Veteran officer worked in the towing and recovery unit
An NOPD officer who worked in the department's towing and recovery unit has been indicted on a charge of public bribery.
It's alleged that John Ray accepted a total of $600 to steer business to a towing company and allow only its drivers to haul off heavy equipment in a designated city tow zone.
Ray is a 37-year veteran of the NOPD.
After he was indicted Thursday, he was arrested and placed on emergency suspension without pay.
The NOPD says its Public Integrity Bureau investigated after another officer relayed information to the department and the PIB turned over its findings to the District Attorney's Office which presented the case to a grand jury.
Superintendent Ronal Serpas said it's "another example of the changing culture of the NOPD, to know that a fellow officer learned of this alleged scam and went straight to his supervisor to report it."
