Missouri town hires criminal as a cop, 17 lawsuits ensue

By SN Wednesday June 25, 2008

Associated Press – June 24, 2008:

Bill Jakob arrived in this small town with an offer to help police curb the community’s methamphetamine problem. He had a badge and a gun and told officials he had previously worked as an anti-drug agent in Illinois. He even drove a fully equipped Ford Crown Victoria, which he said was for undercover work.

There was just one problem: Jakob was no cop. He was an unemployed truck driver with a criminal record and had recently filed for bankruptcy.

Now this village of 1,200 people southwest of St. Louis is confronting allegations that Jakob and other officers mistreated and robbed many of the people they arrested.

At least 17 people have sued, including an elderly woman who was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward because she didn’t cooperate with the police and a man who said Jakob held a gun to his head and threatened to shoot while the man’s child watched.

A suggestion to towns hiring police officers… you might want to steer clear of applicants who show up with their own guns, badges and fully equipped police cruisers. There’s just something freaking weird about that. Oh yeah, and a background check now and then probably wouldn’t hurt either.

8 Comments

MotaMan says:

6/25/2008 at 10:35 am

“He had credentials. He had a badge. He had a phone number to call for verification,” said Gerald Mayor Otis Schulte. “I don’t know what else we could have done.”

How about a background check? Asshole.
The Monster's Lawyer says:

6/25/2008 at 11:33 am

They should have been suspicious because of his name: “jakoff”.
eyeofthetiger says:

6/25/2008 at 11:52 am

It is not unusual for cops to purchase old patrol cars in rural areas, disco lights and all. The issue regarding to the validity of his credentials does not immediately have to do with his current licenses but that he drove a crown vic for undercover work. City law enforcement can have their identities concealed from common searches when assisting federal cases.
Rabble Rouser says:

6/25/2008 at 12:41 pm

Just ONE?!?!?! I find that hard to believe… NYC has to have hired thousands of criminals to be cops.
Susabelle says:

6/25/2008 at 1:24 pm

Hey, get your facts straight. He wasn’t “hired,” he just participated in some police activity. He indeed duped some officers who thought his credentials looked good, and they are paying for not doing a thorough background check. But just be clear, they paid him NO money, he was never on anyone’s payroll in Missouri.
Mister Mayonnaise says:

6/25/2008 at 8:19 pm

Every cop is a criminal.
Mr. Gawd Almighty says:

6/26/2008 at 12:06 pm

This is just too funny. Unless, of course, you were one of the people he arrested or robbed.
stinky faye says:

7/1/2008 at 6:34 am

According to today’s New York Times piece, the cop represented that he was a Federal drug officer. For months, even though he was not employed by the local cops, he was allowed to lead warrantless searches of homes, in which they often busted down doors and abused “suspects.” He claimed that he didn’t need any warrants since he was “the Feds”. If the local Mayor and Police Chief didn’t think that this claim itself was suspicious, they are criminally dumb.