MD Police Officer Indicted, Accused Of Logging Fake Traffic Stops

BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore police officer was indicted this week on charges accusing him of repeatedly logging traffic stops that never happened, allowing him to appear unavailable for service calls while other officers handled them, prosecutors announced Monday.

Officer Dequwan Houchins was indicted on four counts of false entry in a public record and five counts of misconduct in office, according to Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates.

The allegations surfaced after Baltimore police conducted a random audit in December and discovered Houchins had allegedly been reporting false traffic stops in the department's electronic dispatch system for at least four months. Investigators also found no corresponding body-worn camera footage for the stops during the period reviewed, prosecutors said.

Police launched an undercover investigation, following Houchins during portions of four traffic enforcement shifts in April and May to compare his activity with the stops he reported.

During about eight hours of surveillance, investigators said Houchins logged 17 traffic stops — nine legitimate and eight that did not occur. On some occasions, investigators allegedly saw him sitting idle in his patrol car while reporting that he was conducting traffic enforcement.

In another instance, prosecutors said Houchins ordered a smoothie at a store while reporting that he was conducting a traffic stop.

"By allegedly entering false traffic stops into the CAD system to make himself unavailable for service calls and instead relaxing, sipping on a smoothie, or attending to other personal matters, this officer placed a burden on his brothers and sisters in uniform and potentially jeopardized their safety," Bates said.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley credited the department's internal systems and Ethics Unit with identifying and investigating the suspicious activity.

Houchins faces up to 12 years in prison and a $4,000 fine if convicted of all four false-entry charges, according to prosecutors. Misconduct in office does not carry a statutory maximum penalty.