The Ocean City Police Department suspended several officers and transferred one off patrol after launching an investigation into wide-ranging allegations of sexual affairs and explicit messages.
The moves appear to stem from a citizen complaint filed by a Bishopville man who said he was dating a female officer when he discovered that she had been having sexual affairs with three fellow officers and exchanging inappropriate messages with her supervisor.
Without specifying their ranks, the Ocean City Police Department said it suspended “three of the five individuals” named in the complaint pending the outcome of its investigation. The agency said it transferred “another individual” from the Patrol Division to the Support Services Division.
“The Ocean City Police Department will have a full complement of officers on duty heading into the busy summer season,” said Ashley Miller, deputy communications manager for the department.
The suspensions were first reported by the OC Today-Dispatch. A man reached at the phone number listed on the complaint hung up on a reporter when he was contacted Monday afternoon.
The complaint, filed with the Worcester County Police Accountability Board in late April, details relationships between a female officer and several of her male colleagues spanning multiple years. It cites photographic evidence taken off phones and other devices that was apparently submitted to police supervisors. The Banner obtained a copy of the complaint as part of a records request last month in reporting on how the local state’s attorney was bringing criminal charges against some people who complained about officers.
The complainant said he first discovered his girlfriend’s relationship with one of the officers after noticing that she was frequently texting a number labeled as that officer’s first name followed by “burner.” He wrote that he went through his partner’s devices and discovered sex tapes with the officer, who he said had his face blurred, but who he was able to identify by “his tattoos” and other identifiable features.
The complaint laid out the evidence for two other affairs and claimed that some of the officers admitted to their involvement. The complainant said his partner also admitted to her role in some of the affairs.
The man wrote that he submitted the complaint to internal affairs after notifying all of the families involved and consulting with close friends.
“I knew this wouldn’t stop unless they got involved,” he said.
