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Small Arizona police department investigates big concerns over unfinished cases

Posted at 7:10 PM, Nov 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-18 14:09:11-05

The Globe Police Department has opened an investigation into potentially dozens of closed cases that weren’t properly investigated and handled by a hometown detective.

ABC15 confirmed the existence of an internal probe with Chief Mark Nipp.

However, he declined to speak about any of the cases or reveal more about the scope of his investigation.

“There are some cases that we’ve identified that are significant in nature,” Nipp said. “When something like this occurs, the public has a right to know. But because of the stage we are in in these investigations, what we can release is very limited.”

The internal investigation began in August after an audit, Nipp said.

Through other sources, ABC15 has learned Globe Police are looking at dozens of old cases; and most, if not all, of the cases are connected to a former detective, Sgt. James Durnan.

Durnan was a longtime officer with Globe who left the department within the last year and now works as an officer in the nearby community of Miami. Durnan spoke to ABC15 by phone and said he didn’t not have enough knowledge of Globe’s investigation and declined to comment further.

Globe Police, which has 19 sworn officers, have not put a time limit on their investigation. Nipp said his team is dedicated to fully investigating the old cases and promised to reveal more information in the future.

“If we release too much too soon, we could potentially place those victims in jeopardy,” he said.

“The city has not intention of trying to cover anything up or sweeping anything under the rug,” Nipp said. “Our intention is full disclosure once we’re able.”

Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at dbiscobing@abc15.com.