7 California Police Officers To Be Charged For Sex With A Minor

A total of seven police officers in California will be charged for having sex with a minor in a sexual misconduct case that now stretches across multiple counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to The Associated Press, back in June, a teenage girl told police she had sex with up to 30 current and former officers in Oakland and Richmond, two cities in California, over the past two years. The 19-year-old woman, who described herself as a prostitute to police, allegedly admitted to having sex with four officers when she was under 18. She also told police she traded sex to protect herself from getting arrested and to get tips on possible prostitution stings. Last week, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley announced that she would be charging seven officers, but was waiting to officially file until after it's been revealed whether the teen could be returned to California. She is currently being jailed in Florida on suspicion she assaulted a guard at a treatment center where she was living. The prosecutor said three officers will be charged with felonies, including oral copulation with a minor and obstruction of justice. An additional four officers will be charged with misdemeanor counts of engaging in prostitution and unauthorized access of a confidential criminal justice database. The investigation into the Oakland Police Department for sexual misconduct started back in September 2015 after an Oakland officer died by suicide and left behind a note that detailed the relationship he and other officers had with the teen. O'Malley told the AP that she found evidence that the teen had friended "many, many" officers on social media, where many of these same officers engaged in sexually charged exchanges with the young woman. O'Malley said those exchanges were "morally reprehensible," but not crimes. However, she did reveal that she had found evidence that the teen had engaged in sexual activity with officers in other other jurisdictions outside Oakland including San Francisco, Contra Costa, and San Joaquin. According to the AP, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reported that disciplinary actions were taken against dozens of officers in the area, including dismissals and suspensions. Another two officers implicated in the sex scandal have reportedly resigned. The union representing the Oakland officers said in a statement that it is disappointed by the scandal and let residents know that the majority of officers are "hard-working and upstanding."