The Aurora Police Department announced Wednesday the firing of Officer Robert Lyons for dishonesty and theft of time following an investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau.

APD officials said in a release that Lyons had left his shift early and missed 34.25 hours of work between Aug. 3 and Sept. 22, 2020, without receiving prior authorization.   

Lyons also is accused of failing to document his time in APD’s time management system, as required by the department’s policies.

When approached by his supervisor about the missing time, Lyons “was untruthful and stated that he had not taken any time off during that period,” according to the APD release. 

The department initiated an internal affairs investigation. During their interview with Lyons, he “admitted to being untruthful when he was questioned by his supervisor about the time off.”

“A police officer who chooses to be dishonest forfeits their credibility and becomes ineffective to the judicial system, our police department and the community we serve,” said Aurora police Chief Vanessa Wilson in a statement.

“It is disappointing to learn an officer has betrayed their oath. I want to reassure the community I will continue to hold our members accountable for their actions while also recognizing the majority who display unwavering integrity each and everyday.” 

Lyons joined APD in 2017 and during his tenure was never formally disciplined prior to this incident, APD officials said. He was most recently assigned to the District 2 patrol.