Corona Punishes 8 Officers for Alleged Sexual Misconduct

Eight Corona police officers have been disciplined for sexual misconduct, a department spokesman confirmed Thursday.

Three of the officers, including one who had sex in a police substation while on duty, received demotions, pay reductions and suspensions for being involved in what a department official described as “serious misconduct of a sexual nature.”

Among the five others punished for minor personnel violations on and off duty, such as engaging in inappropriate workplace conversations of a sexual nature, three were demoted.

Corona police spokesman Jerry Rodriguez said the department completed a four-month investigation into the wrongdoing in March and concluded that no crimes were committed and no other police agencies were involved.

Rodriguez said the investigation revealed that three officers engaged in serious sexual misconduct during a six-month period in 2002. Rodriguez declined to describe the officers’ actions or say whether others were involved.

Rodriguez said the investigation disproved rumors that 30 or more officers were involved and that police cars were used for sexual activity.

“We’ve communicated to our employees in briefings and the creation of new policies that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated,” Rodriguez said. “We believe this was dealt with appropriately and severely.”

As a result of the investigation, Rodriguez said the department has instituted an “employee relationship” program, which requires employees to notify their division commander if they are involved in a personal relationship with another department employee.

The department has 168 sworn officers and more than 200 employees, counting civilian workers, such as records clerks and cadets.