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PUBLIC SERVICE

Female Cop Demoted for Sexual Content on Her Personal Cell Phone

Should public servants be penalized for racy content on personal devices?

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: Tucson Police Dept.

A woman police officer has been demoted for sending sexually-explicit video of herself from her personal cell to her boyfriend, a lower-ranking policeman.

Diana Lopez was demoted to the rank of lieutenant by the Tucson Police Dept for breaching department regulations and its code of ethics. Assistant Chief Kathleen Robinson explained that Lopez had undermined "her credibility as a commander" and harmed "the reputation and mission of the Tucson Police Department," according to documents quoted by the Arizona Daily Star.

The case came to light after Lopez's boyfriend showed the video and images to other police officers. Lopez herself is now reportedly considering a lawsuit against the city. Her lawyer explained that her case would be based on "constitutional issues over lawful off-duty behavior and violation of privacy."

Via New York Daily News.
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Should public servants be penalized for racy content on personal devices?

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Comments (view in Forum)

  • PNWest
    !
    We don't know what this material was but I'll be glad to review it for Politix. Just send the videos to 541-HORNDOG
  • Wait-----what
    !
    Precisely. It depends whether or not she was on duty when said "acts" were performed. If it was on her own time then no she should not be penalized. Now the boyfriend on the other hand, should not have shared it with others, and should be reprimanded.
  • GmanGSW
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    I agree. Taking it on a case by case basis. However, it also depends on each PDs internal rules and regs... If it's not in there, "very 1st-amendment-ish."
  • Denizen_Kate
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    Agreed. She needs a better boyfriend for sure. I hope she dumps that chump. But shouldn't she have some expectation of privacy in the use of her personal phone?
  • Rocker
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    @Denizen_Kate - I'm always amused by the folks who put stuff on social networking sites and sexting and then moans when they get outed. The GIs that posted stuff that wasn't kosher or in bad taste, this, and a few more. I mean, what did they expect. As far as the boyfriend goes in violating her trust, she shoulda performed a hemorrhoidectomy on him with her 40 cal.
  • u
    Realthinker
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    The contents of our emails and cell phones are not that private. We all should know by now that sexting invites trouble. Keep it completely out of the public eye by keeping it behind closed doors at home. If her judgement is that poor she deserved the demotion; she's lucky that's all that happened.
  • frigginhell
    !
    She gave up any rights to privacy when she sent it to someone else. It was then to do with as he pleased. Something he obviously did. It did undermine her ability to command as, like it or not, she did change the relation between her and the other officers who saw the video. It might not be something that everyone agrees with but it certainly would change how I viewed my boss if I watched her masterbate on a webcam. I'd certainly lose respect for her judgement.
  • u
    Chromalord
    !
    The question isn't whether its right or wrong, the question is did she violate an agreed upon term of her employment. So with that maybe the bigger question is it legal for the police force ( or its city's ordinance) to impose its will on a civil servants personal behavior?
  • jessejaymes
    !
    It is not "sexist bs". The "boyfriend" was not in a position of power. He did not send the photos. Why is it "sexist" with you fem nazi's when a man does this and you want him rightfully fired. Yet when a woman does the same thing somehow it's not sexist? She should have been fired just as any man in a position of power should be fired for sending an underling nude photos. That's called EQUALITY. But equality has never been the goal of fem nazi's has it? Always superiority huh?
  • stepped_in_it
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    There will be a time when people will get smart enough to know NOT to put this type of personal "information" on their cells, Facebook, Tweeter.... etc (not in my lifetime though). It is not private. After you send/download/upload it, it's now possible for it to go to 100's and 1000's and MILLIONS of other devices and then the whole world can view it!
    Stupid for sending it and stupid for trusting a boyfriend (or even a husband, as you have a 50/50 chance for an ex-husband). Good golly Miss Molly, great balls of fire!
  • Real4WheelDrv
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    Not to mention even a lifetime husband is never ENTIRELY free of the caveman philosophy, and might be tempted to share with some of his closest friends "hey, look what I got at home".
  • dances-weebles
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    i agree with you to an extent. nothing is private in this electronic world. the whole point, as far as i can see it, however, is that she shouldn't have been penalised any more than she already has been by her numbskull boyfriend. he's the one who should be demoted... right out the door for showing a total lack of discretion; not to mention class.

    i'm wondering how many of these nitwits have ever seen how many sexually explicit videos are on you-tube under such headings as 'my ex-girlfriend mashing one out', or 'my ex-wife getting off on a motorcycle'
  • stepped_in_it
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    @dances-weebles Agree about the demotion....but it's lessons not learned that there might be consequences for stupid actions when you bare your personal arse/thoughts into the electronic world.....and this is one of them!
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    Her sending racy videos to her boyfriend is none of the police departments business!!! I would break up with that boyfriend though, after I had erased those videos from his phone. He should have never shown something that personal between a couple to others. That is not the type of boyfriend, lover or husband I would stay with!
  • u
    BelinKS
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    @Food4thoughts
    No, he broke her trust. The picture of her shows that she is beautiful! He didn't need to show something that personal she entrusted him with to show her off.
  • DogLady_1
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    First off, it's illegal to transmit sexually explicit images over phonelines. Secondly, if the taxpayers furnished that phone, then the punishment should be higher, and the public has a right to those phone records... and if she was sending those images while on duty, she is taking care of personal business on the taxpayer dime.
  • jamie91
    !
    Sexual content is only illegal if you are sending it to a minor, and this article says nothing of tax payers paying her bill (the cops I know gotta pay their own phone bill) or of her doing it on the job.
  • u
    AceLuby
    !
    @jamie91 Exactly, some states have sexting laws for adults, but not AZ. Unless she was on the job (which doesn't seem to be the case) she did nothing that would warrant that kind of reaction, especially when it doesn't seem anything was done to the 'boyfriend.'
  • u
    cpeter133
    !
    First off, it's not illegal for adults to send sexual content from phone to phone. Secondly, it said it was her personal phone; even if they get some kid of perk from th city that pays their bill (highly unlikely), the public does NOT have a right to see what's on her phone.. Even if she sent it while on duty, it's irrelevant--cops make personal calls all the time.

    The boyfriend should be fired, however.
  • DogLady_1
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    @jamie91 - off duty... but did the taxpayer give her that phone? But if off-duty and totally personal, I do think this is an overreaction...
  • View all 30 replies >
  • u
    S-N-A-F-U
    !
    This seems to be the rule in liberal run law enforcement agencies. Everything has to be within the confines of "PC." There are exceptions however, but this is not one of them. Tucson is a liberal bastion of malcontents!
  • Mbjhug
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    No where does it state the political affiliation of any of these officers, or the police chief. The city might lean left, but for all we know every single police officer is a conservative.
  • u
    S-N-A-F-U
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    @Mbjhug
    As a former law enforcement officer, I can tell you that the majority of officers that I knew were conservative by definition. But it also helps if the city or town leans in that direction as well. On the flip-side, you have cities like San Francisco with a Lesbian Police Chief and a large contingent of progressives within their ranks.

    If one lives in a city or town for any length of time, knows the political affiliations and the environment that exist within, providing they have a modicum of cognitive awareness Tucson is one of those liberal cities (U can research it). However, the rank and file of the TPD could all be conservative in their political persuasion for that matter, but it's the command structure and police commissioner that counts -- and in this case, are the ones who acquiesce to the policies of Mayor Rothschild, who is a flaming Lib.
  • u
    TexasMule
    !
    Having not read the TPD personnel policies, including ethical conduct, this is hard to call. That being said, if the policies are specific enough to include content on a personal cell phone, then she should be demoted.
    First thing she needs to do is dump the dumba** that clearly didn't care enough about her to keep the video private between themselves.
    Secon thing she needs to do is quit being a dumba** and sending videos of herself.
  • wild_turkey6
    !
    In all seriousness, I think that she showed poor judgement in boyfriends, but it sounds like what she did was on her on time and on her own phone. I don't think employers should have the right to demote you for things that you do on your own time.
  • u
    stephen
    !
    heck no; its her private business. her boy friend showed poor judgement in showing those personal pics. her boyfriend should be one fired for being so stupid in those pics. plus she should dump her boy friend for violation of her trust..
  • o
    Republican5001
    !
    Why would you date a coworker? Why would you date coworkers where it is a predominantly male, ego driven job, like being a cop? Not to mention she is or was a supervisor and should of known better. And if she didn't then she was asleep at the wheel and robbing the people of Tucson of someone who is qualified for the job, instead of meeting affirmative action requirements.

    She violated rule number 1 of life...,never shit where you eat or date where you work. Only brings on drama, like this.
  • wild_turkey6
    !
    After rereading that, it registered that her boyfriend was a lower ranking police officer and she was a commander. I would venture to guess that there is more to this story, like the fact that there is probably a prohibition about relationships between those in your chain of command.
  • PayThatCEO
    !
    That's exactly what I'm taking away from this. Had the boyfriend not been another officer, especially one of lower rank, this probably wouldn't have become an issue.
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