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Deputy police chief accused in scandal involving images of female coworkers retires after months on paid leave

Posted at 9:29 PM, Jun 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-06 23:29:30-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- A deputy chief with the Salt Lake City Police Department retired Friday, and the man is accused of sharing sexually suggestive images of his co-workers.

Rick Findlay had been on paid administrative leave for more than six months. Now, he's out of a high-ranking job but still eligible for retirement benefits.

Records requested by FOX 13 News now shed more light on what happened.

In a letter from Police Chief Chris Burbank to Findlay, the chief writes, "in the spring of 2011, you accessed the image(s) on a department provided smart phone and displayed them to other male employees of the department while outside the workplace."

The letter adds that in a second incident Findlay, "obtained an electronic image of two female subordinates in bikinis ... you displayed the image to at least one male officer in the department."

The same image was also shown on a business trip, the letter says, and "according to the female officer's testimony, she gave no consent for the image to be shown and only became aware of the incident after an officer from another jurisdiction advised her."

Then, when Findlay became aware other subordinates were showing the images, the letter says Findlay, "failed to take appropriate supervisory action."

The 4-page letter concluded with Chief Burbank stating in part, "your behavior calls into question not only your personal professionalism but that of the entire police department … your contributions to the salt lake city police department throughout your career have been significant. It is unfortunate that your lack of judgment in this instance has such adverse impact. it should be noted that your conduct did not rise to the level of termination. However, you have decided to resign your position .. by accepting your resignation, I deem this matter concluded."

It's still unclear why it took the department more than six months to investigate Findlay, but the former SWAT lieutenant started with the department back in 1994, and when Utah police officers reach 20 years on the job they're eligible for retirement benefits .

FOX 13 News has looked into the allegations for months and has tried to reach Findlay for comment but hasn’t received a response. Also, the police department would not comment Friday night, choosing to stand by the letter released. FOX 13 News has requested the internal affairs reports connected to this case. The department says they will be released when they're complete.

Click here for a PDF of the document: Final Determination Letter Findlay

Related story: Salt Lake City Police Department deputy chief on paid leave