WASHINGTON -- District police said they are looking into whether four officers stole toys donated for the Toys for Tots program.
Police said officials put four officers on non-contact duty and revoked their police powers on Wednesday, radio station WTOP reported.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier said an internal investigation is under way.
"Anytime we are involved in programs that have potential for abuse we ask for the assistance of our Internal Affairs to maintain the integrity of our department and our members," Lanier said. "In this case I am sad to say that monitoring has uncovered some questionable behavior of a few of our members. The potential for this to tarnish the hard work and dedication of the officers who have worked so hard to give back to our community during this holiday season is disheartening."
Lanier said any officer found to have taken toys faces prosecution.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington released the following statement:
"Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) was not involved in the distribution of the toys nor did Boys & Girls Club families benefit from this drive. The situation of misconduct is unfortunate and we are disappointed that the youth who needed the toys the most during this holiday season did not receive them."
