The Criminal in a Cop's Clothing

In the 1970s and 80s, Los Angeles Traffic Cop William “Bill” Leasure could have been the poster boy for the police department: Well-liked by his colleagues, married to a respected senior prosecutor, and always preferred to give citizens warnings instead of tickets. Throughout his 16-year career as a police officer, the image he projected was nice and normal.

Except William Leasure was neither nice nor normal.

How to Hide as a Criminal? Be a Cop

Leasure’s kindly traffic cop persona appeared to have been a facade to obscure the fact that he was a dangerous criminal.

Authorities first became aware of the corruption in 1986 when an Oakland boating enthusiast approached the police about his recent purchase: a 41-foot power cruiser. While the man initially thought he was getting a good deal, he became suspicious and wanted to ensure the yacht wasn’t stolen.

To his dismay, it was indeed stolen.

With the boating enthusiast’s help, police set up a sting operation, catching Leasure and his accomplices selling stolen yachts. This was just the latest in a three-year yacht theft ring. Investigators linked Leasure and his accomplices to the theft of at least 11 different yachts across the California coast, collectively worth $1.5 million – over $4 million today.

With his arrest, the house of cards surrounding Leasure’s nice-cop persona began to crumble rapidly. Police also discovered three stolen cars on his property and stolen merchandise from the yachts.

However, as police probed further into Leasure’s underground activities, they discovered he was involved in much darker crimes.

Murderer-for-Hire

Investigators began to link Leasure to several murders, revealing another side of his criminal double-life as a contract killer.

Authorities alleged Leasure was paid for the murder of three different people. However, they only had enough evidence to charge him with two. While Leasure didn’t personally commit the murders, he certainly orchestrated them, drove his chosen triggerman to the murder scenes, and served as the getaway driver.

Initially, Leasure fought the charges in court, resulting in a hung jury in his first trial. However, Leasure could see the writing on the wall as the second trial loomed. In 1991, he pleaded no contest to the murder charges and was sentenced 15 years to life; pleading no contest allowed him to escape the death penalty.

So, what caused William Leasure, an ordinary traffic cop, to become William Leasure murderer and thief? Boredom. By his own admission, he was just tired of writing traffic tickets and wanted some excitement.

References:Police: Oakland man helped snare yacht thieves | L.A. Police Officer Facing 4 New Counts in Investigation of Alleged Yacht Theft Ring | L.A. Officer Accused of Plotting Murders | Ex-LAPD Officer Pleads No Contest in Murder Case | William Ernest LEASURE