Jan. 17--Two suspended Kansas City, Kan., police officers admitted today that they stole electronics or cash while serving search warrants as part of an elite tactical unit.
The admission came from Darryl M. Forrest and Dustin Sillings as the men pleaded guilty in federal court to the felony of conspiring to violate the civil rights of Tawana Webster and others.
Webster first reported items missing from her house after a search warrant was served in 2010. The other instances happened during other searches and a subsequent sting operation conducted by the FBI on Jan. 4, 2011.
During the sting operation Forrest stole $300, an Apple iPod and other electronics. Sillings stole $340.
"Dustin Sillings was overheard saying it was a pity the house did not contain more swag," Prosecutor Tris Hunt told the federal judge while presenting evidence.
A third suspect, Officer Jeffrey M. Bell, is scheduled to plead guilty on Wednesday. He also has been suspended without pay since January of last year. The three were the only officers charged after an FBI sting and investigation of the department's SCORE unit, the Selective Crime Occurrence Reduction Enforcement Unit.
Seven other SCORE officers were handcuffed and detained after the January sting operation and all have sued Wyandotte County's Unified Government and the police department for alleged violations of their rights.
The last of those lawsuits, that by officer Scott Hammons, was filed Monday. He contends he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery when he was handcuffed behind his back while wearing a bullet-proof vest. He also says he suffers from trauma, a damaged reputation and a loss of promotion opportunities.
One of the officers who was not charged in the thefts, Michael Mills, was charged last month with aggravated assault in an unrelated incident in which he's accused of shooting into an occupied car while off duty. He is on unpaid administrative leave.
In January of last year, Police Chief Rick Armstrong announced the stealing arrests that followed an investigation he began after a valid report of a police theft.
"I think we're all sick about the allegations," he said then. "I think we're embarrassed."
But the chief also intended to send a clear message that the conduct would not be tolerated.
Joe Lambe, [email protected]
Copyright 2012 - The Kansas City Star, Mo.
