Thread by @georgejoseph94

NEW: In secret recordings, a Mount Vernon, NY cop says he safeguarded drugs for a favored dealer, says cops let key dealers sell drugs with free reign + robbed residents.

@WestchesterDA got tapes from a whistleblower last year—the cops are still active:
gothamist.com/news/mount-ver…

Here's Mount Vernon Officer John Campo describing how he stashed drugs for a crack dealer, then effectively put it back on the street. He says the man was an informant— so police allowed him + others to sell in exchange for help arresting their own low-level street buyers:

3/ Ex-prosecutors said this could constitute criminal activity. They also made clear this is not how police are supposed to work with informants. But, facing a tough primary, @TonyScarpino4DA has publicly dismissed the tapes + the whistleblower:

4/ Since 2015 this alleged dealer/informant hasn't had any drug convictions per state courts records. Since then he has racked up choking + domestic violence convictions, prompting protection orders. Over a year after the DA got its first batch of tapes, the man was accused again

5/ For those people who police wanted to arrest, Officer Campo says police sometimes cut legal corners—in one case blaming an alleged dealer for crack that "probably wasn't his." "And they said it was his because they wanted to arrest him," he told the whistleblower.

6/ We found a man with a nearly identical street name with a long drug history. He corroborated key details of what he said was a false arrest—without being told about Campo's story. The DA says "no witnesses have come fwd" but he says they never reached out to him.

7/ The whistleblower gave the DA recordings hoping prosecutors would investigate. New secret recordings suggest they delayed for months—while carrying cases fwd + disclosing nothing to defendants. Listen here for audio of a meeting inside the DA’s office:
wnyc.org/story/mount-ve…

8/ The DA declined to comment on its meetings with the whistleblower or its investigation generally. Publicly the DA has said he can't disclose info based on "rumor"—but the recordings + our reporting raise questions about how much they actually cared to get to the bottom of this

9/ As we reported earlier, the allegations in the tapes include claims that Mount Vernon officers framed innocent residents on numerous occasions. They also include shakedowns, beatings of residents, + falsified evidence for search warrants:
gothamist.com/news/mount-ver…

10/ Since our last story came out, federal prosecutors have reached out to the whistleblower's attorney + they've shared the recordings. Public defenders and the DA's primary opponent have also called on NY AG @TishJames to take over the investigation.

11/ The black whistleblower cop behind these tapes says he's been called a rat by a supervisor (he recorded this allegedly incident too) + has found a rat toy placed by his locker.
gothamist.com/news/black-cop…

12/ For years, the officer has accused colleagues of brutalizing + being racist towards black residents. In response to our article, @MtVernonPolice has said it is looking into all past allegations, including apparent allegations against him. It wouldn’t explain further.