By Heather Nolan, NOLA.com |
The Times-Picayune
Two Covington police officers
will be suspended without pay after an investigation into the use of
confidential informant funds found they violated several department policies,
Chief Tim Lentz said Monday. No criminal acts were committed, Lentz said.
Effective Sept. 10, Lt. Stephen
Culotta will be suspended without pay for 28 consecutive days, equivalent to
two pay periods totaling 160 hours. Officer Bart Ownby will be suspended
without pay for 14 consecutive days, equivalent to one pay period totaling 80
hours.
Lentz launched a surprise audit
of the confidential informant fund in May, after hearing officers might not
have been using the funds in the way they were intended.
He said he found the money was
being used to buy things like big-screen televisions and iPads for the office.
Confidential informant funds are supposed to be used to purchase narcotics and
information, he said.
Lentz also said the
"documentation was horrendous," noting officers who signed money out
from the account could not provide documentation for their expenses.
Culotta and Ownby were the only
two officers that received confidential informant funds in 2013, the year Lentz
conducted his audit, he said.
Information on how much money
was involved was not immediately available Monday evening.
Lentz asked the Mandeville
Police Department to conduct the investigation to remain impartial.
Mandeville police found Culotta
and Ownby were in violation of several department policies, including
accountability, fund management and case file management to the payment of
informants.
Lentz said both officers were
cooperative and admitted their faults during the investigation. Culotta and
Ownby said they had not read the department's policy on confidential informant funds,
Lentz said.
Lentz said when deciding their
punishment, he took into account the validity of the charges, the seriousness
of the violations, and investigative reports among other things.
"I appreciate the
assistance of the Mandeville Police Department with this investigation,"
Lentz said. "The Covington Police Department holds our officers
accountable for their actions and will continue to work everyday to create a
professional environment for our employees, while continuing to earn the public's
trust and respect."
