Cullman County grand jury calls for the Hanceville Police Department to be abolished

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A grand jury in Cullman County said Hanceville’s entire police department should be disbanded after allegations of corruption. This follows the arrest of several officers and the death of a 911 dispatcher. 

The indictment from the grand jury alleges that five officers including the police chief of the Hanceville Police Department tampered with physical evidence, sold and distributed illegal drugs and used an official position for personal gain. 

“There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department, which has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency,” the grand jury wrote. 

One of the officer’s spouses was also arrested on similar charges. 

The grand jury added that the Hanceville Police is an active threat to public safety. It said the death of the dispatcher, who died in August 2024 of an accidental drug overdose, is a direct result of the department’s negligence and disregard for human life.

“This is a sad day for law enforcement,” Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said. “But at the same time, it is a good day for the rule of law.” 

The grand jury called for another local or state agency to take over law enforcement for Hanceville. It added that the officers in custody should be suspended from law enforcement under Alabama Peace Officer standards. 

The grand jury’s findings follow an investigation by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, the Alabama Ethics Commission and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office. 

As a result of that investigation, the grand jury found that officers failed to keep and maintain evidence which then became unusable and, as a result, failed crime victims and the public. Videos produced by the investigation showed that the evidence room housed in the Hanceville Police Department was not secure. In one such video, an unidentified employee is seen propping open the door to the evidence room through a hole in the wall with a broomstick.  

“With these indictments, these officers find themselves on the opposite ends of the laws they were sworn to uphold,” Crocker said. “Wearing a badge is a privilege and an honor and most law enforcement officers take that seriously. A badge is not a license to corrupt the administration of justice.”

That alleged facility negligence was found elsewhere in the department as well. 

“We, the grand jury, have zero confidence in the Hanceville Police Department’s ability to maintain the jail or meet basic health and safety needs of jail personnel and inmates,” the grand jury wrote. 

Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer said in a statement that the city council will act quickly to address the problems in the police department. 

“The Hanceville Police Department has fallen short in its mission to serve the people,” Sawyer wrote.