(NewsNation) — A grand jury has called for an Alabama police department to be immediately abolished, calling it “more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency” following the indictment of its chief and several officers on corruption charges.
The district attorney prosecuting the case, Champ Crocker, told NewsNation’s “Banfield” Thursday night that investigators found “troubling things.”
Five members of the Hanceville Police Department, including the chief, were indicted for “a rampant culture of corruption,” according to documents.
An investigation began after a dispatcher was found dead of a drug overdose at work in August. The investigation revealed many employees had access to the evidence room where confiscated drugs were located.
The state is reviewing pending cases the officers handled to determine next steps.
“As far as pending cases go, if evidence has been tampered with, it is unusable,” Crocker said. “We think it’s certainly possible that cases could have to be dismissed.”