Former Aurora police lieutenant guilty of misusing database

A former Aurora police lieutenant has been found guilty of first-degree official misconduct for using confidential information from a criminal justice information database to help his then-girlfriend secure a job.

An Arapahoe County jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes Friday before finding Leland Silver, 47, guilty of the class 2 misdemeanor, according to the district attorney’s office.

Judge Colleen Clark sentenced Silver to 30 days in jail, suspended, with 12 months of probation. By statute, Silver’s conviction will result in revocation of his Colorado peace officer certification, according to a news release. Silver has been terminated by the Aurora Police Department.

“No one is above the law. We expect the best from our sworn law enforcement officers,” said District Attorney George Brauchler in a news release. “We place significant trust in those we hire to be our protectors. From them, we expect much. This defendant damaged the trust our community places in its officers through his self-serving abuse of sensitive information.”

In April 2017, Silver’s exgirlfriend reported the misuse to Aurora Police investigators, who referred the investigation to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations.

The CBI determined that in May 2015, Silver accessed the criminal justice information database to find an identity that his girlfriend could use to find a job. His then-girlfriend had a criminal record and was having difficulties passing a background check, according to the CBI. Silver texted his girlfriend the driver’s license information, including the date of birth and Social Security number, of a woman with the same name who had no criminal record, the CBI reported.

There’s no evidence the girlfriend actually used the ID that Silver gave her, prosecutors said.