Two Baltimore police officers pleaded guilty yesterday to improperly taking tickets to a baseball playoff game at Camden Yards, and their lawyers charged that fellow officers routinely use corrupt methods to get into the ballpark.
"There is a craziness surrounding Oriole tickets, and this craziness affects many folks, including law enforcement officers," said defense lawyer Leslie Stein. He called such corruption "standard operating procedure" for police.
A city police spokesman said no officers are under investigation in ticket improprieties.
The officers, David Brendel and Gerald Tarud, resigned from the force yesterday -- signing their dismissal papers in front of Circuit Judge Mabel H. Hubbard and ending careers of five and six years, respectively.
They admitted flashing their badges to force scalpers to hand over 22 tickets to the Orioles-Yankees game Oct. 11 hours before the police detail that cracks down on ticket scalping was scheduled to go to work.
Assistant State's Attorney Elizabeth A. Ritter described in detail the officers' day, which was supposed to be spent getting guns and drugs off city streets, but instead was spent rousting scalpers for the officers' personal gain.
Tarud, 30, and Brendel, 26, who were assigned to the Violent Crimes Task Force, pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in office in an agreement that dropped the most serious of the charges against them, theft and robbery.
Ritter asked for a suspended sentence and told the judge that when police officers "go out and commit crimes against the public, it brings into disrepute the entire Police Department. Every officer is looked at as if they are a criminal. That is something that cannot be repaired."
But Hubbard, after a stern lecture in which she called both men "arrogant," sentenced them to probation before judgment, which means their records could be expunged in three years.
Stein said other officers -- several of whom were named in court yesterday -- knew about the ticket thefts or benefited from them, yet cooperated with investigators and were not charged. He cited Officer George J. Kunkoski, a 23-year veteran who Ritter said in court had happened upon Tarud as he was taking tickets from three scalpers outside the ballpark -- and got two $30 tickets for himself.
"They didn't even know each other," Stein said. "He felt comfortable enough asking Tarud for the tickets because it was standard operating procedure. It doesn't excuse what was done, but it is an explanation."
Kunkoski could not be reached yesterday for comment.
Brendel's lawyer, John Denholm, said police use of tickets seized from scalpers "is prevalent." He said his client "knows he let everyone down by having bad judgment on this one day."
Police spokesman Agent Robert W. Weinhold Jr. said no officers are under investigation stemming from ticket corruption at Camden Yards. The officers mentioned in court yesterday were not suspended or investigated, he said.
"If Mr. Stein or anyone else has knowledge of impropriety involving police officers, the department would fully expect them to come forward, perform their civic duty and report the allegations to this agency," the spokesman said.
The lawyers pleaded with Hubbard for leniency, calling their clients -- who now work in construction -- exemplary officers who have been "punished enough" for their mistake.
But Hubbard rejected any notion that the officers simply blundered: "You did it because you could do it. You did what you meant to do, you just didn't expect to get caught. You turned out to be your own worst enemy."
Ritter said Tarud had planned to take his wife and neighbor to the game; Brendel was to take two other officers. Neither man used any of the tickets. They apparently learned they were being investigated before the game's first pitch.
Outside the courtroom, Stein elaborated on his remarks to the judge about corruption and said a common scheme is for officers to show their badges at the gate and get into the ballpark using photocopies of confiscated tickets.
"It's unbelievable what goes on down there," he said.
Pub Date: 5/15/97
