One of the most surprising witnesses was a man named Donald Stepp, a bail bondsman, who revealed that he'd been selling drugs Jenkins brought him from work. "This is not the man I know," she wrote. But the police departments Internal Affairs office still had an open file on the case. Hours later, in a quiet waterfront neighborhood 15 miles east of downtown, a drug-dealing bail bondsman was roused from his sleep. In reality, he says, they were making arrests by any means necessary. When one of the men darted into his home, Jenkins rushed in after him. I asked him if he thinks that another scandal is inevitable. After an FBI investigation into the unit discovered the GTTF's crimes, federal officers arrested Jenkins alongside several others in the unit. This is his senior portrait from 1998. The longest sentence was handed down to Jenkins: 25 years. Fenton joined The Sun as a suburban reporter in 2005. "I thought it was a winner.". ET on HBO. That's because in June 2018, Jenkins was sentenced to 25 years in prison. But Internal Affairs was still working on the case that the States Attorneys Office had decided it could not pursue: the suspicion that Jenkins might have planted drugs in a car to justify an arrest. The outfit change is designed to allow them to blend in. Its a Viking mentality: You go out into the field among the bad guys, and you bring back a bounty, Davis said. "So you did take money, ultimately?" Two officers said he spoke openly about doing home invasions on high-level drug dealers that he called "monsters", because of the amount of drugs and cash he hoped they'd have stashed in their houses. In federal court, Mickey Oakley argued that the officers who arrested him including Jenkins and future Gun Trace Task Force member Daniel Hersl had lied about the circumstances leading up to the arrest and had illegally searched his home. "He perverted the criminal justice system.". Then they spilled out of the house and onto the sidewalk, struggling. Arrest him, too, Jenkins yelled at the responding officers. With the investigations behind him, Jenkins seemed emboldened. This kind of mindset assumes that the victims of the Gun Trace Task Force - many of them black and poor - deserved what happened to them. But nothing more. His supervisors and others either failed to see the red flags or chose to ignore them. The matter was referred to the police integrity unit of the Baltimore states attorneys office for investigation. To single him out as a flawed individual in an otherwise perfectly functioning system is a way to avoid change in the police department, to shirk the responsibility of actually preventing this from happening again. He was scared. I thought, How is he doing it? Wayne Jenkins from Baltimore was sentenced to 25-years-in-prison. None of the cases led to any police department discipline for Jenkins, his personnel records show. Jenkins, who until his arrest was viewed within the Baltimore Police Department as one of its most high-performing officers, is serving 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in 2017 to. Jenkins, indignant, aggressively shot back at questions from OConnors attorney. It turned out that federal agents had the unit under surveillance for months. Despite the lawsuits and later, video evidence from his squads body cameras Jenkins supervisors failed to scrutinize the arrests he was making. His drill sergeant described him as having the utmost flawless character Ive seen in two decades of service. In June 2018, after pleading guilty on charges of. He admitted to knowing . They wanted to tell me that Jenkins was a dedicated father, a good football coach. All seven members were soon in handcuffs. "It's that simple.". Wayne Jenkins. Although she did not address the court, in a letter to Judge Catherine Blake, Jenkins' wife Kristy asked for leniency. He ordered a detective to drive them to the hospital and joined the front lines. Detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor went forward to trial and a jury found them guilty of robbery, extortion and fraud in February. "I felt comfortable with it because all the police officers that I met, which were many during the card games, in my opinion, they owned the city," Stepp would later tell the jury at the GTTF trial. Contact Justin Fenton at jfenton@baltsun.com. I also point out to him that it's a fairly common practice for prosecutors to level charges that are so serious that the defendant feels they have no choice but to plead guilty. "We're not stupid. He told the other officers to leave their cell phones and police vests in the car. Wayne Jenkins was on a mission to find big dealers and steal their drugs and cash. Some of his men also have acknowledged stealing well before they came together on the Gun Trace Task Force in 2016. The pair also stole valuables, like high-end wrist watches, in break-ins. Jenkins joined Baltimore's police department in 2003, first becoming a beat cop and patrolling the streets of Baltimore. He also apologised to Burley, who was not in the court, to his wife and to his father, and begged the judge for the opportunity to get out in time to be a grandfather. Jenkins explained that hed already tracked the man to Essex, so he thought they could stake out the home, go through the mans trash and find something to parlay into a search warrant. Later, Jenkins came out carrying two kilos of cocaine he tossed in Stepp's vehicle. Then they could enter the house and take the money, only later calling county officers to say they were executing the warrant. So he gave up and entered a guilty plea. They stole drugs and cash, sold seized narcotics and guns back on the street, planted evidence on people, even committed home invasions. "The largest share of the blame, the largest share of those crimes belongs to him," US attorney Leo Wise told the court. "It strikes at the foundation of our entire criminal justice system.". 3.4M views, 20K likes, 1.4K loves, 6.8K comments, 52K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Baltimore Sun: A criminal with a badge: A Baltimore Sun investigation into the story of Baltimore Police. De Sousa, who is now serving a federal sentence for tax evasion, said through his attorney that he does not remember the Jenkins case. While no one should forget for an instant that Jenkins and his officers caused untold harm to Baltimore citizens, I don't find it helpful to try to write him off as a "monster". I lived modest, we wasn't enriching ourselves," he answers. In Jenkins' plea, it says that "in April 2015 following the riots after the death of Freddie Gray, Jenkins brought DS prescription medicines that he had stolen from someone looting a pharmacy so that DS could sell the medications". BALTIMORE (AP) Baltimore leaders agreed Wednesday to pay a $6 million settlement to the family of a driver who was killed during a 2010 police chase . And while searching the area, Jenkins claimed, he found a BB gun under a nearby car. Plainclothes officers must constantly be checked by leadership, Barksdale said, with commanders inquiring about irregularities in their work and excessive overtime pay. "It was a front for a criminal enterprise," Stepp said of the Gun Trace Task Force. One former supervisor never responded. Maurice Ward, the former detective now in prison, also remembers De Sousa coming to the rescue and reducing the punishment, though he believes Jenkins was still suspended. I got gangster charges, racketeering charges, things they usually give the mob, who were burying bodies in cement.". The jury found against the officer who broke Sneeds jaw but cleared Jenkins. I deserve to go to jail.". "I'm grateful, very grateful.". "Seen it done, honest to god, 500 times.". Jenkins was hired by the Baltimore Police Department in 2003, according to state records obtained by The Baltimore Sun. They tracked other dealers and broke into their houses when no one was home. "My dad would be alive today would it not be for his actions that day. His police department personnel file shows no punishment related to the case. The indictment of Jenkins and six of his gun task force officers on federal racketeering charges rocked Baltimore when the announcement came in March 2017. Some of the most upsetting conversations I had were with people who felt victimised twice -- by both the officers and by the criminals. But then, about an hour later, the phone rings again. "There was cameras everywhere, so I would never have took a dollar," he tells me. On Friday, both detectives Evodio Hendrix and Maurice Ward were sentenced to seven years in prison. Sneed's attorney Michael Pulver concluded, per Fenton, that the officers had "fabricated this story to hide the fact that they intentionally assaulted and falsely arrested and imprisoned Mr. Wayne Jenkins grew up in Middle River and is a graduate of Eastern Technical High School. Jenkins had to affirm under oath in front of a federal judge that what the document said was true. Sneed hired an attorney, who obtained footage from a city surveillance camera on the corner. At that time, I didnt think they were officers, Simon said. Burley's vehicle struck another, killing Mr Davis. Reflecting on the revelations of his misconduct, Lt. Marjorie German concluded that department leaders gave Jenkins too much leeway because they were enamored of his results. It's going to happen again," he said. They walked far enough so they couldnt be seen from the street. But they needed more information. Here is everything you need to know about the real Jenkins and where he is now. Dan Horgan said his mentality was your typical Marine camaraderie, teamwork. Having taken money before with previous squads, he expected the officers might skim some and submit the rest as cover. During his trial, on January 5, 2018, Jenkins pled guilty to one count of racketeering, two counts of robbery, one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in a federal investigation, and four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. In Baltimore, theyre often referred to as knockers, a reference to their historically aggressive tactics. Wayne was a cops cop, local hero kind of guy, said Cirello, the retired officer. It feels a little bit like splitting hairs. He reminds me that the US Attorney's office found him more credible than Jenkins. He states flatly that Jenkins is lying to me. His earliest admitted theft was in 2011. Five years later, Simons claims were confirmed. Historical Accuracy (Q&A): Is Sgt. There is no love lost between these two former friends. "I could have spoken up.". Jenkins said hed tried to be nice, but now they were going to jail. In another man's house, the GTTF broke into a safe and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars. The same video led to a rare police department disciplinary case against Jenkins, who was internally charged with misconduct in 2015, according to a copy of the case file reviewed by The Sun. Still, a yearlong investigation by The Baltimore Sun found warning signs that Wayne Jenkins wasnt such a good cop. Detective Marcus Taylor on Thursday was sentenced to 18 years in prison on racketeering charges, including robbery and overtime fraud. "Absolutely. The man, Demetric Simon, 31, said he did have drugs on him and knew someone was following. These units often operated with little supervision. This just begun.". Jenkins admitted that he stole drugs from work and delivered them to Stepp, who would turn around and sell them. Stepp's moving on with his life - in a sense. In the gloom I see the number of the bureau of prisons light up my cell phone screen. Had the officers done things by the book, the cash and drugs would be registered with evidence control. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In his plea deal, Jenkins admitted he planted heroin on Burley to try to justify the fatal collision. Relatives say he liked to visit his high school sweetheart, Kristy, who would become his wife. A surveillance video suggesting Jenkins may have planted drugs in a suspects car did make its way to the police integrity unit of the Baltimore States Attorneys Office in 2014. In the annals of the Baltimore Police Department, Wayne Jenkins name was not being associated with wrongdoing. He's due to be released in 2038. Wayne Jenkins was living a double life. It was a red flag. Jenkins' lawyer mentioned that he has been assaulted at least once by another inmate who was targeting him for being a former police officer. When the man stopped his car and started to run away, Jenkins drove after him and into someones front yard, where he struck him. I have so many questions to ask, and I'm not sure if this will be my one and only opportunity to speak to him. It was his first public appearance since he was arrested along with six other officers last year. "You have nightmares about police officers harassing you, beating you up, just locking you up, it's just a nightmare that I have and it basically hasn't gone away yet," he said. "He drew first blood," Stepp says of Jenkins. Jenkins was given a 25-year prison sentence on June 7, 2018, which he is currently in the midst of serving at a federal prison in Kentucky. When his case went to trial on January 5, 2018 Jenkins pled guilty to one count of racketeering, two counts of robbery, one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in a federal investigation, and four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Just in recent weeks, two officers have been criminally charged with misconduct. Critics argue Barksdale was among police leaders who fostered a warrior culture, to the citys detriment. During his time on the streets of Baltimore Jenkins was involved. Near Druid Hill Park, amid the shouting, sirens and buzzing choppers overhead, he commandeered a state prison department van and helped pull injured officers inside. Oh, yeah. But most people who worked with him police and prosecutors asserted to The Sun they had no idea he and his officers were involved in criminal behavior. Many plainclothes units would work out of a satellite office inside a trailer in Northwest Baltimore. His account and Jenkins claim that hed found the gun is evocative of testimony by two of Jenkins officers in the 2018 Gun Trace Task Force trial. But Davis, Baltimores police commissioner from 2015 to 2018 and a veteran of two other departments, calls plainclothes units necessary and critical to the crime fight. They go looking for guns and drugs, he said, and often are successful. A two-year federal investigation into the GTTF resulted in all eight officers, and one Philadelphia officer, getting charged with several offenses, including racketeering, in 2017. In January, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh fired her police commissioner and replaced him with former Deputy Commissioner Darryl De Sousa, who promised sweeping reforms to the department. "I ain't have a trial because the simple fact is I knew [the court] would believe them over top of me," he told the jury. I've been reporting on Jenkins, and the elite Gun Trace Task Force squad he once led, for nearly four years. That the GTTF's leader, a former Marine and amateur MMA fighter named Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, was a hero who'd plunged into a violent crowd during the unrest to rescue injured officers. Back then, Jenkins escaped scrutiny again. But already he was working in a plainclothes flex unit that rewarded dynamic officers and gave them freedom to roam. Sure enough, no report was ever made. It took place as Jenkins and other officers were searching an apartment. But Whiting is not so optimistic. Jenkins entered a department steeped in zero tolerance a war on crime fueled by arrests for even minor infractions. Baltimore leaders have agreed to pay a $6 million settlement to the family of a driver who was killed during a 2010 police chase involving Gun Trace Task Force officers. As adults, they ran into each other again at an underground card game frequented by Baltimore Police officers. Marcus Taylor split up $20,000 in cash they stole in 2015. Credit: Kevin Richardson / Baltimore Sun, serving a federal sentence for tax evasion. "I still maintain my innocence. Jenkins later alleged in official paperwork that Simon had pointed a weapon at Frieman and that he ran Simon down to stop the threat. He and other officers had raided a car wash, recovering more than a kilogram of drugs and $4,000 from a hidden desk compartment which could be opened only using magnets within a fish tank. Jenkins says that the veteran goaded him into taking money. Blake who in 2017 would wind up presiding over the Gun Trace Task Force corruption case noted that the other officers present backed Jenkins account. Because believe me, I'll stand my ground in a second.". Hes given us all hes going to give us, Glenn said. Becoming Wayne Jenkins: Jon Bernthal's Deep Dive Into We Own This City 's Corrupt Cop For the HBO miniseries, the actor went on nightly ride-alongs and spoke at length with the imprisoned. During hia time in the department, Jenkins was involved in numerous arrests . In Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago, plainclothes teams have been charged with corruption. But I think he also spoke to me because he doesn't like the image of himself that's been in the media - as a sociopath, as someone almost inhumanly evil. When I tell this to Stepp, he's angry. Shawn Whiting, a man whose house was robbed of $16,000 and a kilo-and-a-half of heroin, testified that he knew that as a drug dealer, his word counted for much less than the officers'. One officer recalled Jenkins taunting colleagues waiting in line to submit evidence at police headquarters, bragging about how many guns he was getting off the street. The unit began looking into a case involving Jenkins, in which he had run down a young man with his unmarked Dodge Avenger early in 2014. "I just go through this on a daily basis, scared of police, wondering when they gonna stop you, trying to plant drugs on you or something like that. Turmoil has continued at the Baltimore Police Department, an agency that saw four commissioners in little more than a year among them De Sousa, now in prison for tax fraud. In an incident to which Jenkins would later plead guilty, the officers handcuffed two men. Wayne Jenkins eyes darted from screen to screen, taking in the surveillance images. Jenkins had joined the force at 23 after serving three years in the Marines, where he took up boxing. They employed tactics that straddled and sometimes clearly crossed the line that divides aggressive policing and trampling on civil rights. Wayne Jenkins Image Credit: Baltimore Police Department/Associated Press. No single person was in a position to make unilateral discipline decisions.. He's even got a clothing line coming out around his defunct bail bond business, Double D Bail Bonds. Ex-police sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins apologised in court for the crimes he committed while heading an elite squad called the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). I wish I would never have stopped that vehicle," he said. I couldn't help thinking about the many victims of the squad that I'd met over the three years I've been working on this story. After he was sent to federal lock-up, I wrote Jenkins a letter once a year - along with many other journalists, book authors, producers and documentary filmmakers - requesting an interview. The bondsman would take care of selling them, then split the profits with the police sergeant. Then-Police Commissioner Anthony Batts had created a Force Investigation Team to inspire public trust that police leaders were keeping an eye on officers use of force. Jenkins and members of his squad were praised for their work getting guns off the streets in an October 2016 police department newsletter. "I fear nothing he knows or anything. What Detective Wayne Jenkins wrote in his affidavit for the search warrant was a complete fabrication, Oakley said. Prosecutors pointed to the fact that Jenkins fabricated evidence, like producing a bogus iPhone video of his officers cracking a drug dealer's safe, when they had in fact already broken into it and stolen $200,000 in cash. Until this point, I'd only heard Jenkins on. The leader of a rogue Baltimore police unit sobbed as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a corruption scandal prosecutors called "breathtaking". They'd known one another's families as children. Jenkins, who is serving a 25-year sentence in a federal prison in South Carolina, declined to speak with The Sun. He's opening a consulting service called Stepp Right Consultants, to give guidance and insight to men and women who are about to enter the federal penal system. He has covered the Baltimore Police Department and crime in Baltimore since 2008. 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