Galveston police launched another investigation into missing evidence from the department’s property room, a city spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
The latest investigation started after an internal audit found drugs being held as evidence were missing.
Last year, when about $18,000 in cash and an undisclosed amount of cocaine, hydrocodone and ecstasy were missing from the department’s property room, Texas Rangers were called in to investigate. That led to theft by a public servant charges against a former police department clerk, Heidi Aline Domino.
Early this week, officers were conducting a routine audit of evidence and seized property slated for destruction, city spokeswoman Alicia Cahill said. They found discrepancies in what was supposed to be in the evidence room and what was actually there.
Some of the missing drugs are evidence for pending cases, Cahill said. The city did not release what kinds of drugs were missing.
All of the missing evidence involves narcotics seized by officers in the past 12 months.
“As much as we regret the situation in which we find ourselves, we’re grateful to those (officers) that immediately identified and reported this issue,” Galveston Police Chief Charles Wiley said in a statement released by Cahill. “We’re committed to a complete and thorough investigation. We will determine responsibility and hold accountable those who would violate the public’s trust.”
Wiley was hired as chief after the first property room scandal was made public.
Former Police Chief Kenneth Mack retired just as the investigation into the missing money and drugs got under way.
City officials said a big reason Wiley was hired was to improve the department’s management and image.
In July, a consultant hired to determine how drugs and money were taken from the police property room the first time said the department had the most disorganized system for managing evidence she’d seen in 30 years.
Kolene Dean cited a “lack of procedures and poor supervision.”
Her report cited many problems: money inexplicably gone, improperly packaged drugs, unnecessary evidence kept for decades and items stored all around the room.
Following the consultant’s report, Wiley pledged to follow all her recommendations to improve the security.
The regular accounting of the property room by senior officers led to the latest discovery.
The new investigation is being led by the department’s office of professional standards, which Wiley formed recently.
Officers with that department will interview staff members who were in charge of property room security.
Those employees also will take lie-detector tests, Wiley said.
The chief pledged to make the results of the investigation public.
