A Minneapolis police officer who left his post to engage in a sex act with a woman has been fired, according to new documents released by city officials.
Juan Carlos Alonzo Jr., who has served an officer with MPD since 2019, was fired on Feb. 22 over accusations of meeting a woman for oral sex during his shift in 2022, sparking an internal affairs investigation last fall, which was reported on at the time by the Minnesota Star Tribune.
His termination letter from Police Chief Brian O'Hara was published this week, and reveals that an internal investigation found Alonzo "engaged in sexual activity" while on duty and in uniform with a woman he met through the dating/hookup app Grindr.
He allegedly exchanged pictures and messages, referring to his status as a police officer and asking whether the woman would be interested in engaging in sex acts while he was in uniform. He was further accused of using a city squad car to leave his assigned precinct and meet this woman after finding her address through private records held by MPD.
The termination memo says that the woman met with internal affairs investigators and confirmed that she engaged in sexual activity with Officer Alonzo multiple times within her home while he was in full uniform.
Text messages provided to police confirmed they had met several times between Sept. 3 and Sept. 26, 2022. During that same time frame, police data shows Alonzo's squad car parked at her home, which is outside his assigned precinct. The vehicle was not shown to be assigned on any calls of service within that area.
Alonzo was interviewed by investigators and admitted he had met with this woman for sex during his shifts, acknowledging how his actions could be "concerning" to the community.
"It would be concerning because I could see where people would believe that I'm intentionally leaving an emergency call," he said to investigators. "It also devalues like the trust of police and community."
He also admitted to using police data to run an address search to get the woman's contact information, saying it "would have been for personal reasons."
Chief O'Hara called for his termination, saying Alonzo's actions reflected poorly on the department and detrimentally impacts public trust.
"We cannot afford to lose legitimacy with the people we serve; a loss of legitimacy with the community is a critical safety concern for residents and officers," he said in the letter. "Officer Alonzo engaged in sexual relations while on duty, failing to act in a professional and ethical manner, and engaged in on-duty conduct that tarnishes or offends the ethical standards of the department."
