Officer demoted for viewing porn on duty

A police sergeant caught looking at sexually explicit pictures on his laptop computer outside the Puyallup Fair will be reprimanded and demoted.

Daniel Waddington, 45, a six-year veteran of the Puyallup Police Department, will be demoted to patrol officer next week.

Waddington was on duty in his patrol car outside the fair Sept. 20 when a fairgoer videotaped him looking at pornographic pictures on a laptop. The fairgoer then sold the tape to a television station, and an investigation was launched.

Yesterday, after a two-week review, Police Chief Rodger Cool announced he had decided to demote Waddington.

"I perceive his misconduct to be a serious violation," Cool said at a news conference.

Department spokeswoman Shelby Barager said Waddington violated two city policies against inappropriate and unauthorized use of city computer equipment and one Police Department policy.

The police policy he violated was conduct unbecoming an officer, Barager said.

Efforts to reach Waddington were unsuccessful.

Puyallup is one of three Western Washington police agencies - along with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and the Tacoma Police Department - that have Internet access through laptop computers in their vehicles.

Former Chief Lockheed Reader, under whom the Internet access was established three years ago, said such access is an important tool in law-enforcement communications.

"This is the direction everybody is going in," Reader said recently.

He said access allows officers to write and file a report in the field and send it to a supervisor who can file it immediately.

In addition, officers will soon be able to quickly find booking rec ords, mug shots and warrant information.

Cool said Waddington had an otherwise unblemished service rec ord and had been cooperative and open during the review of the incident.

The chief apologized for the incident and said, "We would like now to put this matter behind us and begin to regain the public trust that has been lost."