Douglas Dickinson, a Camden County Metro Police Department Officer since 2014, has been charged with filing false police reports in two matters and one count of simple assault.
Dickinson was charged after the Camden County Police Department Metro Division notified the Prosecutor’s Office of the alleged misconduct.
As a result of the charges against Dickinson, the Prosecutor’s Office conducted a review of other criminal cases in which Officer Dickinson was an investigating or arresting officer. That review revealed there were multiple cases where Dickinson was the only officer who would be called to testify as to the facts of the case.
Since a prosecution may only proceed on the basis of sufficient admissible evidence to support a conviction, Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo determined that her office cannot legally prosecute cases with the knowledge Dickinson is charged with crimes of falsifying police reports. Therefore, according to Colalillo because Dickinson would be the witness to testify to these alleged crimes, her office cannot prosecute those cases in which his credibility would be at issue.
“Our office has a legal obligation to dismiss cases tainted by the possibility of police misconduct,” Colalillo said.
There have been 18 cases dismissed and it is anticipated that more cases may be dismissed. These cases include both pending matters as well as cases which have already resulted in plea agreements. The majority of the cases that will be dismissed involved drug distribution.
The remaining cases that will be dismissed are for resisting arrest, two weapons charges and one theft.
This investigation is still ongoing.