Mountain View police officer Kevin Nguyen was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of possession of child pornography, according to San Jose Police.
The San Jose Police Department had a search warrant to investigate the home of the 36-year-old Mountain View police officer for child pornography. In their investigation Tuesday afternoon, May 13, officers located items in Nguyen's home determined to be child pornography, including content on his computer, according to Sgt. Heather Randol, public information officer for the San Jose police.
San Jose officers arrived at the Mountain View Police Department Tuesday and took Nguyen into custody. He was booked into the San Jose Main Jail on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography, according to San Jose police.
"We are very disappointed and sad when an allegation is made against a police officer," Mountain View Police Chief Scott Vermeer told the Voice. "Especially allegations of this nature."
Nguyen is a patrol officer for the police department who also serves as the department's sketch artist, occasionally working in that capacity for neighboring police departments.
Vermeer said the charges and subsequent investigation were news to the department, when the San Jose police contacted the Mountain View Police Department and told them they were searching a home of one of its officers.
"We had (Nguyen) stand by until the San Jose police were en-route, and they came and arrested him." Vermeer said.
Randol said the San Jose Police Department will continue the ongoing criminal investigation. She did not know if Nguyen was still in custody.
Vermeer said he wants to be honest and open with the community about the situation. He said last night he gathered everyone on duty and told them everything he knew about what was going on. He said the police department will be open to the community and the press, and the police website will be updated with any new information.
Nguyen, who has been with the Mountain View Police Department for seven years, has been placed on paid administrative leave during the the investigation.
In an open letter to the community, the Mountain View Police Department called the allegations deeply unsettling.
"This is an extremely difficult time not only for our police department family, but also for the Mountain View community and for any innocent parties involved," the letter said.
The department will conduct its own internal administrative investigation in the matter, it said.
Vermeer said Nguyen will remain on paid administrative leave until the criminal investigation is completed, and will take appropriate disciplinary action or exonerate him depending on the results.
Nguyen had received local acclaim for putting his background in fine arts to use as a police sketch artist, and was featured on KTVU Channel 2 news in February.
Comments
Old Mountain View
on May 14, 2014 at 11:50 am
on May 14, 2014 at 11:50 am
Curious that the title of this article says there is only one charge and the first paragraph says the charge is possession of child porn. However, buried deep in the middle of the article is the charge of distribution of child porn. Seems to me that dealing child porn is a tremendously more serious charge and should be emphasized in this article.
Old Mountain View
on May 14, 2014 at 1:15 pm
on May 14, 2014 at 1:15 pm
Now...can I see YOUR license and registration please officer Nguyen?
Jackson Park
on May 14, 2014 at 3:07 pm
on May 14, 2014 at 3:07 pm
They don't put these six-figured salary morons through the screening we endure to get on a flight to LA.
Cuesta Park
on May 14, 2014 at 8:00 pm
on May 14, 2014 at 8:00 pm
How long before the Union weighs in to make sure this guy gets to keep his six-figure pension?
Old Mountain View
on May 14, 2014 at 8:18 pm
on May 14, 2014 at 8:18 pm
Hey...calm down everybody. This one officer was arrested, and that certainly shouldn't lead to accusations of the sort being made here about police in general! Also, let's not forget that he's innocent until proven (PROVEN) guilty. Let's not lose our own dignity in a rush to general condemnation. I recall some years ago; one of my sons was victimized in high school in a dope extortion attempt. He was helped enormously by a Palo Alto Officer who went on in a short time to arrest 3 young people who were victimizing naïve high schoolers. Two months later it turned out that this officer (a man who genuinely cared for youth and our community) was in fact hooked on cocaine and foolishly violated his privileges to obtain enough money to maintain his habit. It was very sad to see someone's life destroyed..,, Let's give this fellow a chance to defend himself in court and see whether we all are that much more righteous than he.
Registered user
Old Mountain View
on May 14, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Registered user
on May 14, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Well said James.
Martens-Carmelita
on May 14, 2014 at 10:34 pm
on May 14, 2014 at 10:34 pm
James: Your early points made some sense about not jumping the gun aaand then....You tainted your entire comment with that final "whether we all are that much more righteous than he"!!! which is premised on the idea that we all probably are not more righteous than a COP CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORN IN HIS HOME. That's a fact "IN HIS HOME".
This premise of yours begs the question of how much child porn you have in your home? Cuz' that final sentence of yours is chosen to diminish the severity of the issues. Why would you want to do that?
I have no child porn in my home online or anywhere else and never have had any. So don't lump me and others like me into your peculiar logic.
Having child porn in one's home is telltale in much the same way as having a baby bump is telltale. It's not very debatable. No grey areas vav "determined to be child porn".
The courts will decide his crimes/innocence... I do hope it goes to court and MVPD avoids that boys club dynamic of the closed silent Blue Line which happens so often sexual exploitation cases. No white wash or conspiracy of silence in the name of palship.
That would severely damage coummunity trust in our police dept.
Stierlin Estates
on May 15, 2014 at 1:39 am
on May 15, 2014 at 1:39 am
I trust that no cop and no department as a whole wants anything to do with someone who collects kiddie porn. There will be no unrighteousness protection for this officer. No way. They will fire him as soon as they are legally able to. People can hide child porn. It can be a secret. It's not going to be something discovered in any kind of background check. The department is not at fault here. The officer alone is responsible. Bad people work in all levels of our society. Cops. Doctors. Teachers. Construction workers. Accountants. There is no occupation devoid of sick people. Everyone just expects more of people in certain professions. And we should expect more. But it will still happen on occasion. The important thing is that he has been caught. And justice will be served. And the MVPD will terminate his employment as soon as they can do so without violating employment laws about this kind of thing. Mountain View is known all over for its amazing police department and amazing officers. It's a stellar department...with a fresh stain on its reputation. But one bad apple does not represent 95 other wonderful people who protect our community.
another community
on May 15, 2014 at 7:22 am
on May 15, 2014 at 7:22 am
Innocent until PROVEN guilty.
A great portion of our constititional rights have been eroded over the years. Don't let this one evaporate too!
I am no fan of the police, especially not the MVPD. Great power left unchecked always leads to abuse. How long has the phrase "Trumped up charges" been part of our vocabulary? We must demand this man be granted a fair day in court.
Monta Loma
on May 15, 2014 at 7:52 am
on May 15, 2014 at 7:52 am
I'm fine with guilty until proven innocent. Nguyen deserves his day in court to examine evidence and witnesses. I wish him all the luck in the world.
He's going to need it. Even just being arrested for child porn pretty much brands you for life. Even if acquitted.
What I really want to see is details. I want the police to truly be transparent. We are talking about a public employee accused of a serious crime. We, his employers, should be kept up to date in detail.
If this wasn't a cop I think we'd have more details by now. Even if the department doesn't want to protect the single cop they still want to minimize damage to the department itself. And that runs against the idea of being transparent. At least to them.
If you notice the San Jose Police couldn't tell you if Nguyen was still in custody or not. That's very easy to check.. so not a good sign for transparency so far.
Jackson Park
on May 15, 2014 at 8:03 am
on May 15, 2014 at 8:03 am
It needs to be reiterated that the authorities may not be allowed to divulge all the details at this time because MUCH OF IT MAY BE TOSSED OUT OF COURT AS ADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE.
Due process requires a fair and impartial trial.
The media will get more details when and if the district attorney's office is willing to divulge those details and not jeopardize their case against the accused. As a cop, the accused is probably more aware of the delicacies of handling evidence, so the D.A. is probably being extra cautious. Accusing a cop of these crimes is very serious, and the D.A. will need to have an iron-clad case.
Basically, you will need to wait weeks, perhaps months for a level of detail that you prefer.
I'd love to see more details myself, but I am realistic
Monta Loma
on May 15, 2014 at 12:44 pm
on May 15, 2014 at 12:44 pm
Sorry Jay Park, but you've seen too much TV.
Lawyers don't get to surprise each other during trial. All the evidence has to be brought out and each side gets to examine in, ahead of time.
The cop already knows he's in trouble. His lawyers get to see all the evidence ahead of time and prepare their case.
Whisman Station
on May 15, 2014 at 1:26 pm
on May 15, 2014 at 1:26 pm
I knew I recognized him from a few months earlier. He was actually praised as a sketch artist. See here. Web Link
Registered user
another community
on May 15, 2014 at 8:39 pm
Registered user
on May 15, 2014 at 8:39 pm
1) There are many Police Officers with the same or similar sur name of Nguyen, at least one other officer in the Mt. View PD or at least within the last few years.
2) I deplore the use of Mug Shots with news of arrests, not arraignments. An arrest is a police officer's certificate or summons against a person, not the Court's.
3) Sexual allegations of any kind are the big killers of professional standing in any community or profession - from politics to religion.
I wonder exactly what the so-called child pornography consists of, to which the officer is being accused of possessing, and more importantly where are the children located who are being abused when producing the pornography.
The internet is so scary. Not only is your privacy at risk your financial health and records are at risk. You really don't have control over who enters or visits your off site data, and it is pretty easy to access your own data.
I am glad that the mug shot photograph made clear that this Nguyen is not the same Police Officer I know. Nevertheless, the accused Officer has the right to an attorney and to fight the possible charges made against him in a court of law.