Robert Leon Davis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Leon Davis (born c. 1955) is a former American police officer. Charged with police misconduct in 1979, he fled while free on bail and remained a fugitive for 22 years before turning himself in. He has written two books: Cop Out, a memoir about his time as a fugitive, and Legal Minds, a book on detecting rogue police officers coauthored with a licensed counselor educator.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
One of nine children, Davis grew up in the New Orleans neighborhood of Hollygrove. He engaged in crime as a teen, but was encouraged by neighbors to become a recruit for the New Orleans Police Department police academy.[1]
Davis joined the police force in 1977, but succumbed to the then-widespread culture of corruption. After being charged with sexual battery and malfeasance in office, he found the possibility of a 30-year sentence in Angola Prison untenable and fled while free on bail. He spent the next 22 years as a fugitive, living in the woods and occasionally in cities throughout North America.[2]
Following a religious experience while in the woods of Tennessee, Davis surrendered to authorities in 2001. He was not sentenced to prison time; the judge felt his years of self-imposed exile were sufficient.[2] Davis decided to devote himself to consulting with criminologists and speaks publicly about avoiding crime and corruption.
[edit] Published works
- Cop Out, foreword by Father George Clements (iUniverse, 2007)
- Legal Minds: Detecting Rogue Police Officers and Other Important Law Enforcement Issues (iUniverse, 2008)
