Phoenix Police officer accused of receiving child porn via apps | Crime Files
PHOENIX - Court documents are providing new details in a child pornography case that resulted in the arrest of a Phoenix Police officer.
We first reported on the arrest on April 5, when Phoenix Police officials announced the arrest of one of their officers. At the time, officials did not identify the officer who was arrested, but the officer was identified on April 8.
Here are the details on this case.
Who is the suspect?
Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office identified the officer as 41-year-old Alaa Robert Bartley on April 8.
What did the suspect allegedly do?
Court documents state that between Aug. 31 2020 and Feb. 17 2022, Bartley and a Michigan woman identified as Sarah Elizabeth Chadwick communicated via a messaging platform named WhatsApp and "engaged in role play to include talking about sexually explicit topics, where Bartley sometimes played the role of a police officer and [Chadwick] played the role of a minor age girl."
"During this approximate 17 months of communications between the two, [Chadwick] transmitted child pornography to Bartley on several occasions, and Bartley acknowledged receiving same," an FBI investigator wrote.
The investigator noted that Chadwick was arrested in November 2023, and was federally charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.
FBI officials said data obtained from Chadwick's phone involving Bartley shows communications between the two via WhatsApp, as well as via Telegram and Wickr.
"Based on the limitations associated with the phone extraction technology, the image files revealed are small file sizes and present as blurry, and videos are displayed as still images. Agents familiar with child pornography files on the internet identified a number of images that, based on their experience of viewing this material and enhanced by the context of chats, appear to be CSAM."
The term ‘CSAM’ is defined in court documents as ‘Child Sexual abuse Material.'
The investigator noted that contents that appear to be CSAM, as well as contents that appear to be Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM), were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
"NCMEC reported that of the materials submitted in this case, they noted that there were over 30 files sent by [Chadwick] to Bartley that appeared to contain child victims who have been identified by law enforcement, with some of the images fitting within the definition of child pornography," read a portion of the court documents.
Court documents contained graphic details in relation to the chats between Bartley and Chadwick, including examples of what the FBI investigator called "substantive communications that covered the 17-month time period to show the ongoing nature of the communications expressing a sexual interest in children."
On April 4, court documents state that four search warrants were served for Bartley's person, residence, personal vehicles, and places of involvement. It was stated that a forensic examination of a secure folder inside a phone that Bartley owns contained over 49,000 images and 700 videos, many of which were identified by an FBI investigator as CSAM.
The phone, according to court documents, was identified by Bartley's wife as a phone that he used to view porn. It was also noted that Bartley's wife had no knowledge of Bartley's alleged viewing of child pornography. Chats that bear some similarities to the ones Bartley allegedly had with Chadwick were found as well. Court documents also contained graphic description of some of the contents investigators found on that device.
An interview with Bradley, according to investigators, was also conducted, but details of the interview were not included in the court documents for Bartley.
What is the suspect accused of?
Court documents state that Bartley is accused of knowingly receiving child pornography (Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2)) and knowingly possessing and accessing child pornography (Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B))
If convicted, Bartley could be sentenced to prison, a fine, and a term of supervised release that can last for a lifetime.
Have Phoenix Police officials commented on the suspect's arrest?
Emblem of the Phoenix Police Department
Phoenix Police officials released a statement on the matter on April 8, after Bartley was identified as the officer who was arrested. The statement reads:
"The Phoenix Police Department just received a copy of an indictment against one of our employees, Alaa Bartley, for receiving and possessing child pornography.
These alleged actions are despicable and fundamentally opposed to the values our department and the law enforcement community.
‘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.
We take this matter very seriously and we are conducting an internal investigation.
Last week, upon learning of the FBI investigation, the Department immediately placed Bartley on administrative leave and started the disciplinary process, up to and including termination, against the employee.
Bartley joined the Department in 2007.
We are committed to the safety and well-being of our community and we will not tolerate any actions that undermine that commitment."