Ex-Cops Who Ended Up In Prison
There are a surprising number of former cops who have gone to prison. Their offenses range from fraud and theft, all the way to murder. Some are patrol cops, but there are also sergeants, police chiefs, and even the former top cop in New York City. All these cops who went to jail were brought down by their own greed, aggressiveness, poor judgment, and the belief that they'd get away with it.
But none of them did. From the DEA agent who was running his own drug ring all the way down to the local cop who pulled a woman over and demanded she let him lick her feet, all of these bad cops eventually got caught.
Here are some of the most prominent ex-cops who are either currently in prison, or recently spent time.
Daniel Holtzclaw
In 2016, former Oklahoma City cop Daniel Holtzclaw was sentenced to 263 years in prison after being found guilty of four first-degree rape counts and many other charges. Holtzclaw claimed that he was trying to help the dozens of Black women he assaulted while on patrol in low-income neighborhoods.
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Jason Van Dyke
Chicago police officer Van Dyke was arrested and charged with murder for the 2014 shooting of an African American man allegedly waving a knife. The arrest was delayed a year while parallel investigation were taking place, and the case didn't become public until a video of the shooting was released.
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Michael Slager
Michael Slager, a former cop from the North Charleston Police Department, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of Walter Scott in December 2017. Slager shot Scott, an unarmed Black man, as he ran away from him on April 4, 2015.
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Darnell Garcia
Garcia was a DEA agent and martial arts expert who had appeared in several high-profile films. At the same time, he was running a massive drug ring with bank accounts around the world. He was eventually arrested and sentenced to 80 years in prison.
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- Bernard Kerik
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
New York City's police commissioner during 9/11, Bernard Kerik later served time in federal prison for tax evasion and fraud.- Photo:
![Theodore Dyer]()
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Theodore Dyer
Former Muskegon County Airport police officer Theodore Dyer was sent to prison in 2013 for raping an 9-year-old girl. Less than a year later, he was murdered by his cellmate - allegedly for bragging about the crime.
