The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officials have called in 12 extra sergeants to assist with a widening investigation into whether recruits cheated on police academy exams.
A recruit accused of plagiarism told supervisors last week about the existence of a computer disk that contained questions and answers to 20 of 32 tests given during the 26-week police academy.
Police say information on the disk has been shared among recruit classes since the fall of 2000. In that time, 279 recruits have gone through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Training Academy, though police have said not all recruit classes were involved.
There are about 1,600 officers on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg force.
The recruit who alerted supervisors to the existence of the disk has since resigned from the academy; no one else has yet been disciplined in connection with the internal investigation.
“We’re nowhere near that point,” Police Chief Darrel Stephens said, adding that there is no specific time frame for the completion of the probe.
It’s not clear how many officers, including instructors at the academy, have been questioned. The current class of recruits at the training academy, with about 20 members, was interviewed Friday.
“We’re trying to get to all of them as soon as we can,” Stephens said.
The 12 extra sergeants will supplement the five already assigned to the internal affairs bureau.
The information on the disk apparently evolved from questions that were handwritten by members of the 2000 recruit class, who then researched the answers and saved the information. The disk was then passed on to subsequent recruit classes.
The questions involve basic police procedures such as stopping cars and conducting interviews.
Discipline could range from a reprimand to termination. Stephens said he would stick to the police department’s discipline philosophy, which makes dishonesty a firing offense.
The chief said he will take into account an officer’s experience level, motivation and work history, as well as the degree of injury to the department.
Larry Walker of the local Fraternal Order of Police said it was not clear whether the recruits who had copies of the disk intended to cheat. Walker, who said he has spoken with some of the officers expected to be interviewed, said some may have viewed the material as a simple study guide.