Baltimore police false reports filed by a serving officer have resulted in criminal charges after investigators found he had been fabricating traffic stops to dodge live service calls. Dequwan Houchins, 30, a North East Precinct officer, was indicted on four counts of False Entry in a Public Record and five counts of Misconduct in Office, according to a press release from the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.
If convicted on all counts, Houchins faces a maximum of 12 years’ incarceration and a $4,000 fine on the false-entry counts alone. The five misconduct charges carry no statutory maximum penalty.
A Random Audit Exposed the Baltimore Police False Reports Pattern
The scheme came to light on or about 2 December 2025, when a random audit of the Baltimore Police Department’s electronic reporting system (CAD) revealed Houchins had been logging false traffic stops for at least four months. An anonymous complaint also helped bring the conduct to investigators’ attention, Commissioner Richard Worley later confirmed.
What made detection initially difficult was Houchins’ method: rather than using the radio, he logged stops directly into the CAD system, a practice that kept the false entries off the radio log. Ultimately, however, that same digital trail helped investigators build the case against him, Police1 reported.
Undercover Surveillance Across Four Shifts
Detectives conducted undercover surveillance on four dates: 8 April, 15 April, 21 April, and 13 May 2026, each lasting approximately two hours. On 8 April, investigators observed Houchins make two legitimate stops and record two illegitimate ones. On 15 April, he made two legitimate stops and logged one illegitimate stop.
Across all four shifts, Houchins made nine legitimate traffic stops while recording eight illegitimate ones, according to The Guardian, citing the indictment. During periods when he claimed to be conducting stops, investigators found him sitting in his patrol car or, in one instance, ordering a smoothie.
The indictment was announced on 10 August 2026 at a press conference convened by State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates, joined by Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Commissioner Worley, and prosecutors from the Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit, CBS Baltimore reported. Houchins’ police powers have since been suspended; he remains on the force in an administrative capacity and continues to receive pay.
Commissioner Worley was direct in his assessment. ‘Just a lazy cop who didn’t want to do anything and wanted to collect a paycheck,’ he said of Houchins. Worley added that the conduct was especially troubling because a fellow officer could have needed assistance while Houchins was actively avoiding calls.
WBAL-TV confirmed Houchins was assigned to the North East Precinct at the time of the alleged conduct.
Broader Pattern of Misconduct Charges Within the BPD
The Houchins indictment is not an isolated event within the Baltimore Police Department. CBS Baltimore has reported that several other officers were also charged in 2026. Officer Mordechai Mandelbaum faces counts of false report, false statement, and two counts of misconduct in office. Officer Menachem Rosenbloom faces second-degree assault, false report, false statement, and four counts of misconduct in office. Three further officers were indicted in March 2026 on charges including theft, forgery, and misconduct in office.
The Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit, which brought the Houchins prosecution, sits within the State’s Attorney’s office and handles cases involving abuse of official position. Its involvement across multiple 2026 indictments points to sustained prosecutorial focus on conduct within the department.
Subject to any onward proceedings, Houchins is next expected to appear before the court. A conviction on the false-entry counts alone could see him sentenced to up to three years per count, making the aggregate exposure on those four charges a maximum of 12 years.
