Highway Patrols Blackmailed with Video

The police have begun to investigate police officers for taking bribes from drivers during routine traffic stops.

The Superintendent`s Office at Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on April 30 that a video recorded one of its patrols taking a bribe as well as a blackmail letter delivered to police lieutenant `A` on April 20, currently working at Changwon Seobu district police station, who previously worked as head of the 6th highway patrol at Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.

On the videotape, there is a recording of police officers talking to drivers stopped for speeding. They were also seen taking 5,000 to 10,000 won in bribes from drivers in a period between the end of 1997 and January 2000. The faces of all 11 police officers were clearly seen on the tapes.

The blackmailer, possibly in his 30s or 40s mentioned in the letter that all the police officers would be dishonored and in particular, the 6th highway patrol of Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency would be severely dishonored if the videotape was handed over to the press. He also said that he would give the tape to the police officers responsible if they paid him a bribe.

The blackmailer sent the letter on December 2002 to police lieutenant `A` with phone calls that he would expose the contents of the videotape to the public if they didn`t send the money. When there was no response from the patrols, he sent another letter along with the videotape.

This case was publicly exposed as police lieutenant `A` reported the incident to the ruling office. Currently, the Superintendent`s Office is investigating the case.

And in a separate incident, the criminal investigation section is looking into an arrest warrant for the blackmailer. The letter was postmarked April 16 and the place of origin for both the parcel and letter was Gangnam, Seoul.

The investigators were told that the blackmailer sent the blackmail letters on four occasions to police corporal `B` at Dongbu police station in Masan from September to December of 2002.

“Send me 10 million won from each of the involved patrols,” the letter stated. “I will then give the videotape to you. If you don`t answer this letter, I will report it to the Korea Independent Commission against Corruption and put it on the Internet.”

Police corporal `B` tried to identify the suspect through fingerprints on the letter but to no avail. Police corporal `B` neither answered the threat letter nor reported it to the ruling office. As the investigation by the Superintendent`s Office began however, he reported that he had in fact been sent the letter.

“It is true that we received 5,000 to 10,000 won during the traffic stops, but we didn`t hand any money over to the attempted blackmailer,” the guilty police officers stated during the investigation on April 30.

“Even if the police officers had received money in the process of a traffic stop, disciplinary action cannot be taken because the events have passed the three year disciplinary limit. However, it is being considered whether the police officers will be booked or not,” the police added.

“It seems that the blackmailer videotaped the scene of the money exchange, by installing a video camera in the passenger`s seat,” said the police. “We are trying to track the criminal`s identity and will check if the police officers did in fact give the money back to the bribing-driver.”

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency is currently under suspicion because they did not open the videotape that was sent; unlike that for the two blackmail letters.

manman@donga.com