Some lost their jobs, some didn’t - and most avoided jail time. Hundreds of law enforcement officers over the last decade in California have been convicted of crimes. The details of Roel Tungcab’s case may be unique, but his experience in the criminal justice system is not. He’s employed now as a front counter officer in the Southern Division, meaning his job duties include greeting the public. SDPD confirmed that in the years following his arrest and conviction, Tungcab would have likely responded to domestic violence-related calls like any other patrol officer. When reporters approached Roel outside his home in late July, he rolled up the window of his SUV and sat in silence. Members of the Tungcab family either declined to be interviewed or did not respond to requests. That incident is described as “UNREPORTED.” There’s also mention in dispatch records of a similar incident from 2018, but no evidence that authorities were called to investigate it. Twice in July, deputies concluded that the disputes between Deborah and Roel were not physical.īut in March 2017, Deborah told deputies that her husband had “tried to choke out” their 16-year-old daughter. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department dispatch records show that since the case was resolved, authorities have been called multiple times to the Tungcab home to investigate disturbances. But the allegations of domestic violence didn’t end there. Roel Tungcab remains a sworn officer with SDPD.
He had been facing three years in prison but walked away with fines and an order to receive counseling. Months later, prosecutors dropped the assault, corporal injury and vandalism charges in exchange for Roel pleading guilty to one count of tampering with an electronic device - a property damage crime stemming from the broken cell phone. “That’s what I’m going to do,” she ruled, “based on the defendant’s occupation.”īecause of his status as a police officer, the court allowed Roel to keep his firearm at work while it determined whether he’d resolved a dispute in his own home with physical violence. He urged Judge Kathleen Lewis to settle on a “no negative contact” order. But after meeting privately in the judge’s chambers, Roel’s attorney argued that the court should go easier on his client.
BLOTTER POLICE SAN DIEGO FULL
The prosecutor had requested a full protective order, which would have barred Roel from coming within 100 feet of Deborah or from contacting her remotely. That fact would become significant in the courtroom weeks later as Roel, a San Diego police officer, was being arraigned, and a judge was weighing the next steps. Roel and the officers who arrested and charged him that day with domestic violence-related crimes had something in common: They all wear badges for a living. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office later alleged that Deborah had been attempting to console her crying children when Roel knocked her off her feet. Reporters participated from more than 30 newsrooms, including MediaNews Group, McClatchy, USA Today Network, Voice of San Diego and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting.īy the time sheriff’s deputies arrived at her Imperial Beach home, Deborah Tungcab was lying motionless on the floor.ĭuring an argument in 2011, her husband, Roel Tungcab, had broken her cell phone. This project is a collaboration of news organizations throughout California coordinated by the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley and the Bay Area News Group. “Police officers should and must be held to a higher standard, both on-duty and off-duty,” he said. SDPD Chief David Nisleit held a press conference in July to announce the arrest of Sgt.
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