Top 10 (Known) Crimes by ex Baltimore City Police Det. Danny Hersl

Warning: Do Not Proceed Unless You Believe (Some) Baltimore Police Straight Up Rob People on the Regular

Veteran cop, Daniel T. Hersl, 49, infamous for his abusive rants and provocations of Baltimore’s citizens, awaits sentencing Friday June 22 in U.S. District Court. He faces up to 60 years after a jury found him guilty of racketeering, fraud and robbery charges as a member of the violence-prone street gang with badges, – otherwise known as the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF).

Using RICO statutes, originally crafted as a way to bust open impenetrable crime syndicates like the Mafia, the feds pursued eight cops who as employees of Baltimore City Police department created a criminal enterprise while working as BPD officers that included robbery and drug dealing.

officer arrested 4 — ex BPD Det. Jemell Rayam. During trial accused Danny Hersl of stealing $3k cash from the $20k cash they stole during a robbery — proving there is no honor among BPD thieves. The robbery victims currently have a civil lawsuit against the city.

During closing arguments in a February 2018 trial, federal prosecutors reminded jurors that Hersl, who joined BPD in 1999, and other veterans in the Baltimore City Police department were acting as both cops and robbers for years, some even before they joined the GTTF. The victims were believable; the crimes were brazen; the sentences are historical.

A timeline to assist with understanding the “Top 10” Crimes by Daniel T. “Danny” Hersl

April 2015 Freddie Gray in-custody homicide
April 2015 Civil unrest in West Baltimore’s to protest F.G’s violent death
Summer 2015 Jenkins sells looted pharma drugs, sparking opioid crisis
July 2016 Feds tap BPD vehicle in the Shropshire drug organization investigation
August 2016 Department of Justice scathing report on BPD systematic abuses
March 2017 Federal indictments announced against BPD’s GTTF squad
April 2017 City enters into a Consent Decree to reform BPD’s racists practices
Oct 2017 Rayam and Gondo testify as gov’t witness against A. Shropshire
Nov 2017 Det. Sean Suiter murdered the day before scheduled witness testimony
Jan 2018 Four ex GTTF cops testify to a 4+ year crime spree while police officers
Feb 2018 Jury find Danny Hersl and Marcus Taylor guilty using RICO

To recap, the Gun Trace Task Force was one of many special units within the BPD that operated with little oversight and under various acronyms through different administrations over decades.

As plainclothes detectives, they have untold (and undocumented) interactions with a plethora of drugs, guns, and cash. Such units are ripe for corruption, according to the the federal government, even in the best of departments. One member of GTTF, Det. Thomas Clewell who worked along side of each of the members has not been charged.

GUN TRACE TASK FORCE

In closing arguments, federal prosecutors implored the mostly white jury to see the parade of unlikely victims, some drug dealers, others with a criminal background as not worthy of protection of the United States Constitution.

Hersl’s co-defendant Marcus Taylor, who joined BPD in 2009, was sentenced to 18 years earlier this month and is planning an appeal. Judge Catherine Blake will hear motions related to Hersl’s conviction, but is expected to proceed with his sentencing. Others who plead guilty thus sparing taxpayers the expense of trial or the complete farce of proclaiming innocence are:

Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, now serving 25 years, joined BPD in 2003. Was the ranking officer in charge of the Special Enforcement Section (SES) with Taylor along with officers Evodio Hendrix and Maruice Ward before taking over GTTF. Robberies by Jenkins, Hendrix, Ward and Taylor began as early as 2013 as members of the SES squad.

Sgt. Thomas Allers, now serving 15 years, joined BPD in 1996. Headed up GTTF from its origin to 2016 before handing the reigns over to Jenkins and leaving to join a joint DEA task force.

Two other Baltimore Police detectives who plead guilty, did not go to trial and also served as cooperating witnesses (presumably are still doing so in ongoing investigations) include ex detectives Jemell Rayam and Momodu Gondo.

ex Det. Danny Hersl’s Top 10 Crimes and Lawsuits

10 Gave a slip of paper with the date written on it as a warning to H.T. after searching his mouth and down his pants not to let him see him again – only to arrest him a few days later in Nov 2015. Hersl stole $314 from a check he had just cashed. Guilty of robbery and extortion.

9 Stole narcotics and $1700 cash from A.F. and let him go. Guilty of robbery and extortion in Aug. 2016.

8 Stole $2000 from a sock in a homeless man’s storage unit. Threatened the business’ clerk when he would not hand over the surveillance video that captured the theft.

7 Took about $8000 from glove compartment of D.A. who was caught after fleeing scene tossing cocaine out of the window.

6 Nearly doubling his $75k annual salary with false claims of overtime and wire fraud.

5 Breaking the jaw of fleeing suspect until he passed out in 2010. City paid $49k.

4 Breaking the arm of a 19-year old girl in a carry out restaurant in 2007. City paid $50k

3 Dropped charges by prosecutors in a 2006 case when jurors were notified that complaints against him to Internal Affairs were in the double digits. This was 10 years before he was promoted to the GTTF.

“Misconduct, sometimes when it’s frequent enough, it indicates a lack of desire to tell the truth” (the late) Circuit Court Judge John Prevas is quoted as saying after reviewing Hersl’s IAD file, in a 2014 Baltimore Sun story

2 The double cross. Robbery of the Hamiltons in July 2016. Hersl reportedly stole $3k while the GTTF crew wasn’t looking and before BPD stole $20K from the family.

1 The depraved indifference. Instead of rending aid, Hersl sits with other GTTF cops in a nearby police car after an illegal high speed chase that resulted in an Aug 2016 car crash. Hersl is heard on the wire tap suggesting ways to cover up the fact that they were working at all by altering documents to avoid discipline or prosecution.

Hersl bike — Danny Hersl, convict and former “elite” Baltimore Police officer

Within the Constitutionally-adverse BPD, these units became known as “elite” by the media as well as up and down previous and existing names in command. Both would hype the arrests as a measure of crime fighting.

But for the citizens they were sworn to protect and serve, these units became the living, breathing, gun-toting, badge wearing symbol of why no one would ever willingly call or cooperate with the police even in the most dire of circumstances.

Hersl’s (Dis) Hornable mentions:

Harassing dirt bike enthusiasts.
Harassing local rapper Young Moose chronicled by CityPaper.
Pepper spraying demonstrators in the wake of of Freddie Gray’s death.

“Detective Hersl, he a bitch, I swear to God he ain’t right/ Heard about my rap career, he trying to fuck up my life/ That nigga fuck me over once, he ain’t getting another,” Moose raps on the song ‘Tired,’ off 2014’s “OTM 3” mixtape. “That racist bitch had the nerve to put the cuffs on my mother/ Put the cuffs on my father, then put the cuffs on my brother/ He think about me every day, that nigga mind in the gutter/ Looking for some information bitch that ain’t how I rock/ Throwing dirt on my name because I’m going to the top/ The warrant wasn’t even right when they ran in my spot.” – Young Moose interview by Brandon Soderberg

The Case for Disbanding BPD

The emotions swirling around the search for a solution to the ills of Baltimore Police Department range from disillusionment to detachment. Politicians favor the nonstarter debate of turning state control of the department over to the city. Others seek to disband BPD in the mode of Camden N.J., not knowing exactly why Camden is not a model to follow.

Simply put, Baltimore cannot do what Camden did, but not for the reasons you might think.

First though, consider this undeniable fact. We all suspect Baltimore’s Police Department is rotten to the core. It might not be. But in this case, perception is reality.

sketch 2 — Sketch drawing by Tom Chalkley of former police detective Momodu Gondo in orange jumpsuit as witness against his co-defendants, fellow police officers.

A law enforcement department requires the trust and compliance of those it serves to recognize its power. Baltimore Police has bankrupted any small reserve of goodwill that remained after the death of Freddie Gray and its subsequent “investigation.”

It has only been days since the guilty verdicts of police officers who were running a robbery, extortion and drug dealing operation – but only while in uniform. The Gun Trace Task Force cloaked as an “elite” special operations squad, instead served themselves mostly conspiring to steal overtime while committing heinous crimes.

Regrettably, a choreographed cacophony of warmed over questions from the media and canned responses from those in power, reflected none of the urgency that those awaiting the verdict expected and experienced.

“Journalists” asked:

“What does this mean for BPD?”
“How does BPD move forward after the verdicts?”
Are you satisfied with the verdicts?
Does the government expect more indictments?

People watching were asking:

What the fuck?
Why not just start over from scratch?

Disgust, Disband, Discard

After hearing in harsh detail how the department serves as a racketeering front for a criminal enterprise requires more sobering questions. The verdict from Monday, February 12th confirmed what many people have been shouting about only to have their cries fall on deaf ears. Baltimore Police Department is a criminal enterprise.

An impartial group of 12 Marylanders: eight white women, one Asian woman and three black men unanimously found 2 officers guilty of knowing taking part in a conspiracy to using their power as membership in the Baltimore City Police Department to carry out their crimes. The jury was pulled from the state and not merely from Baltimore City.

Let’s not forget that six other officers told a judge they are guilty and decided to forgo any pretense of a trial. These officers had shown up for work on the day they were arrested. They were not on desk duty as punishment for any bad behavior. These officers were not home, suspended while complaints were being investigated. They were armed with guns and unfettered power up until the second the feds stepped in.

The jury has spoken: Baltimore Police Department cannot police itself.

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

While President Abraham Lincoln coined the phrase in 1858 during his campaign, it bears remembering that it was in 1860 that Maryland took over the Baltimore Police Department with the help of a radical group of nationalists. Most will recall that Baltimore was a stronghold for the Union, but the state of Maryland was generally considered a Confederate sympathizer.

” Dear Maryland General Assembly, the Civil War is over, and the North won. It’s time to give Baltimore its police department back.” – Councilman Brandon Scott

-Baltimore Sun OP-ED February 28, 2017

The Know-Nothing Party, with it’s “America First” rally cries captured only but a single state, Maryland, with it’s presidential push. It is certainly time to be on the right side of history and reject the sole success of the xenophobic party (the shame of Maryland) and return control of the state’s most diverse city to the people who live here.

The most radical proposal to date simply does not go far enough. There have been calls to move control from the state legislature to Baltimore City Council. Impassioned activists spoke to city council in 2016. However, House Bill 1504 designed to do just that, died in committee in March 2017.

In support of the bill, Baltimore City Councilman Brandon Scott and Maryland State Delegate Curt Anderson penned an editorial pointing out the “insanity of the Baltimore Police Department being a state agency” in announcing legislation designed to put the department under the city’s control. This was the concern before it was confirmed the BPD was acting as a front for an organized crime syndicate.

Camden is not a Model City

Reorganizing Baltimore Police by disbanding the existing structure and creating a new citizen-led organization has no model to follow. Police departments have disband due to cost and duplication of services, resulting in a consolidation.

The City of Camden is often brought up by media as a praiseworthy example of a high crime area that turned itself around by disbanding its police. But for many reasons, it is not a model to be used for Baltimore. Camden City Police department for all intents and purposes was folded into an existing agency, the Camden County Police Department.

The City of Camden along with others in the county such as Bellmawr, Cherry Hill, Collinswood, Haddon Township and Gloucester Township all are municipalities and have had their own police departments since about 1920s. Most disbands in NJ is a result of consolidation due to costs of very small departments.

Screenshot (317).png

Politically, state officials had wrestled all power from the city. In a party tug of war, newly elected Republican Governor Chris Christie was on the surface at least, battling with South Jersey political bosses. Economic strife impacted Camden’s descisions and similar downturns had Atlantic City considering the same.

An important distinction for Baltimore, that it is an independent municipality and is not seated within a county (such as being a part of Baltimore County), which makes it unique. The city cannot simply use Camden as it model, as it has no county police force to absorb it.

Other factors make what Camden did not comparable to Baltimore, not the least of which are wide variations in population size, budget, demands, not to mention political will to merge BPD even with either Baltimore County Police or Maryland State Police.

The Way Forward

Reaction to the verdicts should be prioritized as follows:

The people
The state legislature
The governor
The mayor
The police commissioner

The people’s voice must be heard. Before any decision is made, and before the mayor and other politicians toss ideas in the trash, recognition of the harm police have done would show respect to the victims. It might also provide a path forward.

A leader would first listen to the people. Go to them. Don’t ask them to come to you. Ask what kind of policing they want to see. If it’s a 12 or 24 member commission of civilians that run the department, then make it happen. If it’s keeping the department, but turning its reigns over to Baltimore City Council, then work tirelessly to get it done. Both Governor Larry Hogan and Mayor Catherine Pugh must show clear leadership in the most important aspect of their position: public safety.

“The legislature’s control over the Baltimore Police Department is an anachronism that serves no purpose at a time when city residents are demanding accountability and rapid reform. Whether the remedy involves a passing a law clarifying the City Council’s authority to legislate on police matters or taking the department out of the state’s purview altogether, the situation needs to change.”

Baltimore Sun Editorial September 17, 2016

One way forward is to take advantage of the powers contained in the entity created by the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation resulting in a Consent Decree. This court order establishes the Community Oversight Task Force (COTF) which is charged with making recommendations to ensure community input as the department includes civilian oversight into its reform process.

The COTF is expected to bring forth its recommendations by March 2018, in time to communicate with the community and make changes before it has to submit its report to the court in June 2018.

Consider that the work the committee has put forth largely took place in 2017, well before the trial and subsequent verdicts. It likely will focus on returning power and control of BPD to the city, revising the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights (LEOBR), and creating an oversight mechanism to hear and rule on citizen complaints.

Screenshot (312)_LI — From the Department of Justice Consent Decree with Baltimore City Police Department

In short, the COTF recommendations will be reactionary and more importantly likely ignored or discarded. It’s reactionary mostly because of timing. Had this group of hard working citizens convened the day after the GTTF trial, they might be more amenable to the recommending disbanding. It’s not too late though, armed a new vision members could take a new approach. COTF could pull a Glenn Close and drop the equivalent of the dead rabbit in the state’s boiling pot.

ignored dan

Why ignored? It will ask for investigatory powers and the staff to do it. It will distance itself from the existing Citizen Review Board (CRB) that Del. Jill Carter has artfully resuscitated life into. It will ask for things that can be shot down like ducks in a row. Subpoena powers that come with exorbitant costs, even if awarded cannot be utilized without a trained staff. Any substantive changes to LEOBR will fall on deaf ears.

The unions negotiating with Baltimore Police simply will not have it. But the union doesn’t have an existing agreement with the yet to be formed Baltimore Police Commission. Expect immediate and harsh pushback of all FOPs in the state if there is an iota of a chance there is political backing of disbanding for Baltimore.

Baltimore isn’t the first entity in Maryland that suffered from blistering reports of misconduct, mismanagement and racial profiling.

In 2001, a task force addressed many of the same problems within the Prince George’s County Police Department. Crime in PG county made national headline news in the 1990s resulting in a 2004 Consent Decree with the Department of Justice. Three guesses as to what the initial barrier to reform was in their report. And you can guess if they are still waiting.

Screenshot (319)_LI — Prince George’s County Task Force Recommendation

Telling Baltimore’s Story: Linking Law Enforcement and Media Coverage

This website was inspired by the events surrounding the death of Freddie Gray, Lor Scoota, and Det. Sean Suiter. It came to be in the wake of the United States Department of Justice’s investigations into racial practices of the Baltimore City Police Department. It is compelled to tell stories in the same vein as the documentary “Making of a Murderer” which alerted the public to the powers held by law enforcement when it used all of its resources to convict Steven Avery as well as the Serial podcast that revisited the murder conviction of Adnan Syed in Baltimore County.

Baltimore’s history is intrinsically linked, perhaps with no rival, to its past. The United States is defined by no other war than the one between the states. The age-old issues and conflicts that led brother to fight brother remain unaddressed and therefore unresolved in Baltimore. Even 175 years since the last shot was fired in the Civil War, Baltimore grapples with the two basic questions:

How should black lives be valued?
How much power should the city as a local municipalities have?

Twenty years before it was incorporated as a city, Baltimore had a jail, The jail located at Jones Falls and Madison was primarily for debtors and escaped slaves. As the nation’s wealth increased, so did its need to enforce its laws. A new city jail was completed in 1808 and the economy of Baltimore was thriving.

city jail.jpg

The city’s business was told in its newspapers. There was no shortage of them. The Baltimore News, The Marylander, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore American, and Baltimore Daily Post all vied to inform the people information needed to become an informed electorate. Granted the original audience were limited to wealthy land owners and later European immigrants. While the city had the largest concentration of free blacks in the entire United States, the Sun newspaper would not hire its first black managing editor until 2016, 176 years after the paper’s founding.

Welcoming 2018 in Baltimore came with a whimper and not a bang. A steady drizzle of guilty pleas by detectives who worked in Baltimore City Police Department’s Gun Trace dispelled any pretense that it is merely a few bad apples. At the same time the distance between the shooting death of Det. Sean Suiter in November and the likelihood of a quick arrest was widening once the FBI decided not to take over the investigation.

Public confidence in the Baltimore Police Department was at an all-time low. This is speculation of course, since no reputable polling agency, or any of the many distinguished universities had conducted any. Such is the manner of accountability, public service, and scrutiny that residents have come to expect.

Not willing to let apathy set in, especially for all those wrongly incarcerated in the area jails and prisons, BmoreProjects seeks to shed light in the darkest corners where The Sun fails to reach.