TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A Tucson police officer caught up in an investigation into a prostitution ring has given up his certification to serve as an officer in Arizona.
The Arizona Daily Star reports (https://bit.ly/2hoRHzm) that the board that oversees police certifications has accepted a consent agreement with Oscar Ramos. He was one of eight police employees who were fired or resigned after an investigation revealed they were customers of or had knowledge of illegal massage parlors.
Documents from the board say Ramos acknowledged he used “these services, knowing they offered sex acts in exchange for additional money.” Ramos also acknowledged paying for massages from one of the women that ended with sexual contact on more than one occasion.
The board agreed to a three-month suspension of Officer Vincent Valenzuela’s certification.
Documents say an investigation revealed Valenzuela had a personal relationship with the alleged operator of a massage business that authorities say offered sexual acts.
During the investigation, detectives learned that in April 2014 Valenzuela used his work computer to run the alleged operator’s name through state and federal law enforcement databases for no valid law enforcement reason.
When asked about the incident, he told investigators that he didn’t remember doing that.
The documents from the board say Valenzuela assisted in serving a search warrant on the alleged operator’s home without notifying his supervisor of their personal relationship.
Valenzuela had been fired in August 2015, but appealed his termination with the city’s Civil Service Commission, which overturned the department’s decision and reinstated Valenzuela to the force.
Police began investigation the prostitution ring in 2011 and over the next four years learned that a former employee of the ring had started her own company.
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Information from: Arizona Daily Star, https://www.tucson.com
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