An officer with the San Diego State University Police Department was arrested and charged last week on suspicion of downloading child pornography to his personal computer, campus officials said Tuesday.
The arrest stemmed from an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations’ cyber crime unit, leading to an arrest off campus Thursday, SDSU Police Chief Gregory Murphy said.
The next day, the officer was charged with possession of child pornography, Murphy said.
University officials cited employee privacy laws Tuesday and declined to disclose the officer’s name, rank and time of employment with the university’s police department.
“This is shocking, and I want to immediately acknowledge that no child — and no one — should ever experience exploitation, and to also recognize the pain and upset this has caused within our organization,” Murphy said in an email shared with campus students, faculty and staff. “This is painful, and these cases can be especially difficult for survivors of abuse.”
Murphy said the department had already initiated actions to fire the officer.
The department referred all questions about the investigation to Homeland Security Investigations, an agency under U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Representatives from ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
No other information was immediately available.
