It happened back in February, 2011, and is just now making the news; two Utica, New York cops were caught on camera planting evidence, drugs, inside people’s cars.  The cops were recorded by their own security camera in their car.

It took a local newspaper to bring the story to the public. Utica police say they were simply putting drugs they took off the suspects, into the suspects’ car. That’s not normal police procedure, but the District Attorney claims it is: You can put the evidence on your person to maintain custody of it until you have a chance to store it. Where else are you going to put it, on the ground? In the course of searching someone, sometimes the only thing you’ve got is your pockets until a short time later you can put it all together.”-Scott McNamara, Williams and Oneida County District Attorney

You can see the video here.  About one minute in you can see the cop searching the SUV pull a baggie out of his own pocket and put in side the vehicle.  He then walks a way with the baggie looking like it had been opened.

Wouldn’t putting evidence in your pocket compromise it?  Other people feel the same way, and say it’s not part of police training:  “We do feel there is concern that some wrongdoing has been done because police officers don’t place evidence in their back pocket and then take it out and climb into a suspect’s car, and then exit with the drugs unrolled.”-Venice Ervin, local NAACP

The Utica Police Department say they’re investigating, and when they are done the FBI will investigate.