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LRPD officer in trouble after surveillance video surfaces

Reported by: David Goins
Email: dgoins@fox16.com
Last Update: 9/24/2009 9:55 pm
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A Little Rock Police officer is under criminal investigation tonight.  Internal Affairs wants to know if a surveillance video obtained by FOX16 News shows Officer Bennie Dandy, 28, attempting to steal a computer.
 
If you drive by the Stroman’s furniture and appliance store at 9700 I-30 in Little Rock, you can see the glass on the front doors shattered, a sign of an aggressive burglar.  But Stroman's general manager Sean Funderburg says the real crime happened when Little Rock Police showed up.

"I come down to have a burglary investigated by LRPD and in the meantime I'm getting burglarized by LRPD," Funderburg says.

Funderburg found the doors of his business kicked in early this morning.  Two officers were already on the scene.

A sophisticated surveillance system captured it all.  You see the crook walking out with a hard drive and a monitor.  After doing an inventory check, it was determined nothing else was stolen.  But as the officers left, Funderburg noticed a laptop computer out of place, became suspicious and went back and looked at the footage again.  It shows Officer Dandy with a laptop in his hand.

"And he is on his way out, except, see him bounce off the door," Funderburg said as FOX16 News watched the surveillance with him.

Then the video shows Dandy walking around and then setting the laptop down in another room where Funderburg found it.

"There would definitely be no reason for him to try and leave the building with a laptop in his hand, a boxed up brand new laptop," Funderburg says.

Little Rock Police agree.

"It's very disappointing to see an officer that may be doing something wrong, it's very disappointing," Lt. Terry Hastings says.

LRPD holding off on final punishment until its investigation is over, but Funderburg says officers who saw the video today are disgusted.

"A couple of them were even candid enough to say this is pretty bad, that we have an officer on video doing something like this," Funderburg says.

The laptop in question is back where it belongs but police took the cardboard box it was cased in as evidence.

Goins says: "You have no doubt in your mind that this officer was trying to steal from you guys?  Sean Funderburg says: "Oh, I have absolutely no doubt.  If this door had been unlocked he would have left this building and I would have never known where that laptop went.  There's no way this man should be an LRPD officer or a police officer anywhere."

Officer Dandy could not be reached for comment.  A number listed under his name was disconnected.  Dandy joined the force in April 2007 and had no prior disciplinary action on his record. 

LRPD says the internal affairs investigation could take one to two weeks.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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