Oct. 3, 2006 — A 14-year civilian employee with the V.I. Police Department on St. Croix is under investigation in connection with cashing checks belonging to other departmental employees, Police Commissioner Elton Lewis said Tuesday.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Lewis said that Ada L. Figueroa, special assistant to the director of Fiscal and Property, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. According to Lewis, Figueroa joined the V.I. Police Department in 1992.
Lewis did not say in the statement how police discovered the illegally cashed checks nor how long the matter had been ongoing.
When asked for further details, VIPD spokeswoman Shawna Richards replied that the "matter is under investigation."
According to Richards, the investigation is internal at this point and has not been turned over to either the Attorney General's Office or the Office of the V.I. Inspector General.
Richards also said that a dollar figure for the illegally cashed checks had not been determined at this point.
Lewis, who has taken a hard-line stance against corruption in the Police Department since being named commissioner during Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's second term in office, indicated that his department will not tolerate such actions.
"The Police Department will continue to maintain its no-tolerance stance regarding corruption and wrongdoing," he said in the statement. He added, "the investigation brings other concerns to light."
"This incident is indicative of the greater issue of checks and balances often being compromised when agencies are understaffed," Lewis said.
Long before Lewis took over the helm, VIPD officials had long complained of staff shortages, especially among rank-and-file officers.
Lewis did not say when the investigation is expected to be complete.
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