WXYZ reports that nearly the entire vice squad from the Detroit Police Department has been suspended due to allegations of a whole range of official misconduct and corruption.
 

Sgt. Charles Turner was a leader of the squad that Deputy Chief James Tolbert admits has been suspended under suspicion of misconduct and we’ve learned it’s not just one incident but a pattern of alleged misconduct that dates back at least several years. We’re talking now about pretty much all of Detroit’s vice squad now yanked off the streets and their weapons taken away pending what could well be criminal charges against them. Initially the department disclosed they were benched for allegedly falsifying arrest records…

In the middle of last month, the squad arrested five people for prostitution, part of a three-county crackdown they called “Operation Ice Breaker.” The cops were all suspended when they signed arrest reports indicating they made the arrests along 8 Mile Road where they were assigned, when in fact they busted the five far from there, over here on the East Side near Harper and Chalmers

A follow up report from the station revealed allegations of false testimony offered by police officers and abusive behavior toward citizens while on the job. This very much bears watching. Other cities have seen large numbers of vice squad officers, particularly those involved in drug crimes, convicted of similar conduct and worse.