by TChris

Police officers enjoy distinct advantages when they decide to commit crimes. One example: the ability to disguise a robbery as a law enforcement raid.

A former police officer serving 15 years in prison on drug trafficking and weapon charges has admitted that he and other officers were behind a robbery spree that netted hundreds of thousands of dollars between 1998 and 2001. Ruben Palomares, 34, and his colleagues collected drugs, cash, guns and other items in robberies that sometimes turned brutally violent, according to a plea agreement and other documents, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Dressed in their uniforms and driving police cars, the LAPD officers were able to steal "more than 700 pounds of marijuana, 50 kilos of cocaine, and an assortment of firearms and jewelry." Sometimes they handcuffed their victims or shot them with stun guns. The majority of Palomares' crimes were committed while he was being investigated for his role in the Rampart scandal.