A Tucson police officer who was fired because of his alleged involvement with a string of massage parlors is now at risk of losing his state certification for police work, officials said.
Officer Daniel M. Santa Cruz was one of five Tucson Police Department employees to be terminated in July, in the wake of an investigation into a long-running prostitution ring, documents show.
In a Wednesday meeting of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, members decided that a rule had been violated and voted to initiate proceedings against Santa Cruz, board spokeswoman, Sandy Sierra, wrote in an email.
A formal complaint will be mailed to Santa Cruz, who has the opportunity for a hearing with an administrative law judge, should he choose, Sierra said.
The board can suspend or revoke Santa Cruz’s peace officer certificate for misconduct, including unlawful sexual conduct. Loss of his license will prohibit him from working as a certified peace officer in Arizona.
An internal affairs investigation by Tucson Police Department determined Santa Cruz had contacted at least 10 suspected massage parlors between February and December of 2014, documents obtained by the Star show.
The investigation also uncovered roughly 150 points of contact between Santa Cruz’s cell phone and the illegal businesses, according to the board’s case overview.
“Between Feb. 5, 2014, and Oct. 22, 2014, he had 35 contacts with Ms. C., who advertised massage, house cleaning and organizing,” the document said. “He had her come to his house numerous times over a six- to 10-month period of time to clean his house, only on days when his wife was not home.”
According to the document, he paid her anywhere from $70 to $120 each time.
Santa Cruz communicated with several other massage operations, including “By Spanish,” the business at the center of the Tucson police investigation, the document said.
Investigators said Santa Cruz referred to having a horrible memory when questioned during his internal affairs interviews, and answered with, “I don’t know,” about 150 times, according to the document.
“Officer Santa Cruz was continually evasive during his IA interviews and denied knowledge or information until evidence was presented to him,” the document said.
In addition, during a June polygraph, the examiner felt that Santa Cruz was trying to manipulate the exam, and had to repeatedly tell him to breathe normally.
The document says he failed the polygraph when the examiner determined he lied in response to the question, “while employed by TPD did you ever engage in sexual contact under any fee arrangement?”
Santa Cruz did not appeal his termination from the police force. In September, the Pima County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute Santa Cruz.
The board will meet sometime in the next several months to vote on the administrative judge’s findings in the Santa Cruz case.
It’s unclear if any of the other Tucson police officers terminated in the prostitution probe will be facing certification hearings.
