Home › Breaking News
Oxnard officer may have used substation for sexual encounters
Download this story as a podcast!
Copyright © 2008 Oxnard Police Department
Oxnard Senior Officer Martin Polo
ARCHIVE STORIES
Family of woman killed on beach files $10 million suit »DA not charging officer in beach death »
Family sues to get beach death facts »
Judge quits civil case over Oxnard beach death »
Officers must testify, judge says »
Claim alleges Oxnard officer assaulted girl »
Rape claim against officer sent to DA »
Documents: Beach Lawsuit »
Documents: DA report on beach incident in 2006 »
STORY TOOLS 
More from Breaking NewsA criminal investigation into rape charges against an Oxnard police officer has uncovered allegations that he and his partner used a police substation for sexual encounters and photographing scantily clad women.
"These are all allegations that came out in the criminal investigation," Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach said this week.
Only one officer is being investigated for criminal behavior, Senior Officer Martin Polo, and he has not been charged with a crime. The other allegations center on whether he and his partner also violated a code of conduct, misused city property or engaged in misbehavior while on duty.
Contacted at his home Wednesday, Polo refused to comment, except to say that since the case came to light "my life has become a (expletive) living nightmare."
The investigation into the allegations is focused on Polo, 43, and Senior Officer Frank Brisslinger, 41, who are linked by a tragic accident. Two years ago while on beach patrol, they ran over and killed an Iowa woman who was sunbathing on Mandalay Beach. The two police veterans were cleared of any wrongdoing.
An attorney for the girl who alleges she was raped by Polo said the police substation was routinely used by officers as a "love nest."
Crombach said the allegations are still unproven, but his department takes them seriously. He would not say whether any other officers are involved.
"If we believe you have been alleged to have committed a crime, we will investigate that and refer it to the District Attorney," he said.
In every institution there are those who break certain codes of behavior, Crombach said.
"I really would like to stress to the community — whether it's police, law firms, hospitals, clergy — there are those who step out of bounds," Crombach said. "And that's why we have a system of discipline. It's a sad day, but I have to look the community in the eye and say, We're going to take care of business.'"
He emphasized this is an isolated case and urged residents not to paint the Police Department with a broad brush.
The department's 400 employees are "very dedicated people who come to work every day and live within the mission and values of the organization and serve the community very well," he said.
The allegations arose during the rape investigation of Polo. He is accused of raping a 12-year-old Ventura County girl on Aug. 14, 2006, in the department's Beat 21 substation at 3749 W. Hemlock Street.
Investigators took DNA samples from the substation and removed computers from Polo's home, according to Crombach.
Polo was known within the department for taking pictures of women he spent time with, a city source said. After the investigation began, Polo implicated others who participated in misbehavior, according to the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
City Manager Ed Sotelo said he could not comment on the allegations because they involve personnel matters and pending litigation. But that hasn't stopped rumors from circulating.
As long ago as last summer, some of the more salacious charges began to surface in the community, said Joe Avelar, past chairman of the city's Inter-Neighborhood Council Forum. A former code enforcement officer who worked with the Police Department for almost four decades, Avelar said he's been hearing details of the story at least since June.
"But I know Polo, and I'm totally shocked by it," said Avelar, who has only second-hand knowledge of the allegations.
Avelar said he thought of Polo, a 20-year veteran in the department, as a good police officer who worked well with the people in the city's Beat 21, which covers the neighborhoods of Oxnard Shores, Hollywood Beach, Seaview and Marina West.
People who work near the substation, a small office in a modest strip mall, say it's seldom used.
Etan Z. Lorant, an Encino attorney representing the alleged rape victim, is seeking records on what was found at the substation during the city's investigation.
Oxnard authorities turned the results of their roughly 18-month investigation over to the District Attorney's Office two months ago.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Frawley said the rape case was still under review, and prosecutors have not decided whether to file criminal charges.
The Police Department's Internal Affairs Division is conducting a separate administrative investigation into the rape charges.
Polo has been on administrative leave with full pay since the girl's family filed a $1.5 million claim against him and the city on Aug. 3. He earns an annual salary of $84,158, according to city officials.
The family has since sued the city and Polo for $10 million.
The girl has been living in a lock-down facility in Utah for youths with emotional problems, where she gets psychological treatment, Lorant said this week. The Star does not name victims of alleged sexual assaults.
According to divorce records in Ventura County Superior Court, Polo's wife separated from him in 2002 after discovering he was having an affair with an 18-year-old girl. He was 38 at the time. The couple divorced in 2003.
The city of Oxnard subpoenaed a thick set of files from Polo's divorce records in August, after the rape and other allegations surfaced. Those sections are now sealed.
Lorant said he has received two phone calls since the girl's family filed the claim from people who say Polo was inappropriately using the substation.
"I heard that the substation was being used as a quote unquote love nest," Lorant said.
He was further told that other officers operated as lookouts while the office was used for sexual encounters.
Lorant has asked the city about the allegations as part of a legal discovery process and is waiting to hear back.
Alan Wisotsky, an attorney handling the case for the city, was out of the office this week and could not be reached for comment.
The criminal investigation also alleges that Brisslinger was seen photographed in the substation with scantily clad women, Crombach said.
Brisslinger could not be reached for comment this week.
Crombach declined further comment on the matter, citing employee confidentiality.
Polo and Brisslinger have served on the force for 22 years and 10 years, respectively. Both men served as beat coordinators. Polo was in charge of Beat 21, and Brisslinger oversaw Beat 22 in the downtown district.
There are nine beats in the city, which divide the department's patrol operations within various Oxnard neighborhoods.
In February, Brisslinger, who earns $85,840 a year, went on paid injury leave as a result of stress stemming from the beach accident on June 12, 2006.
On that day, Brisslinger was driving a department sport utility vehicle on beach patrol when he ran over and killed Cindy Connolly, 49, of Sioux City, Iowa. Polo was riding in the passenger seat of the patrol vehicle. In November, the city paid Connolly's family $2.75 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
Posted by highriseray1 on April 16, 2008 at 6 p.m. (Suggest removal)
that is amazing have sexual encounters in a police sub station then go to the beach and run over a sun bather, i wonder if the familys lawyer of the sun bather knows about this
Posted by BeaHappi on April 16, 2008 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, what a mess. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Posted by CloudyDaze on April 16, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Officer Polo: "my life has become a (expletive) living nightmare." Feeling a little "run over by a truck" lately? Bummer.
Posted by surfriderjim on April 16, 2008 at 6:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I bet you won't be seeing those boys on the street any more. If the chief has any sense he will dump all of them. I have a lot of friends on the PD and they say Polo has nothing coming. Its sad that these guys stain the whole police department.
Posted by CommandoAngel on April 16, 2008 at 7:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This so-called "news"paper has turned into the Enquirer, only they focus on public employees in this county instead of celebrities. Star: You disgust me.
Posted by B8R_N4MD on April 16, 2008 at 7:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow. Nice way for the tabloid Star to stir it up before the D.A. determines if charges should be filed or any actual evidence is made public. If a crime occurred charges should be filed. If a crime did not occur, these Officers are screwed by this type of journalism. What good does this story do, other than create controversy for the PD? Taint the jury pool?
Posted by bob100 on April 16, 2008 at 7:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Simply pathetic - the headline says it all: Oxnard officer may have used substation for sexual encounters. Gotta love it - the Star now openly reports rumors as news, and actually writes that they are in fact, "rumors." I heard a rumor that the Star used to be a real paper that actually verified facts. I, of course, refuse to believe that the Star was ever a real paper.
Posted by wdwinder on April 16, 2008 at 7:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
whats truley disgusting is Polo is on PAID leave at 84k/yr. Geez, what happens when you really screw up?!
Posted by B8R_N4MD on April 16, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was waiting for some reference to Fillmore...lol
Posted by AirNava on April 16, 2008 at 8:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
His an Ass if it's true. Using his power to get girls. They should put him in jail with the big boys could teach him a lesson.
Posted by newshound on April 16, 2008 at 8:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If two officers are openly using a police station for insanely improper acts, it seems highly unlikely that the conduct would be limited to just the two of them. Police stations are busy places, aren't they? Other officers must have known about this. It sounds like the FBI should be called into investigate the Oxnard police department. With one dead woman gone and buried, an additional claim of rape of a child makes it sound crazy that the department is allowed to investigate itself. The FBI should be called in. Now!!!!!!!
Posted by baitsoaker on April 16, 2008 at 9:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Agreed that this article is only reporting speculation and irrelevant facts. "Officer MAY have used substation", "The ALLEGATIONS arose when..." And what does their pay have to do with it? Or is it just that the $10.00 an hour author of this article is a little bitter? And why exactly are we reporting that an unknown source says that Polo took pictures of women he spent time with? If you spend a lot of time with people, why wouldn't you have pictures of them?
Hey Star, why don't you consider gathering some actual facts before reporting on a story? This is a pathetic use of the press, although with this paper, I'm not surprised!
Posted by adamrolandisawesome on April 16, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Newshound, get a clue. They are talking about a substation which is NOT staffed full time. It is a space where an officer can go to work on reports or use a restroom without leaving his beat unattended.
The majority of the time, the substation is locked and unattended. Without these substations, officers would spend more time in the regular station and out of their beat. Please do some research before you go off on a rant. You make it sound like there were numerous officers running around this substation turning a blind eye, when it actually appears there were only two or three.
Get your facts straight
If the allegations are true, then Polo needs to be punished and sent to prison.
Posted by yotonto on April 16, 2008 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
highriseray1,
What is amazing is just what an idiot you are!
You took two seperate incidents most likely weeks or months apart from one another, and condensed it into one contiuous event.
In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ credible!
Do you work for the Star?
Posted by Optimist on April 16, 2008 at 9:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Officer Polo is a great man and has served the community of Oxnard very well. Instead of putting this gentleman through investigations, we should be honoring him with medals for having to put up all this crap!!
Posted by imbetnonit on April 16, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If the allegations are true, then Polo needs to be punished and sent to prison.........AND he should have to pay back the taxpayers money so we can give it to our decent hard working officers!!! The one's who are part of the solution and not part of the problem!!!
Posted by newshound on April 16, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
adam roland, you can criticize me all you want. Pardon me if I don't know the ins and outs of the police station. Don't you think that outsiders - you know, good tax paying people should be concerned when they hear that the same officers who RAN A WOMAN OVER ON THE BEACH are now accused of acting like frat boys in a police station and that one of them is now accused of RAPING A CHILD! Do not underestimate the anger and outrage that decent people should feel when they hear that POLICE OFFICERS are acting like this. Don't you think that a taxpayer has a right to question the sanity of allowing a department that could be this out of control investigate itself? You need a dose of common sense. The FBI needs to storm into the police department and pin every officer down about what is going on in this place and who knew about it!!!!! The article says that other officers may have acted as LOOKOUTS while this illegal and immoral conduct took place. It is you sir who need to wake up. This sounds like Ventura County's version of the Rampart scandal.
Posted by Metalhaid on April 16, 2008 at 10:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Optimist, your comments show that you have more hope than sense. I'm sorry, the guy was in a vehicle that squished a tourist. AND his wife divorced him because he was banging an 18 year old when he himself was 38!!! How'd you like this guy as a son-in-law?! Adultery and pedophilia make him a great man?! NOT. (Yeah, I know 18 is legal but that doesn't make it RIGHT!! When did this relationship start?) By the way, have you ever heard the adage, "Where there's smoke, there's fire?" If he is innocent, then he should hold his head up high and trust that God and the truth will exonerate him. A guilty conscience needs no accuser. You can't be in a crap fight without having some of it stick to you.
Posted by adamrolandisawesome on April 16, 2008 at 10:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Newshound.....you are entitled to your opinion, I just want you to do some research before you post. You made it sound like there were numerous officers that turned a blind eye when this article names only two, possibly three involved.
I hope you are using "storm into the police department" and "pin down" as figures of speech. You make it sound like you want the FBI to kick down the door of the department and handcuff and question every officer.
If the police kicked down the door of every person who lived on the same street as a drug dealer, handcuffed and forced them to answer questions, would that be OK? Just a thought.
Posted by DoctorDude on April 16, 2008 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lemme guess. All officers involved are refusing to cooporate with the investigation as usual, correct?
Posted by FedUp on April 17, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"lemme guess. All officers involved are refusing to cooporate with the investigation as usual, correct?"
uummm, no. it sounds like Polo is naming other officers who may have used this substation as a meeting place for the "cop groupies".
quote from the article.
"After the investigation began, Polo implicated others who participated in misbehavior, according to the source, who asked to remain anonymous."
please read the entire article before throwing out blanket statements.
and the accident on the beach, has zero to do with this particular case. please try and separate the two. if he is found guilty of this, I do hope he spends some time in jail.
Posted by RachelK on April 18, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Is it bang bang or peng peng now?
Posted by RachelK on April 18, 2008 at 5:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
KNBC and ABC7 also reported about this... not only the Star. Don't see the National Inquirer in the picture. Perhaps it is okay to publish allegations since the Star didn't say, he did it.. He is under investigation. I think that is newsworthy...
Posted by spokenit on April 19, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Dont most of the substations have cameras? IF not they should. Easy fix to a stupid problem.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.