California Officer Charged With On-Duty Sex Crime

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. --

A Bakersfield Police Officer has been arrested and charged with misdemeanor sexual battery and battery while he was on duty.

Officer Jeffrey Luff, a two and a half year veteran of the BPD, is accused of grabbing a woman's buttocks and genitals after giving her a ride home from a party while he was on duty in the early morning hours of June 28th.

The BPD says Luff responded to a loud party call earlier that morning where he knew several people in attendance. The party then moved to a second location where Luff showed up and eventually gave two women rides home, one he knew and the victim whom he had just met.

That woman, according to Police Chief Bill Rector, says as she was giving Luff a hug good-bye Luff grabbed her buttocks and genitals

"Unfortunately it's not a position I want to be in, it's not a position any officer, any employee wants to be in, I mean it's an embarrassment to the department," Rector said.

The BPD's Sex Crimes Unit and Internal Affairs separately investigated the alleged incident before forwarding the report the District Attorney's office, which ultimately decided to file charges.

"What Officer Luff is alleged to have done is completely inappropriate," said Rector. "Because it encompasses the allegation of the inappropriate touching as well."

Luff was taken into custody at BPD headquarters Thursday morning and booked into the Central Receiving Facility.

He has been charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor sexual battery, both charges carry a maximum six months in county jail. Luff is out on bail, his arraignment has not yet been set.

According to Luff's Myspace and Facebook pages he served four years in the Air Force and is a 2001 graduate of Highland High School.

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