AURORA | A former Aurora police lieutenant who used a law enforcement database to help his girlfriend get a job has been convicted of official misconduct, prosecutors said.
Leland Silver, 47, was convicted of the misdemeanor charge last week and sentenced to a suspended 30 days in jail and a year of probation.
According to a statement from prosecutors, Silver accessed a database that only police have access to help his girlfriend, who had a criminal record, look for a job. He then sent the girlfriend the date of birth and Social Security number of a woman with the same name who had no criminal record. The girlfriend didn’t use the woman’s information but later reported Silver’s actions to police, prosecutors said.
Silver was later fired by Aurora police.
“No one is above the law. We expect the best from our sworn law enforcement officers,” District Attorney George Brauchler said in the statement. “We place significant trust in those we hire to be our protectors. From them, we expect much. This defendant damaged the trust our community places in its officers through his self-serving abuse of sensitive information.”
Silver was charged with driving under the influence, driving under the influence per se and careless driving in the early-morning hours of Oct. 16 last year, according to metro area reports.
Denver police reported that Silver was passed out behind the wheel of his car in downtown Denver after a late-night Broncos game.
The disposition of those charges were not immediately available.