Grand jury recommends (Hanceville) Alabama police department be 'immediately abolished'

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Source: ABC News

Grand jury recommends Alabama police department be 'immediately abolished'

By Meredith Deliso
February 19, 2025, 10:10 PM

An Alabama grand jury has recommended that a city's police department be "immediately abolished," finding there is a "rampant culture of corruption," officials said Wednesday while announcing the indictment of five of the agency's officers, including its police chief.

Five Hanceville police officers were arrested and charged amid a probe into the department, Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said. The spouse of one of the officers was also charged, he said.

"This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time, it is a good day for the rule of law," Crocker said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Crocker provided limited details on the case. Though the investigation encompassed the department's evidence room and the death of a Hanceville dispatcher, 49-year-old Christopher Michael Willingham, who was found dead from a toxic drug combination at work, officials said.

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Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/hanceville-alabama-police-department-officers-indicted-grand-jury-abolish/story?id=118989336