Officer Ryan Eric Galliher Arrested for Committing Lewd Act

An off-duty LAPD officer was arrested for committing a lewd act in Huntington Beach.

Authorities say officers were conducting surveillance on Bolsa Chica Street, south of Los Patos Avenue, because of reports of a man exposing himself to several women over the last several months.

"Some were jogging, some were walking, some walking to school," Huntington Beach police Lt. Mitch O'Brien said.

Detectives observed a suspect, identified as 33-year-old Ryan Eric Galliher of Huntington Beach, committing a lewd act along an open pathway the morning of Oct. 23.

"He was on foot, he was dressed in shorts and he went down to the jogging trails, somebody watched him, and then on a public path committed a lewd act, which I don't want to get into the specifics because again there are still interviews being conducted," O'Brien said.

Galliher was hired by the LAPD in November 2011 and was assigned to the Southwest Division at the time of his arrest. LAPD has been notified of the arrest and is cooperating.

"It is appropriate that I reserve judgment on this matter until all of the facts have been gathered and the investigations have been completed," said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. "However, let me be very clear, I will not tolerate any behavior that reflects negatively upon this Department and tarnishes our relationship with our Communities near or far."

Galliher was released from custody and is on administrative leave. Police say he lives in the area where the crimes took place.

Investigators are working to determine if there are any additional victims. Police have not released Galliher's booking photo because they say they don't want to harm the investigation by showing his picture before other victims have identified him.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Huntington Beach Police Tip Line at (714) 375-5066.

Former Officer Erasmo Mata Jr Headed to Trial for Sexual Assaulting Child

Trial is set to begin December 1, in the case of former Pharr police officer Erasmo Mata, Jr., accused of repeated first-degree felony sexual assaults of a child.

A federal civil lawsuit filed with Texas Southern District Court back in May accused Mata of assaulting the minor five times, on five separate occasions, all while on duty.  The suit alleges that the attacks took place in abandoned houses around the city as other Pharr police officers stood by and watched.

The lawsuit also accused the department of engaging in a cover-up to protect the officers from criminal charges, as well as not conducting a rape kit or immediately testing the evidence.

The lawsuit was filed against the officer, the City of Pharr, the Pharr Police Department and the Pharr police chief.

Claims against the City of Pharr and the Pharr Police Chief Ruben Villescas were dismissed, however the motion to dismiss Mata was denied.

The Pharr Police Department did an internal investigation, but the family claims Chief Villescas told them not to hire an attorney and that he would personally take care of the allegations against the officer, Valley Central reports.

While the officers were terminated, neither Mata, nor the officers who allegedly watched, initially faced any criminal charges for the 2013 attacks.

After the lawsuit was filed, the lawyer for the teen asked the Texas Rangers to conduct their own investigation into the allegations. The Rangers found the accusations to be accurate and turned over the results to prosecutors, who presented the case to a grand jury and indicted Mata on July 30.

Pharr’s city attorneys deny that other officers watched the sexual assaults.

If convicted, Mata faces between five and 99 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000.

Isolated incident? Hardly.

Sexual misconduct is the second highest of all complaints nationwide against police officers, representing 9.3 percent in 2010, according to an unofficial study.

In 2010, 354 of the 618 complaints involved non consensual sexual acts, and over half of those involved were minors.

Earlier this month we reported on an officer in charge of a rape case who is accused of stalking and sexually harassing the victim.

Last month Oklahoma made headlines with three serial rapists in 3 weeks, all officers, as well as one police chief molesting children.

In July, a former New York Police Department officer convicted of planning to kidnap and rape women before killing and eating them was set to go free after a federal judge overturned his conviction.

Officer Jeremy Sweet Arrested for Aggravated Assault

A Phoenix police officer has been arrested for aggravated assault. Seven-year veteran Jeremy Sweet was arrested and booked Tuesday evening on one count of aggravated assault.

The arrest stems from an investigation that began Monday afternoon. That's when a complaint was brought forward by a Phoenix resident calling 911. Investigators are alleging that while on-duty, Sweet pointed a handgun at the occupants of another vehicle during a traffic altercation on South Central Avenue

"His justification for this was indicating that someone may be trying to ram or cut him off to take a prisoner from his vehicle," says Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump.

"He did not get on his police radio," Crump continued. "He did not ask for assistance. He did not document this in any way. In fact, pulled up next to the vehicle, lectured the driver about their driving behavior while the gun was pointed at him, and continued on his way to the jail to perform his duties."

Sweet was hired by the Phoenix Police Department on July 16, 2007 and was assigned to the Department's Central Booking Detail at the time this incident occurred. Sweet was operating an unmarked police vehicle designed to transport prisoners, some of whom witnessed portions of the incident.

The following is a statement from the Phoenix Police Department:
"The Phoenix Police Department takes this incident very seriously and has taken swift and appropriate action to help ensure public trust remains high. We understand our role in the community of upholding the law and anything less will never be tolerated."

Officer Sean Harrington Stole Nude Photos of Woman

A California Highway Patrol officer suspected of stealing nude and racy photos from the cellphones of women arrested on drunken driving charges sent the pictures to at least two fellow officers in what he called a game, according to court documents.

Officer Sean Harrington, 35, confessed to investigators that he sent such photos at last six times over several years to colleagues in Dublin, but learned to do it while working in Los Angeles, the Contra Costa Times reported Friday.

Harrington has worked for the CHP for five years, and the newspaper reports that he is assigned to administrative duties pending the investigation.

Contra Costa County prosecutors say they expect to announce if they will file criminal charges in the coming days. Officers Robert Hazelwood and Dion Simmons are named in an Oct. 14 search warrant affidavit, suspected of receiving the photos and exchanging banter with Harrington.

CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a statement that his agency has launched an investigation, citing a similar case several years ago involving two officers in Los Angeles.

“The allegations anger and disgust me,” Farrow said. “We expect the highest level of integrity and moral strength from everyone in the California Highway Patrol.”

The investigation was sparked by a 23-year-old San Ramon woman arrested Aug. 29 on suspicion of drunken driving, who had a blood alcohol content of .29, more than three times the legal limit. Court papers say that she later discovered nude photos of herself had been sent from her phone to an unfamiliar number. Drunken driving charges against the woman have been dismissed in light of the investigation of Harrington, the newspaper reported.

The affidavit says Harrington also sent Hazelwood photos of a 19-year-old woman arrested following a suspected drunken driving crash in Livermore on Aug. 7. The photos show her wearing a bikini, and Hazelwood responded in a text asking if there were any nude photos, court papers say.

Harrington sent those photos next to Simmons, who replied favorably, saying “Nice,” according to the affidavit, and Harrington asked his colleague to return the favor, “down the road buddy.”

Darryl Holcombe, a senior investigator with the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, said in the affidavit that the behavior amounts to felony computer theft.

Attorney Rick Madsen, who represents the 23-year-old woman, said the officers’ communications were “dehumanizing” and “horribly offensive” to his client and all women, saying, “It’s going to lead to another level of mistrust and skepticism to the motive of law enforcement in general.”

Highway Patrol Officer Eric Lund Arrested for Child Porn

A longtime California Highway Patrol sergeant nearing retirement now faces child pornography charges.

Eric Lund, 49, is from Chico, but was arrested in Fairfield at the CHP office where he works.

He lives part of his professional life in the public eye, but in his personal life, neighbors describe him as reclusive, and say he hardly ever came outside.

Part of his job was to talk to the press as a police spokesman, but at home, his neighbors wondered why he said next to nothing to them.

On his former Chico street, the sergeant and his family were known to some as a neighborhood mystery.

“They had a couple children, I guess, but we never saw them outside. I wouldn’t even know what they looked like,” said former neighbor Mary Young.

Vacaville Police had a mystery of their own. Using sophisticated software, a detective was tracking an unknown person downloading child pornography in Suisun, Fairfield and Vacaville.

Police say they traced the downloads to a surprising suspect—Sgt. Lund. They allege he looked at child pornography on and off duty. During a search of his personal car, investigators say they found a hard drive with nearly two-dozen videos.

“Oh my gosh, that’s too bad. I hope he gets the help he needs. People like that need help,” said former neighbor Richard Young.

Neighbors say Lund moved to an upscale neighborhood north of Chico. He’s out on bail, but nobody answered the door at his most recent address.

Police say Lund took a temporary transfer to the Fairfield CHP and would stay in the area during his work week. At age 49, investigators say the sergeant with a six-figure salary was already contemplating retirement.

The CHP released a statement calling the charges and disturbing. They have put Lund on administrative leave and stripped him of his peace officer powers.