D.C. Police Officer Arrested for Production of Child Pornography

Officer Marc Washington arrested hours after police learned that Washington had allegedly produced pornographic images of a juvenile while on duty

A D.C. police officer was arrested and charged with production of child pornography while on duty, the Metropolitan Police Department announced Tuesday.

Officer Marc Washington is accused of taking digital photographs of a 15-year-old girl after ordering her to remove her clothes.

Washington -- an officer with MPD since 2006 -- was arrested Monday, shortly after the victim's mother called police, authorities said.

According to charging documents, Washington first made contact with the family when the girl's mother called police to report her missing. Washington went to the family's home to take a missing persons report.

The girl returned home Sunday afternoon, but later that night, according to authorities, Washington went back to the apartment and asked to speak to the girl privately. He entered her bedroom and ordered her to remove her clothing, telling her he needed to take photographs of any injuries she'd sustained while missing, say charging documents.

The girl said she wasn't hurt, but he told her it was part of the procedure and she complied, the documents say.

After he left, the victim told her mother, who called police.

Washington was pulled over while still on duty. Authorities recovered a dozen images of the girl from his camera, including nine that had been deleted but were recoverable, authorities said.

Authorities also found other photos -- including nude images -- of unidentified people on Washington's camera.

They said at least two of the subjects appear to be minors.

"We invest a great amount of time and effort to ensure that we are hiring the right people and we continue to proactively monitor integrity across the department," said Police Chief Cathy Lanier. "But to learn of an allegation of this kind against a person who is sworn to protect our children, it is both shocking and disturbing. We are fortunate that someone came forward to alert us of this behavior to ensure that we prevent future victims."

Police are working to learn whether there may be additional victims, they said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities at 202-727-9099 or Youth Investigations Division at 202-576-6768. Those wishing to remain anonymous can submit tips by text messaging 50411.

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