Posted on 10/25/2014 3:47:26 PM PDT by Half Vast Conspiracy
A California highway patrolman says that for several years he has participated in a “game” in which he and other police officers shared explicit pictures they had taken from the cell phones of female arrestees.
Sean Harrington, a 35-year-old CHP officer, was initially being investigated for sending five explicit pictures from the cell phone of a 23-year-old woman he had arrested on Aug. 29 for a DUI, the Contra Costa Times reported.
The woman came forward earlier this month and told authorities that during her DUI stop — during which she registered a 0.29 blood-alcohol level — Harrington asked for the password to her cell phone, which she provided.
The woman told authorities that she later discovered that content from her Apple iPhone had been transferred to an unknown phone number while she was in custody. The record of the forwarding was deleted from the phone, but it showed up on her iPad – the two devices were synced. When she did not recognize the number to which the photos had been sent, she researched and found that it belonged to Harrington.
As disturbing as that allegation is, the Contra Costa Times dove deeper and uncovered several new twists.
According to court records obtained by the Times, Harrington said that he had done the same thing to other women “half dozen times in the last several years.”
And worse, other officers had taken part as well.
“Harrington said he first learned of this scheme when he was working in the Los Angeles office,” Contra Costa County district attorney investigator Darryl Holcombe wrote in an affidavit for an Oct. 14 search warrant.
“Harrington said when he was assigned to the Dublin office, he learned from other officers that they would access the cell phones of female arrestees and look for nude photographs of them. Harrington said if photographs were located, the officers would then text the photographs to other sworn members of the office, and, to non-CHP individuals. Harrington described this scheme as a game.”
In the affidavit, Holcombe determined that Harrington should be charged with felony computer theft.
During the course of his investigation, Holcombe reviewed jailhouse surveillance footage to establish the timing of the photo transfer. He found that the woman was in custody when the photos were sent from her phone.
The court records also show that on Aug. 7 Harrington had hacked into the phone of another woman who had been involved in a DUI accident. He forwarded two photos of the woman wearing a bikini, accompanied by the text message sent to fellow CHP officer Robert Hazelwood which read, “Taken from the phone of my 10-15x while she’s in X-rays. Enjoy buddy!!!”
According to the Contra Costa Times, “10-15x” is code for a woman in custody.
“No f—— nudes?” Hazelwood replied.
Harrington sent the same photos to another CHP officer named Dion Simmons. Simmons sent text messages back which read “Nice” and “Hahahaaaa.”
“Just rerun a favor down the road buddy. :)” Harrington replied.
In his affidavit, Holcombe reported that Harrington and Hazelwood had exchanged crude messages when discussing the pictures of the woman who sparked the investigation.
Hazelwood asked to see the woman’s “dl,” which could be a reference to her driver’s license. He also sent a text message to Harrington which read “Nudes are always better with the face.”
CHP commissioner Joe Farrow condemned the officers’ alleged actions.
“The allegations anger and disgust me,” Farrow said, according to the Contra Costa Times. “We expect the highest levels of integrity and moral strength from everyone in the California Highway Patrol, and there is no place in our organization for such behavior.”
“The callousness and depravity with which these officers communicated about my client is dehumanizing, horribly offensive and degrading to all women,” said Rick Madsen, who represents the woman who reported Harrington. “It’s going to lead to another level of mistrust and skepticism to the motive of law enforcement in general.”
Oh, but you are blaming the victim here.
I once had a buddy who showed me a photo of his mom wearing nothing more than her birthday suit. We were in grade school at the time. He told me his mom and dad had gone into the bedroom and my friend heard the sound of pictures being taken with an instamatic. After his parents left the house, he dug around their bedroom and discovered the nudes.
Couples have been taking nude photos of each other for ages. Nothing wrong with that.
Whether or not they wish to sext each other photos is their business, though it may be imprudent to do so. It’s none of our business.
Have we sunk that far as to blame the women rather than to be outraged that those who have sworn to serve and protect violated their oath and committed crimes against the innocent?
It’s a bad idea to put nude photos on a phone, but these cops were sending even bikini shots. That’s not the issue. Police have zero moral or constitutional right to search a phone unless they #1 believe it contains evidence directly related to the crime and #2 they have a search warrant.
Some might say the women voluntarily gave their passwords. Regardless, police are acting on behalf of the state. They are authority figures with the full power of the state backing them. There is no such thing as voluntary consent in situations like this, especially when the women are drunk or otherwise incapacitated. The burden of complying with moral, constitutional protections must fall ENTIRELY on the government.
I guess we have.
You’re right. Blame the victim ?
Well, in my mind, there are two issues here which have been combined and really should not be combined.
The issue of government agents taking private photos from a phone is one in which we agree on. This is clearly a violation of the law and should be prosecuted as such.
I had brought up another issue, which was the issue of why do so many females have nude photos on a phone, separate from the issue of whether cops should be checking what is on their phones. I am sadly amazed that so many females seem to do this, but, agree that they have every right to do so without government or police snooping on their phones.
“CHP commissioner Joe Farrow condemned the officers’ alleged actions.
“The allegations anger and disgust me,” Farrow said, according to the Contra Costa Times. “We expect the highest levels of integrity and moral strength from everyone in the California Highway Patrol, and there is no place in our organization for such behavior.” “
Maybe if you guys in charge did your blinking jobs, instead of acting like union stewards, you’d have officers who understand how to behave themselves. Instead, you send them the message to do what they want and no one will police them.
Now you want to complain when one of these pigs, term fully fitting, damage your reputation as a LE agency.
That's something these fine police officers can ponder during their time in prison.
“We need the Lord!”
See my tag line.
“Nothing wrong with that.”
I entirely agree,
I am probably the last person on earth who would take a naked picture of myself, but nevertheless I aver that if I did take a naked picture of myself that it would be well within my natural born rights to do so.
My body, my camera.
And it would also be MY CHOICE to share or not share that picture.
The human body is beautiful, God made it.
All parties here were stupid, but the cops most so. Their careers will probably end because of this. Sadly, the nearly limitless legal nudity on the Internet just wasn’t enough to satisfy ‘em.
Immorality generally runs throughout American society. How in the world can a leader instill integrity and morality simply by telling people to behave? Sure. Individual cops can be fired, but when the majority no longer gives a flip about morality?
It’s like these teachers who prey on children. The teachers themselves apparently don’t believe in right or wrong. They’re likely sexually immoral in their private lives. What makes us suddenly think they’ll be more moral in their profession?
Regardless of the matter of a password, there is no reasonable explanation whatsoever for the cop to mail out anything from her phone, even if it could be considered “evidence”, which it certainly was not in this case.
” How in the world can a leader instill integrity and morality simply by telling people to behave? Sure. Individual cops can be fired, but when the majority no longer gives a flip about morality?”
As a general rule, people who know they aren’t accountable behave that way. You can’t change what is in a cop’s heart. But his boss can send a message that corruption will not be tolerated. Or the boss can send the message that corrupt behavior is just fine by him. Now, you can’t guarantee good behavior out of all of them with the first option. But the results of the second are easily predictable.
doing it for YEARS.
none of the “good” ones would turn ‘em in.
“You got any pictures of your wife in the nude?”
“No.”
“Want to buy some?”
-RIP, Benny.
Blatent, tattooed, and #Selfie obsessed.
Their careers will probably end because of this.
Sadly, I doubt it.
And let’s not forget the random piercings... seriously, they’ll just pop a little silver ball anywhere. It’s like they load them into nail guns and shoot them at each other.
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