Stealing From the Union Account
Too many law enforcement associations have suffered from a similar problem to the one unfolding now in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where a former police officer is accused of stealing from the police union bank account he was in charge of.
Former Pittsfield Police Officer Jeffrey Coco was arraigned recently in a Massachusetts District Court after being accused of stealing more than $220,000. The charges against Coco are embezzlement, fraud, and forgery.
Coco was with the department for 18 years and served as the treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 447. Police say Coco withdrew funds for personal use. The alleged thefts occurred between January 2011 and July 2015. Coco was fired in November 2015 after an internal investigation.