Missing Rifle Scope Sparks Raid of Police HQ: Sources

A missing rifle scope sparked a raid of a local police department, according to law enforcement sources.

Investigators with the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office searched through the Chester City Police Department headquarters on 160 East 7th Street in Chester early Tuesday afternoon.

A spokesperson with the District Attorney’s Office told NBC10 the officials were searching for possible missing evidence from the building's evidence room. The officers later left the scene.

According to two law enforcement sources, the raid was related to an alleged incident that occurred last March.

The sources told NBC10's Harry Hairston that an evidence officer with the Chester Police Department discovered that a scope, worth between $1000 and $1300 was missing from a rifle in the evidence room.

The sources claim the officer reported the information to a Chester Police official and was told that the matter would be looked into.

According to the sources, the officer then went to another official a week later after no action was taken. The sources claim that official told the officer he would also look into the matter.

According to the sources, the official allegedly spread the word that whomever took the scope could place it in his unlocked car with no questions asked. The sources claim a top official in the department then walked in with the scope a half hour later.

A police official then stated there would be no further investigation and no reviewing of surveillance video of the evidence room, according to the sources. The sources say someone within the department then contacted the Delaware County District Attorney's Office which led to Tuesday's raid.

"At this point we've asked our police department to cooperate with them fully," said Chester Mayor John Linder.

Officials told NBC10 investigators took the rifle, scope and the sign-in log for the evidence room during Tuesday's search. They also have a warrant for surveillance video showing who entered the evidence room and when.

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