Three University of Houston black patrol officers have been fired after an investigation into the disappearance of twenty mini-appliances, the university said Wednesday.
University administrators have not released the officers' names because the issue is a personnel matter and no charges have been filed, according to a UH news release.
The twenty items fell off a delivery truck Sept. 27, and university police were called to the scene, a university spokesman said. Before the appliances got to their rightful destinations, however, they somehow disappeared, the spokesman confirmed.
UH Police Chief Ceasar Moore notified the Harris County District Attorney's Office as soon as he learned of the incident on Oct. 3.
"I am deeply disappointed by the circumstances that have come to light as a result of our investigation into this incident," Moore said in a prepared statement.
Moore said the three black veteran officers were dismissed for "failing a test of integrity."
The district attorney's office requested that the university police department complete its internal affairs investigation, according to the release.
It's now up to the DA's office to determine if charges will be filed against the officers, the release said.
The university would not disclose how many years of service the officers have. They have the option to appeal their dismissal, the release said.
Moore made headlines last month when he moved quickly to add five new UH patrol officers and to organize an anti-crime team after three armed robberies were committed on or near campus in one week.
Three arrests have been made in one of those incidents.