Phoenix police detective suspected of stealing drugs

A Phoenix police detective is suspected of having stolen as many as 2,400 narcotic pills, a police spokesman said Monday.

The detective, whose name was not released, was detained by investigators Monday and questioned, said Sgt. Trent Crump.

"He then submitted his resignation to his superior," Crump said. "He was released as we continue the investigation. We know who he is, where he lives and we don't think he's going anywhere."

Crump said that the department's Professional Standards Bureau does regular audits of drugs that are kept as evidence and that a recent audit of drugs destined for destruction revealed "that some of them had been swapped out.

Most of the pills swapped were Oxycodone, he said, though other drugs were missing.

Crump said that since the detective had access to the department's case management system, it was easy for him to see what drugs might be available. And since he had the authority to check the drugs out of the evidence room, Crump said, it was easy for him to take them, swap an over the counter drug into the bottles and then return the containers.

Crump said the department is working with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to build a case against the detective.

He said the suspect could face charges of felony theft and drug possession.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2011/03/07/20110307phoenix-police-detective-suspected-stealing-drugs.html

Phoenix police officers indicted on fraud, theft charges. All four were ordered to submit DNA in the death investigation of officer Sean Drenth

Dirty Phoenix cops: Sgt. Benjamin Sywarungsymun (from top left, clockwise), George Contreras, Officer Steven Peck and Officer Aaron Lentz

Three current and one former member of the Phoenix Police Department indicted on felony theft charges pleaded not guilty Wednesday to taking money for off-duty security work that allegedly was never performed.

The charges against former Officer George Contreras and current Officers Benjamin Swarungsymun, Steven Peck and Aaron Lentz cap a three-year state investigation into the officers' involvement in an off duty security job.

Meanwhile, KTAR Radio reports all four men were ordered by the court to submit DNA samples in the death investigation of Phoenix police Officer Sean Drenth. Contreras' attorney Cary Lackey says there's no connection between the security case and Drenth's death.

Police Chief Jack Harris says Drenth's alleged misconduct involving off-duty work would have been taken to the grand jury for consideration of charges.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/12/01/20101201phoenix-officers-theft-case-pleas.html

Broke-ass Maricopa County Sheriff's Sergeant Arrested for Theft

PHOENIX - A Maricopa County Sheriff's detention officer has been arrested after he's allegedly caught on surveillance video stealing over $7,000 from a jail safe.

Sgt. Jason Vance, 31, has been arrested for felony theft.

The investigation started after Lower Buckeye Jail supervisors noticed a large sum of money was missing from a safe during a routine cash count.

Detectives examined surveillance video from inside the jail, which showed Vance taking the money from the safe while on-duty. They interviewed him and Vance openly confessed to the crime, MCSO says.

They say that Vance knew he was in the view of the cameras and tried to conceal what he was doing.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio says, "It is a very sad situation to have to arrest one of my own officers but this is a clear act of a crime and he must be held accountable."

Apparently Vance hadn't been working a lot lately and was in bad financial shape. His car was repossessed from the Lower Buckeye Jail parking lot.

"He was on leave without pay for 6 weeks so evidently he needed money to get his car back, but you don't go steal money from a safe to get your car back," says Sheriff Joe.

The safe holds cash brought in by inmates or deposited by their families while they are in custody.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/crime/mcso-sergeant-arrested-for-theft-11-24-2010

Former Phoenix cop shook down drug dealers, now pleads guilty to theft charge

Phoenix police officer James Wren

A former Phoenix police officer accused of shakin' down drug dealers pled guilty to theft charges in a Maricopa County Superior Court this morning.

Former Officer James Wren pled guilty to solicitation to commit theft, which is a hell of a deal considering the crimes with which he'd initially been charged.

Initially, Wren was charged with theft, money laundering, armed robbery, kidnapping, and use of a wire or electronic communication in drug-related transactions. The penalties for those crimes can be pretty steep (just ask O.J. about kidnapping), so copping only to theft is a pretty sweet deal -- especially when you look at what Wren did.

Wren got busted when the Avondale Police Department contacted the Phoenix PD to say one of its officers, Wren, 23, based out of the Maryvale Precinct (not the South Mountain Precinct -- we were shocked, too), was using traffic stops to steal money from drug dealers.

Avondale police got a tip from an informant who claimed he had conducted two "operations" with Wren where the informant led the officer to the cars of drug dealers after a deal had been made.

Wren, according to the informant, would then pull over the car and steal money.

In one instance, according to court documents acquired by New Times, Wren pulled over a drug dealer, stole his money, and then threw his car keys into the desert before releasing him.

On June 10, about 10 p.m., Wren stopped somebody he thought was a drug dealer who had $40,000 in the car in the 6300 block of West McDowell Road.

The alleged drug dealer was actually an undercover Phoenix police officer.

According to police, over the course of the traffic stop, Wren became suspicious and let the driver go.

Wren then drove to the Estrella Mountain Precinct Station where he was arrested by Phoenix police.

The arrest came after Phoenix cops made video and audio recordings of Wren and the Avondale informant discussing the previous thefts and arranging the one that ultimately led to his arrest.

Wren is on tape asking the informant details about the target of the heist, including whether the subject driving the car would be armed. He has since resigned from the department.

Wren will be sentenced on January 28, by Judge Michael Kemp.