Ex-Buckeye police officer arrested after indictment on 26 felony counts

PHOENIX – A former West Valley police officer was arrested Monday after being indicted on 26 felony counts for alleged misuse of law enforcement databases while he was still on the job, authorities said.

Charles Cosgrove, 38, was taken into custody a week after a grand jury indicted him on 21 counts of perjury and five counts of unauthorized access of criminal history, the Buckeye Police Department said in a press release Tuesday.

Cosgrove, who’d been on the force for 10 years, is accused of illegally accessing police databases to obtain unspecified personal information related to multiple people, according to the release.

The department opened an internal investigation into potential misconduct by Cosgrove on May 4. He resigned June 9, before the investigation was completed.

A criminal investigation was launched June 14 based on information provided by a third party, police said.

The department submitted the case for review by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office on July 21, five days before the indictments were handed down.

“As a result of this investigation, the department has implemented quarterly audits to ensure officers are accessing sensitive information for legitimate criminal justice purposes only,” Buckeye Interim Chief Bob Sanders said in the release.

“We take pride in serving with integrity and respect. Any officer who violates the community’s trust will be held accountable.”

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