A San Francisco police officer was ordered to face internal charges Wednesday for allegedly using department computers to find two women and visit them on duty for no legitimate reason.
Phillip Gonzales, 46, a 20-year veteran, has admitted he checked confidential records but said it was part of community policing, according to the charges presented Wednesday before the Police Commission.
One of the two women who complained called his behavior "creepy.''
The case was brought by the civilian Office of Citizen Complaints, which charged Gonzales with three counts, including neglect of duty and engaging in conduct reflecting discredit on the department.
"The accused officer obtained personal information about two women for his own curiosity and made contacts that were not welcome or appreciated,'' the charges say.
If the commission finds Gonzalez guilty, he could be suspended or fired.
Gonzales is assigned to the Taraval station and remains on duty. Steve Johnson, his advocate with the San Francisco Police Officers Association, declined comment.
According to the charges, Gonzales ran a dozen checks on various people on May 12, including several who went to grammar school with him. He later told investigators he was randomly running the names of people he had contact with around the Taraval station.
Later that day, while still on duty, Gonzales went to the home of one of the women he had run checks on, met her husband and left him his business card, according to the charges.
Gonzales told the husband that he had gone to grammar school with the woman, had seen her name on a report and felt guilty he had not looked her up sooner.
The woman, 46, told investigators she and Gonzalez had been in the same class in the fifth or sixth grade. She said they had not been friends and she felt angry and violated that the officer had looked her up after more than 35 years.
Gonzales told investigators that he had gone to the woman's home to say hello as he had been in the area on other business. He said he remembered her address after seeing it on a subpoena in late 2002 and had rechecked it May 12 before paying a visit.
That same day, Gonzales visited another woman whom he had met eight to 10 years before, when he went to her home to investigate an obscene phone call.
The woman told investigators that Gonzalez had discussed personal matters when he took that report, to the extent she felt she had to tell him she had a boyfriend to protect herself, the charges say.
A month after he took that report, Gonzales returned to her apartment and told the woman he was checking on her. She later told investigators his behavior was "creepy.''
Then, on May 12, 2003, he came by her new address. She met him in the lobby and told him she was married. She told investigators he was still "creepy" and "way too friendly,'' the charges say.
Story from the SF Gate
Phillip Gonzales, 46, a 20-year veteran, has admitted he checked confidential records but said it was part of community policing, according to the charges presented Wednesday before the Police Commission.
One of the two women who complained called his behavior "creepy.''
The case was brought by the civilian Office of Citizen Complaints, which charged Gonzales with three counts, including neglect of duty and engaging in conduct reflecting discredit on the department.
"The accused officer obtained personal information about two women for his own curiosity and made contacts that were not welcome or appreciated,'' the charges say.
If the commission finds Gonzalez guilty, he could be suspended or fired.
Gonzales is assigned to the Taraval station and remains on duty. Steve Johnson, his advocate with the San Francisco Police Officers Association, declined comment.
According to the charges, Gonzales ran a dozen checks on various people on May 12, including several who went to grammar school with him. He later told investigators he was randomly running the names of people he had contact with around the Taraval station.
Later that day, while still on duty, Gonzales went to the home of one of the women he had run checks on, met her husband and left him his business card, according to the charges.
Gonzales told the husband that he had gone to grammar school with the woman, had seen her name on a report and felt guilty he had not looked her up sooner.
The woman, 46, told investigators she and Gonzalez had been in the same class in the fifth or sixth grade. She said they had not been friends and she felt angry and violated that the officer had looked her up after more than 35 years.
Gonzales told investigators that he had gone to the woman's home to say hello as he had been in the area on other business. He said he remembered her address after seeing it on a subpoena in late 2002 and had rechecked it May 12 before paying a visit.
That same day, Gonzales visited another woman whom he had met eight to 10 years before, when he went to her home to investigate an obscene phone call.
The woman told investigators that Gonzalez had discussed personal matters when he took that report, to the extent she felt she had to tell him she had a boyfriend to protect herself, the charges say.
A month after he took that report, Gonzales returned to her apartment and told the woman he was checking on her. She later told investigators his behavior was "creepy.''
Then, on May 12, 2003, he came by her new address. She met him in the lobby and told him she was married. She told investigators he was still "creepy" and "way too friendly,'' the charges say.
Story from the SF Gate