Former police officers in trouble with the law

By Ryan Dean

KSDK -- A federal grand jury indicted two St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officers accused of taking stolen electronics from a person who was cooperating with federal law enforcement.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Reap, Ronald Jackson, 57, and Christian Brezill, 25, were each indicted on one felony count of theft of United States property. They turned themselves into investigators Friday morning and made their initial court appearance. They were released on bond.

According to the records, on July 27, the men were on duty when they got a tip phone call that a woman had numerous stolen electronics from Best Buy in a car parked outside of a gas station on West Florissant Avenue in North Saint Louis.

The officers arrested the woman for outstanding traffic warrants and took her to the police station. The men never reported the stolen merchandise. Instead, they divided the electronics between the two of them and the person who tipped them off. The woman was not arrested nor charged for the possession of the electronics equipment. According to the indictment, Jackson and Brezill failed to report the seizure of the electronics equipment from the woman's vehicle.

Reap said Jackson and Brezill ended up splitting up the equipment and then Jackson split some of the items with the tipster who had told him about the woman. The officers did not know the woman was cooperating with federal law enforcement and that the electronics equipment seized from her and stolen by the defendants was the property of the United States of America, according to Reap.

They even sold some of the items to other people.

"We've had a really challenging year this year in terms of police officers accused of misconduct," said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce.

Several officers have been in trouble with the law this year.

"There are activists who have been working on this issue for quite a long time," said John Chasnoff with the ACLU.

Chasnoff is one of those activists. He is a member of a coalition against police crimes and repression. He does applaud the efforts of Chief Dan Isom.

"I think Chief Isom is dedicated to making a change in the department and I'm glad to see it happening," Chasnoff said.

The police department released a statement saying Chief Isom is committed to rooting out those who violate the laws they are sworn to uphold.

Christian Brezill has been fired from the department. Ronald Jackson retired.

If Jackson and Brezill are convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 10 years and/or fines up to $250,000.

NewsChannel 5 tried to contact the lawyers for both men. One said, "No comment." We have not heard back from the other attorney.

The charges come on the same day another former officer was sentenced to prison for conspiracy and other crimes.

The St. Louis Police Department issued a statement on the indictments:

"Christian Brezill was terminated from the Metropolitan Police Department on September 30, 2009. He graduated from the St. Louis Police Academy in December of 2007 and had been assigned to the Sixth District. Ronald Jackson retired under charges from the Metropolitan Police Department on October 1, 2009. He graduated from the St. Louis Police Academy in April of 1977 and spent 15 years in the Fourth District, two years in Homicide and 15 years in the Sixth District.

The Department will have no further comment regarding this case, so as not to negatively jeopardize the prosecution of the case in any way."