Former Memphis, Tennessee, Police Officer Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Civil Rights Violations

Former Memphis, Tennessee, Police Officer Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for
Civil Rights Violations

Carlton Moore Admitted to Stealing Money from Motorists

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judge S. Thomas Anderson
sentenced Carlton Moore, formerly an officer with the Memphis, Tenn., Police
Department, to 27 months in prison and one year of supervised release after
Moore pleaded guilty to stealing money from motorists while acting under color
of law, the Justice Department today announced.

When he entered his guilty plea in June 2009, Moore admitted that on March 1,
March 14, and on May 4, 2009, he surreptitiously stole cash from three
Hispanic drivers he pulled over while on duty as a Memphis police officer.
During these stops, Moore ordered the victims out of their vehicles, patted
them down and removed personal items from them during the search. He then
stole money from the victims before returning their personal items and
releasing them.

"We place in police officers a great deal of trust, and the Civil Rights
Division will aggressively prosecute those officers who violate the rights of
others, and the public trust, for personal gain," said Thomas E. Perez,
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

"Officer Moore dishonored his badge and his fellow officers when he chose to
steal from innocent people during traffic stops. Protecting the rights of
every person from abuse committed by public officials is of the highest
priority of this office," said Larry Laurenzi, U.S. Attorney for the Western
District of Tennessee.

"Our citizens have a right to ethical treatment from all law enforcement
officers and we, as civil servants, must never forget that we have sworn an
oath to serve and protect them," said My Harrison, Special Agent in Charge of
the FBI Memphis Field Office.

"We have a responsibility to our citizens, visitors and the outstanding
members of the Memphis Police Department. We will not tolerate those who
dishonor our badge by criminal activity. Mr. Moore admitted to robbing
Hispanic members of our community while on-duty, in uniform and in a marked
squad car," said Larry A. Godwin, Director of the Memphis Police Department.
"After initiating this investigation, we worked in conjunction with the FBI to
capture Moore as he committed the crime. We police our own and criminals
wearing our badge will be aggressively pursued just as any other criminal in
Memphis."

The Civil Rights Division is committed to the vigorous enforcement of every
federal criminal civil rights statute, such as those laws that prohibit the
willful use of excessive force or other acts of misconduct by law enforcement
officials.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Memphis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Parker from the U.S. Attorney's Office in
Memphis and Trial Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti from the Civil Rights Division
prosecuted the case.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-514-2007,
+1-202-514-1888 (TDD)