The scandal emerged in late 1995 and received nationwide attention by 1997, eventually resulting in an investigation by Human Rights Watch.
Many high-ranking command officers saw this as a political move on the part of Commissioner Williams, who then actively campaigned for the position of Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Baird, facing a long prison sentence if convicted, agreed to cooperate but was eventually charged and pled guilty to obstruction of justice for lying to a federal agent in a failed attempt to steer the investigation away from specific police officers who the Feds had targeted for indictment.
The following members of the Philadelphia Police Detective's Special Narcotics Unit, also known as The Five Squad, were convicted: Raymond Carter achieved notoriety for being the subject of a murder case that arose in the aftermath of the corruption scandal, resulting in his release from prison on December 30, 1996.
[3] Key figures in his conviction (and release) were PPD officer Thomas Ryan and Pamela Jenkins, who also played roles in the more famous trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
His conviction was secured largely on the testimony of Pamela Jenkins, who testified that she saw Carter pick up a gun and fire at Harris from a distance of about three feet.