Police staffer indicted on porn
More than 60,000 banned images are traced to a civilian in the technology office
A civilian employee with the Honolulu Police Department has been indicted by an Oahu grand jury for accessing the Internet on his work computer and downloading more than 60,000 pornographic images.
Richard Rapozo, 65, a data analyst in the Information Technology Division, was charged yesterday with four felony counts of second-degree unauthorized computer access, each punishable by five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
Police suspected Rapozo, whose job involves scanning police reports into the department's computer system, of violating the city and police department's policy on use of city computers and Internet access, prosecutors said.
In an examination of four of Rapozo's assigned work computers, investigators found more than 60,000 pornographic images and more than 3,000 pornographic movies that Rapozo had downloaded from the Internet from 2003 to 2005 onto his assigned city-owed computers, said deputy prosecutor Chris Van Marter. The charges represent each of the four computers.
Rapozo's duties did not involve assisting with criminal investigations that involved pornography, sexual assault or sex-related material, Van Marter said.
Rapozo was aware of the policy on the use of city computers and knew he was not authorized to visit pornographic Web sites and download pornography onto city computers, Van Marter told the court. Rapozo's bail was set at $20,000.
City employees are authorized to use their assigned work computers for official city business only, according to the Department of Information Technology's Internet policy and guidelines. Prohibited activities include downloading, printing, requesting or storing pornographic materials, online gambling or conducting private business.
Rapozo, who has worked for the department for the past five years, has been reassigned to the Records and Identification Division, where he has no access to a computer, police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said yesterday.
A confidential administrative investigation into Rapozo's activities is ongoing, she said.
A grand jury warrant was issued for Rapozo's arrest. He could not be reached for comment.