2nd San Francisco officer leaves the force following embezzlement scandal

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - A second San Francisco police officer has decided to leave the department following an embezzlement scandal.

Just days after 2 Investigates reported on the embezzling accusations and the resignation of the treasurer of the department's Gay Officers Association, the president of that organization suddenly retired.

Lt. Chuck Limbert became president of the Pride Alliance in 2014. When he took over the organization, he initiated an audit of the group's finances.

The results revealed suspicious activity by the organization's treasurer, fellow officer Mike Evans.

According to minutes of Pride Alliance meetings and internal emails, Lt. Limbert was reluctant to report the officer.

A former Pride Alliance board member told KTVU that Limbert wanted the board to keep quiet. "I was told that it was not a police situation that it was just Pride Alliance and that no one would go forward to the police department, it would be handled internally," she said.

Meeting minutes show Lt. Limbert voted repeatedly to keep the embezzlement issue in closed session, excluding Pride Alliance membership and the public. And that he voted against informing the department's Internal Affairs Division of the suspected corruption.

When asked why he didn't report the case to police, Lt. Limbert told KTVU "Believe me, it was reported." But not by him.

KTVU has learned other board members turned in Mike Evans to Internal Affairs, taking action after Limbert sent an email asking that the issue "remain confidential" and insisting it "not be followed up by any division of SFPD."

Limbert denied any cover-up in the embezzlement inquiry, before shutting KTVU out of last Friday's Pride Alliance meeting.

Police Chief Greg Suhr said he was disappointed by the allegations against Evans, who resigned from the force.

"I don't want to ever hear anything that challenges the character of any of my officers," Suhr said.

Suhr told KTVU that according to regulations governing conduct in the department, all officers have a duty to report crime, including by another cop, but that Limbert did not have to come forward since others did first.

Chief Suhr said he hoped his lieutenants would inform the department of a fellow officer misbehaving.

"Oh, absolutely," Suhr said. "I expect that." It was an expectation that wasn't met this time.

Lt. Limbert will avoid department questions about his lack of action in the embezzlement case.

The longest serving openly gay officer in the department, turned in his badge, effective last weekend and like Mike Evans was allowed to walk away from the controversy.

When asked about the timing of Evans resignation from the force and Limbert's retirement, Chief Suhr sighed and said, "Yeah, certainly people deciding that they don't want to be subject to the department's query have the ability to do that."

The San Francisco District Attorney is still deciding whether to file criminal charges against Evans, who we're told, has since repaid the money.