Theft is often a crime of opportunity. When an opportunity to take something presents itself, at times it is very difficult to resist for a variety of reasons.

A New York City police officer is currently facing theft charges after being accused of stealing loaded guns from his co-workers' lockers.

Now this police officer is facing a laundry list of charges including conspiracy, possession and criminal sale of a firearm, criminal possession of stolen property and grand larceny. According to authorities, this New York police officer has been accused of being addicted to prescription medications and using these stolen weapons to pay back a debt he owed to a drug dealer.

These theft-related charges could mean serious consequences for this man. These consequences most commonly mean jail time. However, situations like this can also ruin a person's reputation and livelihood. For example, this police officer has been suspended from his job without pay. His reputation has been tarnished and he will likely have difficulty finding a new job, or ever working as a police officer again.

In order to minimize any further consequences, it may be important for this police officer to obtain a rigorous defense.

Police officers and the prosecution have standards that they are required to follow throughout the entire criminal process. Among other things, evidence must be collected correctly and any search and seizure efforts must be completed in accordance with the defendant's constitutional rights. It is always important for a defense attorney to ensure that the defendant's rights are not breached in order to resolve the case in the most appropriate way.

Source: New York Times, "New York Police Officer Charged in Gun Theft," Colin Moynihan, July 13, 2012