Alabama Police Department Corruption Scandal Leads to Dismissal of Over 60 Felony Cases

Police department building with brick exterior and signage.

Nearly 60 felony cases are being dismissed in a small Alabama town after investigators uncovered evidence tampering and corruption throughout the local police department, calling into question the very foundation of law enforcement in the community.

Key Takeaways

A grand jury investigation led to the dismissal of 58 felony cases in Hanceville, Alabama due to evidence mishandling and corruption in the police department.
Four officers and the police chief were indicted on charges related to evidence tampering, with nearly 40% of evidence bags and a third of firearms found undocumented.
The grand jury described a “rampant culture of corruption” and recommended the department be “immediately abolished.”
Mayor Jimmy Sawyer has already placed the entire police department on leave and announced plans to disband and rebuild it.
Most compromised cases were drug-related offenses rather than crimes with direct victims.

Small Town Police Department Faces Major Scandal

The small town of Hanceville, Alabama, located about 45 miles north of Birmingham with just 3,200 residents, is grappling with a law enforcement crisis of unprecedented proportions. A grand jury investigation has resulted in the dismissal of 58 felony cases after finding widespread corruption involving mishandling and removal of evidence within the Hanceville Police Department. The scandal has rocked the local criminal justice system and led to indictments against four officers and the police chief, all facing charges related to evidence tampering and mishandling.

The severe nature of the corruption led the grand jury to take the extraordinary step of recommending the complete dissolution of the police department. According to court documents, the grand jury described what they found as a “rampant culture of corruption” that warranted immediate action. The investigation revealed shocking failures in evidence handling, with nearly 40% of evidence bags and approximately one-third of firearms completely undocumented, while other evidence was missing entirely.

The Cullman County District Attorney says a grand jury has determined that 58 cases investigated by the Hanceville Police Department cannot be prosecuted.https://t.co/xCJr3IPZCU

— WDHN (@WDHN) May 8, 2025

Evidence Audit Reveals Systemic Problems

The case dismissals came after an extensive audit conducted by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations uncovered numerous irregularities in how evidence was being collected, stored, and documented. Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker announced that the findings made it impossible to proceed with prosecution in dozens of cases. The evidence problems were so pervasive that maintaining these cases would have compromised the integrity of the justice system.

According to Crocker, the majority of the compromised cases involved drug-related offenses rather than personal crimes with identifiable victims. While this may limit direct harm to victims seeking justice, it raises serious questions about selective enforcement and potential abuses of power. The discovery that such a significant percentage of evidence was improperly handled suggests problems that likely extended beyond just procedural errors and pointed toward deliberate misconduct.

Town Leaders Take Decisive Action

Hanceville Mayor Jimmy Sawyer had already placed the entire police department on administrative leave back when initial concerns emerged. Following the grand jury’s recommendation that the department be “immediately abolished,” Sawyer announced plans to completely disband the existing force and rebuild it from the ground up. This represents a rare and extreme measure that acknowledges the depth of the problems revealed by investigators.

The Hanceville municipal government has not issued immediate comments regarding the grand jury’s findings or the mass dismissal of cases. The scandal represents a significant challenge for the small community, raising questions about how policing will be handled in the interim and what measures will be put in place to prevent similar corruption in the future. While the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office has likely been assisting with law enforcement duties, the path toward rebuilding public trust appears long and difficult.