Grand jury recommends abolishing Alabama police department because of a ‘culture of corruption’
A grand jury recommended abolishing a small Alabama police department because of a “rampant culture of corruption” after charging five officers with a variety of crimes, officials announced Wednesday.
Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker announced Wednesday that a grand jury had indicted Hanceville Police Chief Jason Marlin and four of his officers on a variety of charges that included accusations of mishandling or removing evidence from the department’s evidence room.
“This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time it is a good day for the rule of law,” Crocker said during a news conference.
The grand jury also issued a series of scathing findings about the department following an investigation that included looking at video of the department’s evidence room.
“There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department that has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency,” the grand jury reported. Hanceville is small city of 3,200 people about 45 miles (72 km) north of Birmingham.
Crocker said one of the most concerning things was that there was “unfettered access” to the department’s evidence room. He showed photos of a hole in the wall and a green broomstick that was used to “jimmy open” the door.
The grand jury found that the departmental negligence played a role in the 2024 death of a dispatcher who was found dead at work from a suspected drug overdose.
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