Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2025 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
APR is conducting maintenance on the WHIL radio tower this week. Please be advised this could affect the broadcast.

Culture of corruption: Grand jury recommends abolishing Alabama police department

Pixabay

A grand jury recommended abolishing a small Alabama police department because of a “rampant culture of corruption" after charging five officers with a variety of crimes, officials announced Wednesday.

Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker announced Wednesday that a grand jury had indicted Hanceville Police Chief Jason Marlin and four of his officers on a variety of charges that included accusations of mishandling or removing evidence from the department’s evidence room.

“This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time it is a good day for the rule of law,” Crocker said during a news conference.

The grand jury also issued a series of scathing findings about the department following an investigation that included looking at video of the department’s evidence room.

“There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department that has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency,” the grand jury reported. Hanceville is small city of 3,200 people about 45 miles (72 km) north of Birmingham.

Crocker said one of the most concerning things was that there was “unfettered access” to the department’s evidence room. He showed photos of a hole in the wall and a green broomstick that was used to “jimmy open” the door.

The grand jury found that the departmental negligence played a role in the 2024 death of a dispatcher who was found dead at work from a suspected drug overdose. Crocker did not elaborate on the finding, but he said that “nothing was secure about the evidence room” and the dispatcher had access to it on his final day of work.

Three of the officers were charged with drug-related crimes, but Crocker said that did not involve drugs held in the evidence room. One of the officers was charged with providing hydrocodone and steroids to other people, according to court records.

Court records did not show if Marlin has an attorney to speak on his behalf. A text message sent to a possible phone number listed for him was not immediately returned.

Hanceville Mayor Jimmy Sawyer issued a statement saying that the city council will consider the grand jury’s recommendations and will “act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within the Police Department.”

“It is unfortunate that the actions of a few have tarnished our city’s good name,‘’ Sawyer said.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.