Accused Camden officer to get public defender

A suspended Camden police officer accused of stealing drugs and making false arrests has asked for a public defender.

Antonio Figueroa, 34, appeared on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden, where he made his application for a new attorney during a status hearing. Figueroa will be assigned an attorney by the court, possibly Ed Jacobs, known for his defense of clients charged with organized crime, authorities said.

Figueroa is one of five Camden officers accused of running a rogue squad that focused on drug arrests. Three of those charged have pleaded guilty. At Thursday's hearing, codefendant Robert Bayard, 32, also appeared. His attorney, Robert N. Agre, told the judge he had reviewed thousands of pages of investigative records, and prosecutors are still preparing numerous other documents for trial. - Barbara Boyer