A recent journey on the Information Superhighway has caused this author to ask "Who's minding the store"? Until recently the public has occasionally read newspaper articles about controversial incidents where law enforcement officers mishandled or misplaced property and evidence. It was the perception of this author that these problems were few and far between. In most of the incidents, the story made headlines, the local agency investigated the allegations and the issue was resolved. In some cases the leadership of the organization was criticized and the integrity and credibility of the profession were questioned, but most residents ultimately accepted the results of the inquiry and considered the incident an isolated one.

By traveling through the Information Superhighway at lightening speed a search of approximately twenty daily newspapers from coast to coast was made recently to determine if missing property and evidence was just a blip on the screen or a fundamental law enforcement problem. I have been teaching and managing property room issues since 1985 and have always felt that thefts were the exception and that most law enforcement agencies had implemented reliable controls in their property rooms. Surprisingly however, we as law enforcement managers are facing a number of credibility and integrity problems within many of our communities throughout the country. This is not to say that all agencies are having problems within their property rooms, but this limited research found a great deal of data indicating management must focus more attention on managing the property function and insuring that necessary controls, audits and inventories are in place.

This research was limited to those newspapers that had entered their past issues into the Internet, thereby making the data accessible to the computer user. However, even with the very limited number of articles reviewed, the results were disheartening and should be considered a small sampling of what might really be occurring nationwide.

Imagine being a taxpayer and being asked to approve a bond issue for some type of finance support for the local police or sheriffs department and seeing one of the following articles in your local paper.

1. "A subsequent police department audit of the warehouse used to store confiscated weapons and drugs estimated that close to 3,000 seized guns were unaccounted for. The vault in which the guns were kept had been used by police employees as a kitchen."

2. "Two former chiefs and three officers were indicted Wednesday on charges ranging from misconduct to embezzlement at the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Indictments issued by the Horry County Grand Jury involve missing money, guns and possession of drugs."

3. "Federal investigators plan to expand their search this week to discover what happened to 345 pounds of cocaine from a Texas police department's evidence room."

4. "An East Palo Alto police officer has been suspended after fellow officers searched his Richmond home as part of an investigation into thousands of dollars in cash that is missing from the department's evidence room."

5. "Because of the theft of the heroin - 99 pounds, worth about $115 million on the street - the smuggling trial of Mohamed Salim Malik will be postponed."

6. "Heroin worth $6,000 is missing from an evidence room of the Springfield Police Department."

7. "The Essex District Attorney's office is investigating the possible theft of cocaine and heroin that had been stored as evidence."

8. "Authorities are investigating the disappearance of at least 100 grams of cocaine that had been seized as evidence by Billerica Police in 1988 drug raid, sources and documents say."

9. "A city police officer has been suspended and a records clerk has been reassigned following a probe into missing money in the police department."

10. "A police sergeant and evidence custodian have been suspended without pay after an investigation, but police say they still don't know what happened to a kilogram of cocaine missing from an evidence locker."

11. "The Dade County Attorney's office is investigating the disappearance of 1,800 Quaaludes from the North Bay Village Police Department."

12. "Investigations were ordered after an audit of the Sheriffs Office evidence and property room was unable to locate $54,000."

13. ''The Dade County District Attorney's office is investigating the disappearance of dozens of handguns from the property room of the North Miami Beach Police Department."

14. "Inventory checks done during the last two months indicate at least seven guns are missing from the evidence room."

15. "An FBI agent assigned to a squad that arrested drug dealers was charged Friday with stealing about 100 pounds of heroin from his bureau's evidence room and trying to sell it."

16. "Sheriffs Department investigator is demanding his Nov. 3 election opponent - his boss - account for cash, drugs and jewelry he says, are missing from evidence lockers."

17. "A Davie police lieutenant who left a central Florida force amid allegations that he improperly removed evidence was charged with stealing a machine gun and silencer from the Davie Police Department."

This informal survey determined that out of 86 stories located, 49 stories identified an employee that was disciplined, or against whom criminal charges were filed. Of the 49 identified parties, 40 were sworn officers. Of the 49 cases where a suspect was identified, 36 indictments had been handed down. Of the 86 reported incidents, 43 were from police departments, while 21 were from sheriffs departments. The balance of incidents were from courts, district attorney's offices, crime labs, or state or federal agencies.

The breakdown of items taken in the 86 cases involved the following types of evidence: 31 currency, 33 drugs, 10 guns and 12 other. The incidents were located throughout the country with 34 cases in the south, 24 cases from the west, 15 from the northeast and 13 from the mid-west.

This article is not a reflection on the hard working, dedicated, professional employees that staff police agencies across the country, but it is hoped that those agencies that downplay the importance for the property room realize that the mismanagement or non-management of the property function will allow weak or corrupt employees to take actions that wi II destroy careers, embarrass police officials, demoralize staff, and in some cases end up with tenured employees spending years behind bars. It is incumbent that we as law enforcement administrators re-evaluate our view of the importance of the property function. We must insure that the proper resources be provided for our employees. In addition, written guidelines have to be in place to insure the priority of routine audits and inventories, regular security reviews, through applicant backgrounds and high personnel selection standards.

1. Carlson Tucker, 'D. C. Blue" Police Review. Winter 1993, p.26. 

2. Bob Dudelka, "Myrtle Beach Force Hit with Indictments, 3 Police Officers, 2 Ex-chiefs Charged," The State, June 3,1993.p.3B.

3. "FBI Expands Search for Missing Cocaine" Akron Beacon Journal, October 31,1995, p. A5.

4. David Banks, "East Palo Alto Cop Suspended After Colleagues Search Home," San Jose Mercury News, April 18,1992, p. lB.

5. Joseph R. Daughen, "Theft of Evidence Delays Drug Smuggling Trial," Philadelphia Daily News. August 12, 1994,p.11

6. "Newspaper Reports Heroin Missing at Police Evidence Room," Boston Globe, June 5,1983, p. N1

7.  Theft of Evidence Probed in Salem," Boston Globe, November8, 1991, p. 31.

8. John H. Kennedy, "Evidence From Billerica Drug Raid Slips Away" Boston Globe, May 3,1990, p.27.

9. "2 Disciplined in Danbury Police Probe," Boston Globe, November26, 1993, P. 95.

10. "2 Suspended After Inquiry Into Missing Drugs," Miami Herald, April 13, 1988, p. lB.

11. Joel Achenbach, "State Attorney Probes Missing Drugs," Miami Herald, October 13, 1984.p.2B

12. "Audit of Sheriff's Property Room Ordered," Associated Press. April 18, 1992, p.48.

13. Buford Whitaker, "Disappearance of Police handguns Being Probed" Miami Herald, October 13, 1984, p.2B.

14. Gail Gibson, "Missing Guns and Political Feud," Philadelphia Inquirer, March 18, 1993, p.2B

15. Dawn Chung, "FBI Agent Charged With Stealing, . Selling Heroin ," St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 4, 1994, p.2A

16. "Sheriff Race Focuses on Missing Evidence," St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 24, 1992, p.4D

17. Steve Rothaus, "Davie Officer Charged in Machine Gun Theft," Miami Herald, November6, 1991, p.IBR.