Police officers are important members of the community, upholding the law and making Louisiana a safe place to live. Therefore, when a police officer is accused of a crime, it can have a very detrimental effect both in the life of the officer and his or her reputation in the community.
A Louisiana State Police officer has recently been suspended from his job after being accused of payroll fraud and falsifying tickets. He allegedly made misrepresentations on his timesheets and he also allegedly issued false traffic tickets. According to reports in 2016 the officer earned $240,000, $147,000 of which was compensation for overtime. However, reportedly investigators saw him at his house during the times he reported as being at work for shifts lasting as much as 16 hours.
In addition, the officer reportedly issued traffic tickets at times when cameras recording him depicted him as actually being at his house at the time. One person claims the officer pulled him over during the day in order to issue a traffic ticket. However, the timestamp on the ticket was reportedly set at 8:00 p.m.
The officer is being accused of issuing 11 false tickets in total. If it is found that he did so intentionally, he could be charged with injuring a public record, and could face 12 months in jail. Other officers are also being investigated with regards to similar schemes.
This officer is facing significant legal troubles. Merely being accused of a crime has already hurt him professionally, and it may have also damaged his personal reputation as well. While it may seem like the cards are stacked against him, in the end he has the right to make his case and tell his side of the story. For example, witness accounts can be challenged, and recordings may not always be accurate. Those who are facing criminal accusations deserve to have their day in court, so they can profess their innocence and be found “not guilty.”
Source: The Advocate, “Report: Suspended Louisiana State Trooper may have falsified tickets in alleged payroll fraud scheme,” Nov. 16, 2017
Subscribe To This Blog's Feed