A former Prince George's County police officer will be on probation for three years for taking upskirt photos of multiple women.
Officer James Sims was sentenced Friday to a suspended sentence of one year and three years of supervised probation.
On June 1, 2016, an off-duty police officer from another jurisdiction reported that Sims tried to take an inappropriate photo of her at a Sports Authority store in Bowie, Maryland. The victim chased Sims into the parking lot and watched him get into his marked police cruiser to escape, prosecutors said.
Investigators later discovered additional incidents, including at least two photos that were taken during traffic stops.
Sims was indicted on four counts of visual surveillance with prurient intent and two counts of misconduct in office.
Police Chief Hank Stawinksi said Sims' behavior does not represent other officers.
“Violations of the community’s trust are the most serious infractions a police officer can commit,” said Stawinski. “I would like to apologize to the community but also reassure our residents that this has been taken extraordinarily seriously as a form of corruption.”
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Sims was a 6-year veteran at the time of the incident.
