A San Jose police officer is on leave while the department probes an allegation he gave a meth pipe to a San Jose woman in exchange for information, according to sources who spoke to NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit.
Further details remain unclear.
A spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department said they couldn’t comment on the personnel matter, which remains under investigation, but noted the alleged misconduct occurred more than six months ago.
The officer joins a growing list of San Jose police officers recently accused of inappropriate behavior in recent months, both on and off duty.
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Last week, NBC Bay Area first broke the story about another officer on leave after a San Jose family reported him for masturbating in the kitchen of their home during a call for service. San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata confirmed that officer was on leave and under investigation for sexual misconduct but declined to comment further.
“If these allegations are proven to be true, then this person has no place in law enforcement,” said Sean Pritchard, president of the SJPD Police Officers Association, regarding the officer accused of sexual misconduct. “Having these different incidents has really led us to a place where we want to take a much harder look at our hiring process, our backgrounding process and really see if there’s something that’s being missed.”
A representative of the union couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon on the meth pipe allegations.
A separate officer was also recently placed on leave while the department investigates allegations that he responded to the Baby Brandon kidnapping while intoxicated. According to sources who spoke to NBC Bay Area, an FBI agent also working the kidnapping investigation reported the officer.
Sources with knowledge of that case say the officer had a blood alcohol level of 0.139 – nearly twice the legal limit.
Then just last weekend, another San Jose officer was arrested in connection to a drunk driving crash in Hayward.
A CHP report said the off-duty officer crashed into another car on Interstate 880 north of Tennyson Road.
SJPD said it’s investigating but the officer is not on leave.
The string of scandals involving San Jose police officers began late last month when the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that rookie officer De'Jon Packer had recently died from a fentanyl overdose.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the case told NBC Bay Area that Packer was at a party with fellow police officers the night before he died.
Following NBC Bay Area’s reporting, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo proposed random drug and alcohol testing for all officers.
Currently, testing is mandatory only for certain units.
"It's apparent that this needs to be made universal in the department," Liccardo said. "Doing so will enable the department to identify those officers who need help."
The police union said it will consider the proposal at its next contract negotiation.
