Unified Police Detective Accused of Misusing Public Money
South Salt Lake, March 20, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – Criminal charges were filed Friday against a 19-year veteran of the Unified police accused of stealing from the department.
Detective Kenneth Callahan, 49, was charged in 3rd District Court with misuse of public money, a second-degree felony, and official misconduct, a class B misdemeanor. A warrant was also issued Friday for his arrest, with bail set at $25,000.
In early 2015 the Unified Police Department (UPD) conducted a random, but routine, audit of the money that is used by narcotics detectives in the course of their investigations. The money is primarily used to purchase narcotics when a detective is investigating a narcotic distribution type case. There are policies and procedures for record keeping that are maintained when using this money.
According to the UPD, an internal audit of Detective Kenneth Callahan’s records revealed irregularities. The Salt Lake City Police Department was then called upon to conducted a criminal investigation.
“While we are disappointed to report that one of our officers has been criminally charged, we feel that it is important that the public understands that we hold our officers to a high standard,” said Lieutenant Justin Hoyal in a press release. “The public expects us to police our own officers and we take that duty very serious. We have a great relationship of trust with the communities we serve and want to maintain that relationship.”
Detective Callahan is currently on administrative leave while this investigation is still ongoing.
