NO SUSPECT IN POLICE SAFE THEFT FOUND

2nd drugmoney inquiry faults officers' procedures

Dallas police know someone stole $50,000 from a narcotics unit safe more
than 18 months ago, but a second investigation has yielded the same
result as the first: no suspect.

However, the police internal investigation did uncover some procedural
violations by some of the officers who were responsible for handling the
money, said a source familiar with the probe.

"The rules were in place to ensure accountability for the funds," said
the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Which officers or supervisors violated policy and how they will be
disciplined was not known Thursday.

"It's not over with yet," the source said. "The disciplines are
pending."

Police Chief Ben Click declined to comment Thursday. Six months ago
when the FBI ended its criminal investigation without identifying a
suspect he said he still hoped to prosecute whoever took the cash and
promised to "personally deliver ... [the guilty person] to federal
prison."

Spokesman Ed Spencer said the department would make no public statements
about the internal investigation until top officials had reviewed the
results.

The $50,000 was discovered missing April 30, 1996, from a safe in the
narcotics unit office, which is in a secret location. The safe was
inside an alarmwired room. The bundles of $100, $50 and $20 bills had
been routinely used by undercover officers during "buybust" operations
that require the officers to show cash to suspected drug dealers.

Procedures for removing money from the safe called for two supervisors
to count it and sign it out. After the money is used, two authorized
supervisors must count it and sign it back in. The money was discovered
missing when unidentified narcotics officers opened the safe to prepare
for an operation.

At the time of the money's disappearance, four lieutenants and three
administrative sergeants were authorized to handle the money.

The safe has since been moved to another location, and changes have been
made as to who can access the money. More than $4,000 was set aside in
the 199798 budget to install a surveillance system in the safe area.

The internal affairs investigation followed a yearlong FBI probe, which
also failed to turn up a suspect. In that investigation, about six of
the more than 120 narcotics unit officers declined to voluntarily submit
to liedetector tests, a police official said.

Chief Click has said the FBI investigation effectively ruled out
accounting error or the possibility that the money had been misplaced in
the office or lost in the field during an undercover operation.

In September 1996, police officials familiar with the internal
investigation said the narcotics unit's seven supervisors had taken
liedetector tests and been largely ruled out as suspects. Some
narcotics officers said the FBI investigation, which cost the agency
about $1 million, was hurting morale and dividing the unit.

The source said several narcotics officers were upset about how the FBI
handled the investigation, including tactics used by investigators.

When FBI pulled out in May 1997, the police internal affairs division
took over.

Although the internal inquiry focused on uncovering procedural
violations, investigators carried more power to compel cooperation from
witnesses and potential suspects. Internal investigators can order
officers to submit to liedetector tests and give written statements,
which federal agents could not do during the criminal investigation.

Another source familiar with the investigation said Thursday that the
six officers who refused to be polygraphed by the FBI did submit to
testing by internal affairs. However, a statement given under orders
generally cannot be used to prosecute an officer, unless the officer is
found to have given false testimony.

"All investigative leads have been exhausted," a source said. "The
option remains to go forward again with additional investigative work if
additional information is received."