Georgia residents are certainly aware that being convicted of a crime, especially a drug-related crime, can bring lasting consequences to a person’s life. Due to a nationwide rise in the use of illegal substances, which some now refer to as an epidemic, drug crimes are taken seriously by law enforcement. It falls upon the police to investigate gather evidence to use in the prosecution’s case, but not all police officers can be trusted to complete the job without giving into the temptation illegal drugs may have. 

Recently, corruption so severe was discovered in Georgia that a local narcotics task force was completely disbanded. The task force was responsible for making the community safer for residents by catching people involved in buying and selling illegal drugs, and helping to gather evidence against such suspects. Unfortunately, some of the officers involved chose to betray the oath to serve and protect, and instead dove into a life of crime themselves. 

Reports indicate that some of the officers were found to be using the very drugs they were meant to be filtering off the streets. One was accused of having a sexual relationship with a confidential informant. The bad behavior was apparently so rampant that the entire task force was shut down. A new countywide task force is being formed to handle future jobs. 

When law enforcement officers cannot be trusted because they are trying to cover up their own bad behavior, there is the possibility that any investigations involving such an officer are tainted. Information from such sources cannot be trusted, and sometimes an individual accused of drug crimes may feel as if he or she has been targeted unfairly by a dirty cop. In many cases, an experienced attorney can help a person accused of drug crimes present a solid legal defense in court, and make sure that all applicable legal rights of the accused are honored at every stage of the criminal proceedings.