DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit police officer was arrested last month inside the city’s 6th Precinct, accused by the department of stealing about $600 from a suspect.
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The strongest evidence against the officer, the department says: his own body camera.
“Our (internal affairs) lieutenant took a look at the video and immediately recognized that we had a criminal act here,” Cmdr. Michael McGinnis said.
The officer has been suspended with pay, but has not been charged as of Tuesday. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing a warrant, according to the Detroit Police Department.
The four-year veteran of the department was arrested after reporting for work in June over what he is alleged to have done during a traffic stop back on March 7.
According to officials, while near the intersection of Joy and Evergreen Road, a team of three officers observed what they believed to be a narcotics handoff. Two of the suspects involved drove off, police say, and when officers stopped their vehicle, they found drugs inside.
The driver and passenger of the vehicle were both arrested, later housed at the Detroit Detention Center.
After their release, however, the female passenger reported that there was money missing from her purse — about $600 — and filed a citizen’s complaint with the Office of the Chief Investigator.
When investigators pulled up the officer’s body camera, they say the theft was obvious.
“You can see on camera an envelope of money contained in that purse. One minute you see it, next second it’s gone,” McGinnis said.
He said the cash was not listed in any department inventory, mentioned in the police report or placed into evidence.
“It was stolen,” he said.
McGinnis said there is no evidence that the other two officers involved in the stop were aware of or involved in the alleged theft.
In his role overseeing the department, Commissioner Ricardo Moore says he has too often watched officers shut off body cameras during stops or arrests, or never turn them on in the first place.
That an officer’s alleged theft was caught by his own camera is — in a way, Moore says — progress.
“I’m just happy that the body-warn camera situation worked,” Moore said. “I’ve been lobbying because a lot of officers turn off the body-warn cameras.”
The department says it is now conducting a wider review of the officer’s body camera, searching for similar alleged conduct. At the same time, they’re urging the public to come forward if they believe they’ve been a victim of theft.
While the officer is currently suspended with pay, the department says it will plan to seek a suspension without pay at an upcoming Board of Police Commissioners meeting later this month.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t worried,” McGinnis said.
“What worries me is that this is an officer wearing a police uniform stealing from the citizens. I see it as just him doing it, but the rest of the world sees it as Detroit police stealing. And that’s just not the case.”
The Detroit Police Officers Association did not respond to a request seeking comment.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
