Cop: I'm no thief

JENSEN LA VENDE

The Professional Standards Bureau has been ordered to investigate videos circulating on social media supposedly implicating a police officer in wrongdoing.

Three videos began circulating Friday evening, two of them supposedly putting a police corporal in a negative light while the third video shows the officer defending his actions. In one of the videos, the officer is recorded leaving a house with garbage bags. Another video shows him placing cash he found in a business in a garbage bag. A caption accompanying the videos said the officer left his policing district to illegally enter a business outside his district and took the money. The caption added that he went to the business with a warrant for tools which were not found and when he saw the money he took it. Many on social media accused the officer of acting inappropriately.

The officer in response recorded a video cuddling a puppy and explained that the money was lodged at a police station in Central. He added the matter that caused him to visit the business is now a police case and he did not want to disclose much about it. He added that there were officers from the district on the scene and, as the senior officer, he decided to take the money rather than leave it at the business which he said was "breached". He rubbished claims that he was a thief and said his "integrity in tact".

Sunday Newsday was told the matter is now the subject of the internal policing unit. The officer, Sunday Newsday was told, acted out of his professional capacity in issuing the clarification video and that video along with the other two will form part of the investigation.