Original Article Section: Tucson Region Fired cop had porn images on computer Wendell Hunt By Eric Swedlund ARIZONA DAILY STAR A Tucson police investigation of fired Lt. Wendell Hunt's work computer found about 1,100 pornographic images and evidence of pornographic Web sites, according to police reports released Friday. An Internal Affairs sergeant requested the forensic examination on Jan. 4, based on indications that Hunt had been removing files from the laptop computer Dec. 17, the date he was served with notice of the department's intention to fire him, according to the reports. The internal investigation is not complete and a police spokeswoman would not answer any specific questions relating to the investigation, saying there have been no findings and Hunt still has a due-process right to respond. It is not a criminal investigation, said Sgt. Kerry Fuller. In addition to being fired for withholding and leaking information in a high-profile murder case, Hunt was suspended for 30 days in 2003 for having sex on duty in his patrol car with a woman he'd invited on a civilian tour and videotaping her naked. Investigation into sexual harassment claims against Hunt by a police dispatcher also led to his termination. "First off, they don't have a leg to stand on on the initial firing cases and they know it," said Hunt's attorney, Jeff Rogers. Rogers denied that his client downloaded pornographic images or visited adult Web sites and said the investigation is an attempt by police to smear Hunt to bolster other charges. "The only thing that happened is once he went on a dating Web site, and from that day forward he started getting popups (ads)," Rogers said. "Wendell was not in a habit of doing that but he did have a particular time when he constantly got popups and they were for adult sites. He did not go hunting around to those kind of Web sites, and their experts should be able to figure that out." Images would have appeared on the hard drive the moment a popup ad appeared, he said. According to the most recent report, about 1,100 pornographic images were recovered from the department-issued laptop, many of which had been recently deleted from the recycle bin on the "WHunt" account on the computer. Most of the images contained references to Web sites such as "voyeurweb.com," the report says. Also in the "WHunt" account were "cookies" - information from a Web site stored on a computer - for sites such as "momspornvideo.com." With regard to computer use, the Police Department's regulations state: "The city of Tucson's information systems are to be used in conjunction with the performance of a member's authorized duties. c While using the city's information systems, members shall conduct themselves in a professional manner." The city's policy specifically states that computers "shall not be used in any way that is offensive, harmful or insulting to any person," and includes a specific prohibition against material that is sexually explicit. Most of the Police Department's command staff and others in investigative units are assigned laptop computers because of the increased need for paperwork, Fuller said. An officer who is assigned a laptop assumes full responsibility for the equipment, she said. Fuller said she couldn't speculate on the precise discipline the allegations could yield, but said it would most likely be "severe," anywhere from a suspension to termination. Hunt's attorney said his client never tried to erase or hide anything. He was simply removing some personal things and getting the computer prepared to return to the department. Also, during the time Hunt lived with his girlfriend, other people could have had access to the computer, Rogers said. Hunt, a 17-year police veteran who was a Midtown patrol commander, was fired in December but has appealed to the city's Civil Service Commission. According to hundreds of pages of internal investigation files, Hunt leaked information about a witness in the investigation of Dr. Bradley Schwartz and withheld from investigators further details he knew about the slaying of Dr. David Brian Stidham. He has denied any wrongdoing. Fuller said the department has guidelines and procedures in place against misconduct, but "some people chose to break the rules." This is the second high-profile incident in just over a year of a longtime police officer suspected of misusing department computers for sexual purposes. Officer Charles Ken Walter, then a 48-year-old department veteran of 21 years, was arrested in December 2003 after showing up for a meeting he thought he'd arranged with a 16-year-old girl. He was charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation and computer tampering. Walter pursued the sexual relationship over the Internet, identifying himself as an officer and writing of acts he would like to perform with her in nearly daily e-mails sent from his work computer. Walter was in fact communicating with an undercover police officer. All of his contacts came from a city computer, police said. Walter retired after his arrest. He later pleaded guilty to computer tampering with sexual motives and was sentenced to three years' probation. He must also undergo counseling and must register as a sex offender. Nobody in the Police Department's command staff was available Friday to comment on how the department guards against officers misusing department computers, Fuller said. Statistics on previous discipline for such violations were not available Friday. Contact reporter Eric Swedlund at 629-9412 or at eswedlund@azstarnet.com.