Former DeKalb officer indicted for tipping off drug dealers

A former DeKalb County police officer and reserve officer with the Clarkston Police Department has been indicted on a federal charge of unlawfully accessing government databases and tipping off drug dealers to a pending federal search warrant.

While Gabriel Hoskins III, 39, of Atlanta, worked as a courtesy officer at an Atlanta apartment complex, he befriended “certain individuals” involved in trafficking marijuana, according to federal authorities. Twice, at the request of the traffickers, Hoskins requested names and/or license plates be run through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, according to authorities.

He also let the dealers know that federal investigators were about to execute a search warrant, authorities said.

“It is always disappointing when we uncover evidence of law enforcement collaborating with criminals,” United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a news release. “The actions alleged in this case undercut police morale, damage law enforcement’s reputation in the communities in which they work, and endanger the many officers who daily uphold their oath to protect and serve.”

If convicted, Hoskins faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.