BALTIMORE _ Prosecutors have now dropped or plan to drop a total of 125 criminal cases that rely on the testimony of eight Baltimore police officers indicted this year on federal racketeering charges, they said Monday.
Those include more than 50 adjudicated cases that prosecutors successfully reopened only to drop, in consultation with defense counsel.
More than two dozen such motions are pending, and more than a dozen have been denied, prosecutors said _ meaning judges rejected joint requests for closed cases involving the indicted officers to be reopened.
Dozens of additional drug and gun cases remain under review, as prosecutors reassess the involvement of eight members of the Baltimore Police Department's now dismantled Gun Trace Task Force had in them.
Nearly three dozen have been reviewed and deemed valid through the presence of evidence unrelated to the indicted officers, prosecutors said.
The officers are accused of robbing residents, filing false court paperwork and making fraudulent overtime claims. Four have pleaded guilty. Another will do the same this week, his attorney said.
The others have pleaded not guilty or have not entered a plea.
Prosecutors on Monday also announced updated numbers of criminal cases that have been impacted by three separate investigations into police arrests in which questionable body-camera footage has arisen. Defense attorneys have suggested officers can be seen planting evidence, though those claims have been challenged by law enforcement officials, participants in the incidents and their attorneys.
The Police Department is still investigating all of the body-camera cases.
Prosecutors on Monday said they have now dropped _ or will drop if more time isn't granted for additional investigation _ more than 200 criminal cases linked to officers involved in the recorded incidents.
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's office said Monday that it is continuing "to employ significant resources to thoroughly assess" the cases linked to the officers involved in the questionable body-camera footage and the gun unit.
"We will continue to share the progress of this comprehensive review of the impacted cases with the community," Mosby said in a statement Monday. "Public trust is essential to the success of the criminal justice system and our ability to effectively prosecute crime. We will do our part to minimize any erosion to this trust and remain vigilant in our pursuit of justice."
Slightly smaller numbers of impacted cases were provided in September.
Prosecutors also provided other, less clear numbers related to other cases linked to the officers, including some in which prosecutors have filed motions they did not describe.
Mosby's office did not immediately respond to a request for more information on Monday.
