Review Finds No Connection Between Police Department, Gun Theft

An independent review has found the Clarendon Hills Police Department not to be at fault in connection with the alleged theft of guns by a former Clarendon Hills police officer.

Daniel Ryan, who is accused of stealing five guns from the evidence room, pled not guilty June 14 to 11 charges, including two counts of aggravated possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 1 felony.

The review found that the department operates within standard police practices and procedures, and the alleged theft "reflects misconduct of a single individual, was an isolated event, and not indicative of any systemic problems within the police department."

The village initiated the review and hired Charles Hervas of Hervas, Condon & Bersani, P.C. to conduct it. Hervas has experience in municipal law and police-related matters. For about two months, Hervas interviewed former and current village employees and others with knowledge of the case.

According to a village release, Hervas found that prior to documentation and organization of the evidence room were not adequate prior to 2009, during years that Ryan was an officer with greater access to the evidence room. While evidence related to criminal matters was well catalogued, the same could not be said for non-criminal items, like the guns allegedly stolen by Ryan. 

According to the police department, the stolen guns were given to the department in 1998, 1999, and 2005 by Clarendon Hills residents as part of a turn-in program.  

The guns were discovered missing during a 2009 review of evidence room policies and procedures. According to the release, former Chief Pat Anderson suspected Ryan, who was the subject of other "disciplinary inquiries and alleged misconduct" that included a separate evidence-room-theft incident. Anderson, however, did not feel he could prove the accusation and did not pursue charges. 

Ryan's evidence room responsibilities were taken away by then-Deputy Chief Ted Jenkins just before the policy review. Since the department's policies and procedures regarding evidence were updated, no incidents have occurred, the investigation concluded. 

"We are glad to move forward from this event," Village President Tom Karaba is quoted as saying in the release. 

Hervas' investigation did make several suggestions to the police department. They included conducting unannounced inspections of the evidence room, destroying weapons that come from a citizen turn-in program, and having better communication with village administration on disciplinary matters. 

Ryan’s next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. His lawyer is Jeff Kendall of the Clarendon Hills firm DiBenedetto & Kendall, PC.

, according to the office of DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin. Berlin’s office, in conjunction with the FBI, joined an ongoing internal Clarendon Hills Police Department investigation into the guns' disappearance after an anonymous tip in February.

In addition to the aggravated possession counts, Ryan is charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, one count of theft, and three counts of official misconduct.

According to Berlin spokesman Paul Darrah, Ryan could serve up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the Class 1 counts.

The guns Ryan is charged with stealing, according to Berlin's office, are an Ithaca M1911 A1 World War II U.S. Army .45 caliber gun; a .22 caliber Short Butler; a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber Airlight Special; a Mossberg 590 12 gauge shotgun; and a Connecticut Valley Bobcat .50 caliber gun.

Darrah said all the guns were stolen between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007.