A Madison police officer has been put on paid leave after a bystander recorded video of him apparently engaged in sexual activity with a prostitute while parked in an unmarked squad car in a vacant parking lot.
Although Madison police have not yet released the identity of the officer, they acknowledged that "a MPD officer potentially engaged in sexual activity with another person inside a squad car."
Bystander Saw 'White Legs Pop Up in the Back of the Police Car'
The video, which was shot by Madison resident Marcel Scott and widely circulated on social media, shows the bystander filming the officer and the prostitute from the squad car's front window. "This the police in here f*cking y'all," Scott is heard saying. "Look he's f*cking a prostitute."
Scott said he took the video shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday as he noticed a squad car parked off to the side in the vacant lot and saw "white legs pop up in the back of the police car."
"You could see the images of two bodies," he said. Scott walked to the front of the vehicle and saw a person on top of the woman, he noted. He described the woman as in her 20s or 30s with blue hair while the officer was an older, bald, Black male with a mustache, according to Scott.
Upon realizing they were being recorded, the woman is seen covering herself up while the officer briefly gets out of the driver's side rear door of the vehicle before getting back in again before driving away.
Police spokesperson Ryan Kimberley said unmarked squad cars are used by "both patrol and numerous non-patrol units depending on the job assignment."
Madison Police Releases Statement
Police said they were made aware of the video circulating online shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday and released a statement Thursday night. The department said the officer was identified and was placed on administrative leave while an investigation is completed.
"We are taking this matter very seriously," Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement to News 3 Now. "The incident is under investigation and I support Chief Barnes in his efforts to be as proactive and transparent as possible while holding MPD officers to the highest standards."
In the release, officials from the Madison Police Department said it is also taking the investigation seriously and is committed to transparency.
