A former Detroit Police Department officer was sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to accepting bribes.
Alonzo Jones, 55, of Detroit, Mich., was sentenced before Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, for taking $3,200 in cash bribes spanning nearly two years in connection with “his duties overseeing and running the Detroit Police vehicle auction," according to a June 14 news release.
Jones was an officer with the Detroit Police Department for more than 30 years. He reportedly accepted cash bribes five different times, totaling $3,200, the release reported. He received his last bribe before his retirement in May 2021.
“Every new police officer takes an oath to uphold our laws and act with integrity,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in the release. “This officer broke that oath and his crimes are an affront to the citizens of Detroit and the honest officers of the Detroit Police Department who put their lives on the line to protect those citizens. This sentence shows our office’s commitment to aggressively pursuing police officers who use their trusted positions of authority to enrich themselves.”
The public expects officers in law enforcement officers to work with honesty and integrity, James Tarasca, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit division, said in the release.
“Instead, Mr. Jones exploited his official position, accepting bribes in exchange for favors related to the Detroit vehicle auction,” Tarasca said in the release. “Today, he was held accountable for his criminal conduct. Thank you to Chief James White for his cooperation during this investigation and to the men and women of the Detroit Police Department who serve with honor day in and day out. And thank you to the members of the Detroit Area Corruption Task Force for their continued work on Operation Northern Hook.”
Northern Hook investigates corruption in Detroit’s government and police department as it relates to the towing industry and other matters, the release reported.
