KAWARTHA LAKES-In April 2018 a Kawartha Lakes Police officer was charged after being caught with drugs from the evidence room at the police station In Lindsay. Many people questioned how it could have happened.
On April 10th 2018, Detective Constable Jeff Burke, a 14 year veteran of the Kawartha Lakes police Service, was charged with theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and breach of trust.
Police say he was caught stealing drugs from an evidence locker at the police station. On May 3rd, 2018 he was charged with two counts of fraud under $5,000 and one count of breach of trust after new evidence was uncovered according to the police service.
He plead guilty to one count of breach of trust on May 27th. Burke blames untreated PTSD for his situation. Â Read the full story here:https://www.kawartha411.ca/2019/05/27/police-officer-charged-in-theft-of-drugs-from-evidence-locker-says-not-enough-done-to-treat-his-ptsd/
Police Chief Mark Mitchell told Kawartha 411 News that the evidence room was kept locked at all times and only three people had access to the room. Officer Burke was not one of them.
Mitchell says the service reviewed it’s security measures in the wake of the charges.
“I cannot speak to the specific security measures that are in place in that area, but I can say that a review of our security measures was undertaken following the investigation.”
According to Mitchell the review resulted in a number of changes being made. “We have a multi-year plan for changes to the evidence room that covers security measures as well as things like air circulation etc.” Mitchell told Kawartha 411. “Many of the changes in that plan have been implemented.” He would not elaborate on the specific changes.
Police say 8 investigations were compromised as a result of the charges against Burke. It’s unclear just how Burke got into the evidence room if it was kept locked at all times or if any other staff were also able to enter the room without authorization.
