10 Worst Police Officers in History

10 Worst Police Officers in History

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining the 10 Worst Police Officers in History.

For this list, we’ll be looking at ten authority figures who committed horrible crimes. We’ll only be focusing on individuals and their actions, not military police or mass, politically-motivated violence.

What do you make of these stories? Let us know in the comments below.

Kenneth Bowen, Robert Faulcon, Robert Gisevius, & Anthony Villavaso

Hurricane Katrina wreaked mass havoc on the city of New Orleans. Not only was the physical damage extensive, but it resulted in a degree of lawlessness as authorities focused on rescue efforts. The result was the Danziger Bridge incident of September 4, 2005. Bowen, Faulcon, Gisevius, and Villavaso were members of the New Orleans Police Department who fired at six people on the bridge. Four were injured and two - James Brissette and Ronald Madison - were killed. The victims had done nothing wrong and the incident was racially motivated, as all the victims were black. The officers pleaded guilty to the shooting and all were given prison sentences.

Stephen Caracappa & Louis Eppolito

The Mafia has ties in law enforcement agencies, and that’s proven by the story of Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito. These two men were NYPD detectives who worked closely with the Five Families of New York City. Their work with the Mafia began in the mid ‘80s, and they proceeded to enact countless incidents that were tied to organized crime. They took bribes, committed kidnappings, dealt narcotics, and carried out a series of hits. Authorities started cracking down on the Mafia in the mid ‘90s, prompting Caracappa and Eppolito to flee to Las Vegas. However, they were arrested in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison before passing away in the late 2010s.

Gregg Junnier, Jason Smith & Arthur Tesler

On November 21, 2006, ninety-two-year-old Kathryn Johnston of Atlanta was killed by plainclothes officers Gregg Junnier, Jason Smith, and Arthur Tesler. Officers had set up a drug raid at Johnston’s house by falsifying an affidavit and obtaining a no-knock warrant. According to them, an informant had revealed that heavy narcotics were being dealt from Johnston’s home. They broke in at about seven in the evening, prompting the homeowner to defend herself. The three officers returned fire, killing Johnston. In a panic, they planted drugs in her house and coerced an informant into lying for them. However, their story eventually fell apart and the truth was revealed. They were given sentences ranging from five to ten years in prison.

Joseph Miedzianowski

There was a time when Chicago police officer Joseph Miedzianowski was praised for his work in recovering illegal contraband; no one knew that he was incredibly corrupt. Miedzianowski worked closely with various Chicago organizations and committed a slew of crimes, like arming gang members and distributing narcotics. He was also known to sell out his own kind and betray undercover officers to curious gang affiliates. Miedzianowski was eventually charged with racketeering and drug conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. He made the news in 2022, as the homicide convictions of Juan and Rosendo Hernandez were successfully overturned following proof that Miedzianowski had gotten a detective to frame them.

Stacey Koon

This LAPD sergeant made history on March 3, 1991. A motorist named Rodney King was pulled over by California Highway Patrol for excessive speeding. Five LAPD officers responded and viciously beat King with their batons and tasers. Among them was Sergeant Koon, who was serving as the commanding officer. The attack was filmed and disseminated in the media, leading to widespread outrage. Koon and the other officers were tried but infamously acquitted of all charges, resulting in the destructive LA riots of 1992. Koon was later found guilty in federal court of permitting an unlawful assault and sentenced to a lenient two and a half years in prison.

Daniel Holtzclaw

An officer of the Oklahoma City Police Department, Daniel Holtzclaw used his power to commit numerous acts of assault. His trial began on November 2, 2015, and it saw the disgraced officer facing a whopping thirty-six charges. Thirteen women accused Holtzclaw of sexual violence and blackmail. Holtzclaw would run background checks on the women and would coerce them into performing lewd acts in exchange for his silence. He was eventually convicted of eighteen charges. Holtzclaw was sentenced to 263 years and was thrown into Oklahoma’s Lexington Assessment and Reception Center.

Jon Burge

After serving time in the United States Army, Jon Burge became a Chicago police officer and eventually worked his way up to Commander. For much of his time in the force, Burge ran what became to be known as the Midnight Crew. This was a group of police officers who actively abused suspects with painful methods and coerced them into making confessions. According to The Guardian, Burge and the Midnight Crew were responsible for at least 118 instances of police brutality. He was ultimately fired in 1993 following an unsuccessful trial launched by one of his victims. Burge wouldn’t face lawful punishment until 2010, when he was hit with obstruction of justice and perjury convictions and sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

David Carrick

Like Jon Burge, David Carrick served time in the army before becoming a police officer. In 2001, he joined the Metropolitan Police, which oversees the Greater London area. And by all accounts, Carrick was a very disagreeable person. He received numerous complaints about his work, and his colleagues gave him a nasty nickname owing to his harsh behavior. Carrick was finally arrested in 2021 after numerous allegations were made against him. They revealed that Carrick had been sexually assaulting women that he found on various dating apps and that this behavior had been occurring since 2003. He subsequently pled guilty to all charges, including twenty-eight counts of assault.

Those Involved in the Death of Breonna Taylor

2020 was a rough year for police brutality. In the early morning hours of March 13th, twenty-six-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed when several police officers opened fire in her apartment. They identified Taylor’s residence as a source of narcotics and forced entry with a no-knock warrant. Mistaking the plainclothes officers for intruders, Taylor’s boyfriend fired a warning shot. The officers fired back and inadvertently killed Taylor. The shooters were identified as Myles Cosgrove, Brett Hankison, and Jonathan Mattingly. Other conspirators were also identified, including Kelly Goodlett, who falsified the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment. By pleading guilty to her crime, Goodlett became the first officer to be convicted in Taylor’s death.

Derek Chauvin

Police brutality continued in 2020 with Derek Chauvin, the member of the Minneapolis Police Department who killed George Floyd. The incident occurred on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin was called for illegal use of a counterfeit bill. Floyd was cuffed on the spot and killed after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Autopsies confirmed that Floyd’s death was a homicide, and law enforcement agencies criticized Chauvin’s use of the restraint technique. He was eventually arrested and brought on trial to face several charges, including second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to over twenty years in prison.