By Police1 Staff
SAN FRANCISCO — An officer whose off-duty hobby is taking nude photos of women says in a lawsuit he was wrongly suspended for it.
Gared Hansen, 36, said in the suit he was suspended in 2009 and again in 2010 because the department “did not approve of plaintiff’s artistic expression.”
The 2009 suspension came after an internal investigation connected to Hansen’s photos, which he has described on websites as “boudoir/pin-up photography.” The lawsuit said Hansen was given jobs the department widely considers “punishment assignments.”
In 2010, Hansen was found with two models inside an abandoned hotel photographers frequently use to shoot, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. He identified himself as a San Francisco officer to Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputies, who cited him for trespassing.
San Francisco police alleged the incident discredited the department and suspended him for 10 days.
Hansen said he takes the photos on his own time, and they have no connection to his law enforcement job.