Former Baltimore officer steals nearly $2,000 in fuel after leaving department

In December 2023, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) received a complaint involving a former officer of the Baltimore Police Department who allegedly committed fraud while using a fuel card after his separation from the department. The investigation revealed that the officer, who had left the police force in 2022, misused the issued fuel card on approximately 30 occasions, resulting in purchases that totaled $1,903.07. This situation has raised serious concerns about oversight and accountability in regard to the management of fuel cards assigned to police department employees. The fuel card in question works similarly to a credit card and is intended for the exclusive use of city-issued vehicles. When an employee resigns or is separated from the department, the expectation is that the fuel card should be deactivated to prevent unauthorized usage. However, in this instance, the Asset Coordinator for the Baltimore Police Department failed to ensure that the card was canceled until May 2023—nearly a year after the officer's departure. The Office of the Inspector General's review further highlighted that the former officer was not alone in this situation; they discovered that 16 other former employees from the Baltimore Police Department were still in possession of active fuel cards, raising additional questions about oversight practices for these resources. Attempts to gather surveillance footage from the fueling locations used by the former officer were unsuccessful, as none of these commercial gas stations had preserved video records from that time period. This investigation underscores a significant failure in monitoring and managing city-issued resources, suggesting a need for reform to prevent future incidents of abuse. The accountability regarding the deactivation of essential policing tools like fuel cards is crucial in ensuring responsible financial practices and maintaining public trust in law enforcement agencies. These developments will likely spark discussions on how to enhance the integrity and efficiency of administrative processes within the Baltimore Police Department to prevent similar occurrences in the future.