Dallas’ police chief fires a sergeant accused of falsifying overtime records and theft

Dallas Police Chief Eddie García on Thursday fired an officer accused of forging time cards, forging documents and committing theft over a three-month period.

The chief disciplined Sgt. Katherine Silvia for violating multiple department policies, including theft, tampering with a government record, fraud, misbehaving during her arrest, submitting false overtime records and for making “conflicting, contradictory or misleading statements during an investigation.” such an email to all officials received from The Dallas Morning News.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie García on Thursday fired an officer accused of forging time cards, forging documents and committing theft over a three-month period.

The chief disciplined Sgt. Katherine Silvia for violating multiple department policies, including theft, tampering with a government record, fraud, misbehaving during her arrest, submitting false overtime records and for making “conflicting, contradictory or misleading statements during an investigation.” such an email to all officials received from The Dallas Morning News.

Silvia said she had no comment when reached by phone Thursday. García declined to comment on his decision.

Silvia was charged in March with theft between $2,500 and $30,000, tampering with a government record and making false statements to obtain property or credit between $2,500 and $30,000, Dallas police officials announced earlier this year. According to court documents, she turned herself in to authorities and posted bail a short time later.

According to court documents, she was accused of making false time entries for overtime that she did not work from October 2022 to January 2023. It was unclear why; Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Silvia was assigned to the Northeast Patrol Division and had been with the department since 2004.

Jaime Castro, president of the Dallas Police Association – which represented her at the disciplinary hearing – declined to comment. Silvia can appeal the boss’s disciplinary sanction according to civil service rules.