Baltimore Police officer faked traffic stops to avoid calls, prosecutors say

A Baltimore Police officer falsely claimed that he was making traffic stops so he would not have to respond to calls for service, prosecutors allege.

Officer Dequwan Houchins, who’s been in the department for more than five years, was indicted Friday in Baltimore Circuit Court on charges of making a false entry into public records and misconduct in office. As part of the investigation, undercover detectives watched him idling in his patrol vehicle and ordering a smoothie, court papers say.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Police Commissioner Richard Worley and Mayor Brandon Scott are set to hold a news conference about the indictment at 11 a.m. Monday.

The Baltimore Police Department received a complaint on Dec. 2, 2025, that Houchins had been making false reports about traffic stops in the dispatch system for at least four months, according to the indictment.

The complaint asserted that Houchins made the entries so he would not have to respond to calls. The department’s internal affairs unit, the indictment states, discovered that he had not submitted any body camera video for traffic stops during that period.

Police conducted an undercover operation and watched Houchins on four occasions between April 8 and May 13. During that time, he made nine legitimate traffic stops. But the indictment claims that he logged eight other traffic stops that were illegitimate.

Houchins, 31, is set to make his initial appearance on Sept. 10.

This story will be updated.