The Mobile Police Department placed one of its own under arrest Monday, following an Internal Affairs Investigation.
Cpl. Damian Colvin surrendered to authorities on Aug. 28 and faces a total of three charges, including possession of a controlled substance, theft of property in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence, according to MPD Chief Lawrence Battiste.
Battiste said the department got word of an issue involving Colvin from a fellow officer. At a press conference Monday, Battiste said it was unfortunate MPD had to take an action against one of its officers.
“We will police our own,” Battiste said. “We will hold each other accountable. We owe it to the City of Mobile.”
Colvin, who has been on the force since 2004, worked with Battiste off and on for the past two and a half years. During that time, Battiste said Colvin, who resigned “almost immediately” after the allegations against him were brought to light, was a hard worker.
“I was never aware of any integrity issues,” Battiste added. “He always worked hard and did his very best.”
The possession charge involves opioids, though Battiste told reporters it was too early in the investigation to speculate further. Colvin was a patrol officer in the second precinct at the time of his resignation, though he previously worked in the fourth precinct and as a member of the department’s robbery detail.
However, the allegations that led to Colvin’s arrest on Monday aren’t the first his fellow officers have made against him. In 2013, Colvin was one of four MPD officers at the first precinct implicated in a scandal related to falsely submitted crime reports. At the time, Colvin was suspended from duty for 120 hours for “conduct unbecoming” and “submitting false entries.”
