Prosecutors Drop Drug Possession Charges Against Chicago Police Recruit
During his first court appearance, drug possession charges against Chicago police recruit Alfredo Saldana were dropped by prosecutors. The reason behind this decision was that tests revealed that the material found in a small baggie in Saldana’s pants pocket was not illegal, as reported by the Sun-Times.
However, the President of the union representing the city’s front-line cops has criticized a CPD internal affairs detective who handled the case, referring to the cop as “bad news.”
On April 21, Saldana was given a small baggie containing simulated heroin for training purposes. During a scenario-based training exercise involving narcotics-related offenses, another recruit conducted a search and found a knotted baggie in Saldana’s cargo pants. Inside were four small zip baggies decorated with green dollar signs, each containing suspected crack cocaine.
When questioned about the contents of the baggie, Saldana initially dismissed it as garbage, claiming that the pants belonged to his brother who was also a police officer. However, subsequent testing revealed that the material was not illegal drugs.
Saldana’s attorney, Tim Grace, explained that the cargo pants did indeed belong to Saldana’s brother, and Saldana was unaware of the fake drugs in the pocket.
While many law enforcement agencies use field tests to confirm the presence of controlled substances, it appears that CPD opted to press charges without testing the material found in Saldana’s pants.
In a YouTube video posted recently, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7 President John Catanzara criticized a CPD Internal Affairs detective for his role in pursuing charges against Saldana despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
According to reports, the Internal Affairs investigator involved in Saldana’s case has faced legal action from at least one fellow officer for wrongful prosecution.
