McKeesport police's evidence room at center of investigative audit
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (KDKA) — The McKeesport Police Department's evidence room is at the center of an investigative audit.
Weeks after former McKeesport Police Detective Joseph Osinski was charged with stealing $1 million from his fraternal order of police lodge, the department is under investigation again.
Sources told KDKA-TV that detectives in the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office are looking for missing money from the department's evidence room. It is unclear how much is missing.
KDKA-TV was told the person who had the keys to the evidence room is a supervisor in the department.
McKeesport Police Chief Mark Steele requested the audit. The district attorney's office said in a statement:
"The McKeesport Police Department detected potential issues with their evidence room and contacted our office. We have assigned detectives to assist in the review and cannot comment any further until a thorough review has been completed."
Chief Steele declined to comment on Tuesday, but Mayor Michael Cherepko said in a statement:
"The circumstances in question pertain to an ongoing investigation and potential personnel matters, which limits my legal ability to comment. Chief Steele initiated an internal investigation, and upon the discovery of irregularities, we referred our initial findings to an external agency. A thorough investigation is currently being conducted by the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office."
A law enforcement source told KDKA-TV that most accredited police departments have strict regulations for the security of evidence and property. Those include regular audits, which are meant to prevent theft and maintain the chain of custody for evidence.