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Officers Tiasha Wright and Bianca White -- along with other law enforcement agents -- were called to a Sunset Avenue apartment on reports of suspicious activity Aug. 31, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.
While inside the first floor investigating, White took a charger and large package of Poland Spring water bottles and placed them in her marked Newark police patrol car, Stephens and Ambrose said.
After the scene was cleared and while sitting in Wright’s marked patrol car, the Wright and White decided to return to the home to steal a large bluetooth speaker, authorities said.
The officers pried open the door, removed the speaker and put it in Wright's car, Ambrose and Stephens said.
“We will continue to hold police officers accountable for their unlawful actions. The officers in this case violated their oath and the public trust that comes with it,” said Acting Prosecutor Stephens.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Professional Standards Bureau of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards. Both officers have been suspended without pay.
“I commend the Newark Police Division’s Office of Professional Standards for uncovering the egregious acts of these officers. They are an embarrassment to the police division and there is no room for them in police work. Any violation of the law or policy of the Newark Police Division will not be tolerated,” said Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
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