BATON ROUGE — Police Chief T.J. Morse said Friday he had fired three police officers tied to the agency's now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. A fourth officer quit, he said.

Morse said in a statement posted to the department's Facebook page that an investigation showed the officers violated department policies, particularly regarding a body cam that Morse said was intentionally disposed of after an investigation.

"After careful examination of the facts, it is clear to me that these four Baton Rouge Police Department Officers acted outside their training and violated the policies. So effective today, I made the decision to terminate Lieutenant Troy Lawrence, Corporal Todd Thomas, and Corporal Douglas Chutz," Morse said.

"Officer Martele Jackson has resigned from employment with the Baton Rouge Police Department, in lieu of termination," he said.

Morse said that while the officers had a long career, "there are policy violations that cannot and will not be tolerated."

The chief said he anticipates the officers will lodge complaints with the Civil Service Board and in the 19th Judicial District Court. While there may be procedural or timeline concerts, Morse said, "I am very confident that these officers violated the policies they are accused of."

A spokesman for the Baton Rouge police union was not aware of the departures and said he couldn't comment immediately.

The four had been indicted in June and accused of abusing a person during a 2020 interrogation. A grand jury opted against charges for a fifth BRPD employee.

The investigation began in August 2023 when a whistleblower came forward and described events that took place on Sept. 28, 2020. The Street Crimes unit brought a suspect to the 1st District Precinct on Plank Road to be strip-searched in the bathroom, including a body cavity search. Documents said the suspect was stripped naked and beaten for not complying.

An officer said the suspect started screaming and more people entered the bathroom. One of the officers pulled out his Taser, and turned on his body camera. Lawrence is accused of having one of the other men steal the camera and fabricate a document saying it had been lost.

The indictment included these charges:

-Lawrence: four counts malfeasance in office, one count of criminal conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice
-Thomas: three counts malfeasance in office, one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice
-Chutz: two counts malfeasance in office, one count of obstruction of justice, one count of criminal conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice
-Jackson: one count malfeasance in office.

Jackson is due in court Oct. 1 and others are due in court the next day.

District Attorney Hillar Moore said Thomas could face 25 years in prison, Lawrence 22 and a half, Chutz 17 and a half, and Jackson could face 10 years if they are convicted on each charge and given the maximum sentence.

The Street Crimes unit was dismantled in August 2023 after reports about the "BRAVE Cave," which sits adjacent to the 1st District Precinct. It was formally known as the Street Crimes Processing Unit, but multiple people have come forward about abuse at the hands of officers in the makeshift interrogation warehouse.