Baltimore authorizes $500,000 in payouts to victims of police wrongdoing, including GTTF
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore taxpayers have already paid more than $14 million to victims of the Gun Trace Task Force, a once-elite police unit brought down in a massive federal investigation.
Wednesday morning, the city's spending board approved another settlement. They authorized $60,000 to Derrick Anderson who alleges he wrongly spent 14 months in prison for an incident six years ago on East Lafayette Avenue where officers—including the disgraced head of the GTTF Wayne Jenkins—planted a gun on him. Anderson had originally asked for $175,000.
"These individuals . . . broke that trust in our communities," Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby said before voting to approve the settlement.
"When we talk about $130,000 here, $200,000 there, $300,000—that money adds up," Mosby said. "That's money that can go to rec centers. That's money that can go to education. That's money that can go to homelessness."
The city's law department told the spending board there are still three active cases involving the GTTF, including one that could involve a significant payout. They are also tracking four more GTTF victims who may sue the city.
Wednesday morning, Baltimore also approved three other settlements unrelated to the GTTF but involving officers.
One of those settlements was $130,000 for Jamal Wilson, a man whose jaw was broken in three places during an arrest in 2016 on Patapsco Avenue.
The officer, Donald Gaff, was later convicted of misconduct in office and fired after body camera video did not support his account of what happened, according to the city's law department.
That officer will still receive his pension, which outraged Mosby.
"This is a complete waste," he said. "I'm excited that we see officers who do this are now being convicted, but convicting them and putting them off the force is not enough. We should not be paying for this ridiculousness any more."
Two other settlements were for crashes involving police.
The city admitted an officer in an unmarked patrol car was at fault for running over a pedestrian in a crosswalk in Remington four years ago, sending him through the windshield. The victim will get a $275,000.
The officer was suspended for five days without pay for the incident.
"There is a definite disconnect for what we are able as a city to extract from employees who end up costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars," comptroller Bill Henry said.
