On Monday evening, after receiving a copy of an indictment against Phoenix Police Officer Alaa Bartley for receiving and possessing child pornography, the Phoenix Police Department issued a quick condemnation of the alleged actions, calling the actions “despicable and fundamentally opposed to the values our department and the law enforcement community.”
Last week, upon learning of the FBI investigation, the Department immediately placed Bartley on administrative leave and started the disciplinary process, that can include punishments up to and including termination, against the employee.
Bartley, age 41, of Gilbert, was arrested on Friday for receiving and possessing child sex abuse images. He was charged by federal criminal complaint on Friday with one count of Knowingly Receiving Child Pornography and one count of Knowingly Possessing Child Pornography.
According to the Department of Justice, the complaint alleges that between August 2020 and February 2022, while living in Gilbert, Bartley used a social media platform to communicate with an adult woman, with the two expressing their sexual interest in children and the woman sending Bartley child pornography images. The affidavit alleges that Bartley used a fictitious name, but identified himself as a police officer and sent a picture of himself that showed his face to her. The adult woman has been charged separately in the Eastern District of Michigan.
A count of Knowingly Receiving Child Pornography carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. A count of Knowingly Possessing Child Pornography carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; if the offense involved a visual depiction of a prepubescent minor or minor who had not attained the age of 12, the offense carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
“What is alleged, is contrary to the courageous work done every day by the men and women of the Phoenix Police Department to protect one of the most vulnerable populations in our community, our children,” said Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan.