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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake police officer is accused of sexually harassing a fellow employee during a training session, claiming he thought she was "one of the guys."
Jeffrey Kevin Loosle, 52, of Syracuse, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with two counts of sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.
In May, a woman was at a training session in Salt Lake County and was standing near a table when "she felt a hard slap on her butt, which jolted her body," according to charging documents.
She turned around and saw her co-worker, Loosle, "sitting behind her and making direct eye contact with her," the charges state.
After questioning Loosle about why he did that, the woman says "she was again slapped on her butt with an unknown object," according to the charges. The next day, the woman confronted Loosle who claimed he was trying to get her attention.
"Loosle then stated he didn't slap her, he hit her with her coffee cup," the charging documents say.
About a week later, prosecutors say Loosle reached out to the woman's husband to apologize. He told the husband that "he thought (the woman) was 'one of the guys' and admitted to smacking her with a boxing glove," the charges state.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown says as soon as the allegations were brought to his attention, Loosle was placed on administrative leave and both an internal investigation was launched as well as an outside agency called to look into the case.
"It is essential our workplace remains safe, inclusive and respectful for everyone. When allegations of wrongdoing arise, our department will handle them appropriately and with great care," the chief stated in an email he sent to the entire department Wednesday afternoon.
Unified police were called to investigate the incident. When questioned by a Unified officer, Loosle said he "wanted to add his opinion to the conversation" that the woman was engaged in, "so he used a boxing glove to touch (her) to get her attention. Loosle stated he attempted contact with (her) arm, but the boxing glove 'went limp,' and he was unsure where it touched her," the charges state.
Brown encouraged any other employees who may be victims of sexual misconduct to immediately notify their supervisor, a member of the department's command staff, Human Resources or even the Salt Lake City Attorney's Office.
"If you have experienced sexual misconduct or harassment as an employee of our department, I strongly encourage you to report it," his email states. "Retaliation for coming forward to report sexual misconduct is prohibited by both city policy and applicable law and is not tolerated. As employees of the Salt Lake City Police Department, we hold ourselves to the highest standards. It is our responsibility to reflect our core values in our day-to-day actions."
