PACK ALLEGEDLY CLAIMED BY COP CONTAINED DRUGS

The Denver Police Department's internal affairs bureau is investigating an
abandoned backpack full of drugs that may have belonged to a city officer.

Police Chief Gerry Whitman confirmed the investigation is under way but
declined to discuss details.

"I brought people back off duty to investigate," he said. "We're
investigating it aggressively." The backpack was among the abandoned
property picked up Monday by Boulder police at the Boulder RTD station.

"We always go through it to look for identification, weapons, anything
illegal," said Boulder city spokeswoman Jennifer Bray.

In the backpack, police found a bag with 4.8 grams of crystal
methamphetamine, a drug known as "crank" on the street. Authorities
described it as an amount that would be for personal use and estimated its
value at $500 to $600.

An RTD security guard told investigators a Denver police officer had come
to the station to claim the bag, and that's what prompted the inquiry,
sources said.