A disgraced Philadelphia cop testifying in federal court against six former colleagues said he had a plan to steal drugs, guns, and cash from his boss’s car.
The motive: he didn’t think other members of his narcotics squad were dividing cash stolen from drug dealers equally.
Former narcotics officer Jeffrey Walker took the stand for a third day Thursday in a trial against six Philly cops who allegedly stole money and contraband from the very drug dealers they were meant to be policing.
Walker, 46, was arrested in 2013 after he was caught burglarizing a drug dealer’s house in an FBI sting.
Defense attorneys continued to attack Walkers credibility, charging that Walker had failed to notify the FBI that he had a key to his Sergeant’s car for months after his arrest — asserting that Walker had not been immediately forthcoming with investigators.
Walker acknowledged he had taken the key to Sgt. Joe McCloskey’s car because he knew his boss stored evidence there. McCloskey is not a defendant and Walker has said he never saw McCloskey steal.
Walker and one of the defendants, fellow officer Linwood Norman had a plan to copy the key. Walker would also go to his unit’s headquarters on his days off to see if the coast was clear for the heist, Walker testified.
Over his three days on the stand, Walker discussed a rift that grew in the squad that left him isolated. Walker said he was teased over his “messy” divorce, which led to heavy drinking. He fell asleep on surveillance details and was drunk on duty. Other officers wouldn’t work with him except for Norman, the only other black cop on the squad. When Norman transferred out, Walker worked alone, against department policy.
Walker eventually to transferred to other units. He said he specifically asked to transfer to one unit because he heard “there was stealing going on there.”
