A Plymouth police captain and internal affairs investigator will lose 30 days pay, give up his job in internal affairs and undergo retraining in the proper handling of department-issued weapons after he left his revolver in a Wareham courthouse bathroom, Plymouth Police Chief Michael E. Botieri said today.
Plymouth police officials had released little information about what happened to the gun after Capt. John Rogers Jr. left his department-issued .357 revolver in the men's bathroom at the courthouse Jan. 28. Police found the gun two days later.
"The investigation into the loss of the weapon revealed that it was, in fact, taken from the courthouse rest room by a subject in court that day," Botieri wrote in a statement.
Botieri said Rogers is a 28-year veteran of the Plymouth Police Department who currently serves as the department's operations captain.
"He has always presented himself in a professional manner and is a well-respected law enforcement officer in the area," Botieri said. "Capt. Rogers has taken full responsibility for his actions and has never been disciplined over his entire career. He also recognizes that his behavior warrants severe disciplinary action."
Rogers will be suspended for 20 days without pay followed by 10 days "served as extra duty without pay," Botieri said. He will also be relieved of his duty assignment as internal affairs investigator and "be fully retrained in the Plymouth Police Department's Policies & Procedures relative to the proper handling of department-issued weapons."
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service
