” to transfer a decommissioned, state-seal-engraved Smith & Wesson .45 caliber service weapon – part of a massive MSP trade-in lot that Gagnon purchased from a Westwood dealer. ATF officials believed that’s how it ended up in the possession of Dana Smith, a former Plympton police officer and local official, WFXT in Boston said. Gagnon was already suspended and jailed in Plymouth County after a November 2025 arrest for punching his 7-year-old son in the face and then coaching the child to lie and blame a collision with a wiffle ball bat. He was arrested again in February 2026 for hacking Ring cameras to surveil his estranged wife’s home.

Michigan: On June 10, 2026, former Detroit Police Department (DPD) Off. Derond Crawford, 34, was sentenced to two years of probation, after pleading no contest to one count of misconduct in office for stealing nude photos and videos from a driver’s smartphone during her March arrest. Charges of using a computer to commit a crime and interfering with a telecommunications device were dismissed, WXYZ in Detroit reported. Crawford must spend the last six months of his sentence in jail unless he maintains good behavior on probation. He initially claimed a “momentary lapse” and a prior relationship with his victim, Samantha Thomason. She slammed the sentence as a “slap on the wrist,” noting that the pervy ex-cop later showed up at her home to stalk her after the arrest. She has filed a civil rights suit seeking $15 million in damages from the DPD for the cop’s predations.

Minnesota: Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent Timothy Ryan Gregg, 53, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on July 15, 2026, after pleading guilty to transporting visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. KMSP inMinneapolis said that the plea deal dropped a production of child porn charge, which carries a 15-year minimum sentence. Court documents detailed how Gregg utilized his DHS phone number and email address to book hotel rooms where he met with a minor victim at least nine times, after abusing restricted law enforcement databases to run a background check on her.

New Mexico: On July 10, 2026, a federal jury convicted former Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) Dep. Paul Jessen, Jr., 36, on multiple public corruption charges, including conspiracy and obstruction of justice, the USAO for the Northern District of Texas said. Fueled by personal hostility against local DEA agents, Jessen and fellow BCSO Dep. Kyle Linker, 33, repeatedly leaked operational details of a DEA probe to a drug trafficker whom the two had recruited as a criminal informant. Linker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to an eight-month term with only one month in prison, the last seven served on location monitoring. The case was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

New York: Former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Det. Matthew Lambert, 33, walked away from his badge to avoid jail time after pleading guilty on June 10, 2026, to exploiting an arrestee for sex, the New York Times reported. The unnamed victim had already reported an assault when Lambert sent her a photo of his erect penis with a promise to get her out of pretrial detention; shortly after her release, he collected on the implied bargain and had sex with her. After striking a deal and pleading guilty to misdemeanor counts of official misconduct and receiving unlawful gratuities, he was sentenced to two years’ probation, 100 hours of community service, and counseling. That ended his career with NYPD, which began in 2014. He also agreed never again to seek law enforcement employment in the state.

Ohio: Bethel Police Department (BPD) Chief Chad Essert, 44, was taken into custody in Florida on June 12, 2026, and extradited to Ohio, where he was indicted the day before on 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. WLWT in Cincinnati said that he was accused of sexually assaulting a student in Clermont and Hamilton counties between 2005 and 2010, before he came to the BPD, when he worked for police departments in Elmwood Place, Maineville and Lincoln Heights; he met the victim off duty while serving as a teacher and Young Marines instructor. Essert, who was already on leave from the BPD amid a separate investigation into unspecified charges, resigned on July 3, 2026.

Tennessee: Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) field training Off. Connor Cooper secured a lenient plea deal in Washington County Criminal Court on July 6, 2026, after admitting to two felony charges stemming from sabotaged evidence. As reported by WCYB in nearby Bristol, Virginia, Cooper cut power to his patrol vehicle’s camera and his BWC during a 2024 traffic chase, ordering a trainee officer to do the same and later hiding remaining video in a digital demo folder. But instead of facing prison for the felonies, he received one year of supervised probation and 40 hours of community service, with a path to complete expungement.

Texas: Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Travis Hill was arrested on July 11, 2026, on three felony charges, including compelling prostitution, sexual assault, and solicitation of prostitution. KSAT in San Antonio reported that Hill, who serves as both an elected judge and a criminal defense attorney, was apprehended following a six-week Texas Rangers probe into the allegations. Conflicts of interest forced recusal by the local county attorney’s office, transferring prosecution to the state Attorney General’s Office. If convicted, Hill faces up to life in prison, automatic removal from the bench and permanent disbarment.

Texas: A mistrial was declared on July 7, 2026, after a Johnson County jury deadlocked in the criminal case against Sheriff Adam King. According to CBS News, he is accused of retaliating against an employee who accused him of sexual harassment because he went searching for her home address after she complained in June 2025 that he repeatedly made sexually inappropriate remarks – including telling her she would have to “disrobe” before he would sign documents that she brought him. Indicted in 2025 on charges of official oppression involving sexual harassment and two counts of corrupt influence for witness retaliation, King took administrative leave. Following the mistrial prosecutors said they plan to retry the case.

Wisconsin: Former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, who made headlines with her 2025 arrest for interfering with federal immigration authorities attempting to apprehend a man leaving her courtroom, was sentenced with a $5,000 fine on July 8, 2026. Minnesota Public Radio said that Dugan misdirected U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempting to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and then escorted him and his attorney through a private exit for jurors. ICE agents later arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a brief chase. A federal jury convicted Dugan of obstruction but acquitted her of concealing a person to prevent arrest. Federal guidelines called for 15 to 21 months in prison, but the sentencing judge cited her otherwise exemplary record and imposed only a fine.

Wisconsin: Former Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) Off. Josue Ayala, 34, was sentenced to 12 months of probation and fined $500 on July 15, 2026, after pleading guilty to misusing the MPD’s Flock-branded license plate reading system to track an ex-girlfriend and her partner. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said that Ayala improperly queried the surveillance database over 170 times, resulting in two restraining orders against him; he then resigned after 11 years on the force. While assigned to investigate the case, MPD Det. Tehrangi Chapman, 51, was accused of misusing the system to plant a GPS tracking device on another target’s car, leading to charges of misconduct in public office on July 17, 2026. He was released on a $1,000 signature bond and ordered to report to jail by July 22, 2026. The cases point to growing civil liberties concerns surrounding police abuse of mass surveillance technologies. 

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