He agreed to be a government snitch against his fellow cops.
Then he decided to snitch on the government.
But when angry prosecutors found out he was double-crossing them, 39th District Police Officer John Baird did what any respectable snitch would:
He went back to snitching on his buddies.
In the cover-your-butt world of a mushrooming police scandal, Baird, according to a federal grand jury indictment, was one confused cop.
The indictment, released Tuesday, names five former 39th District officers, including Baird, in a crime spree that allegedly involved stealing money from
drug dealers and using confiscated narcotics to make busts and violate the civil rights of other suspects.
Sources say more heads are likely to roll as other indicted officers, facing long jail terms, begin to cooperate.
The investigation - begun in 1991 after an innocent Cheltenham Township man complained about his treatment to authorities - dragged on for several years until last December, when Baird allegedly made the transformation from rogue cop to rogue rat.
According to the indictment, he wasn't that comfortable with the decision.
Less than a day after being asked to cooperate with the government, Baird met with his friend and accused partner in crime, Sgt. Thomas DeGovanni.
"It was agreed that defendant John Baird would agree to cooperate with the government in its ongoing criminal investigation but that he would mislead the government with respect to Thomas DeGovanni's corrupt and criminal activities," the indictment alleges.
It says the pair even agreed to "meet in advance" and rig taped conversations to fool the feds.
In return, DeGovanni "agreed to assist financially defendant John Baird's girlfriend and children while he was in prison," and agreed to pay off Baird after he was released.
From Dec. 9 to Jan. 28, while Baird provided information on the activities of other fellow officers, he also made two bogus tapes with DeGovanni, according to the indictment.
But DeGovanni began to get nervous. He met with Baird on Jan. 30 to discuss Baird's "continued willingness to protect" him.
On Feb. 8, DeGovanni suggested making a third bogus tape. On Feb. 9, there was a nervous phone call from DeGovanni to make sure they still had a deal.
It was too late.
Baird apparently had a change of heart about his double-dealing. According to the indictment, before his Jan. 30 meeting with DeGovanni he "exposed their deceptive scheme to obstruct the investigation" to federal agents.
He even taped his conversation with the unknowing sergeant to document the setup.
DeGovanni now faces a maximum of 60 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines if convicted of the robbery, theft and civil rights violations detailed in the indictment.
Baird faces a possible 70 years and $1.5 million in fines.
Sources said Baird's attempt to deceive the government after turning informant has not necessarily jeopardized his deal for a lighter sentence.
