A San Francisco police officer was arrested last week for allegedly committing theft and insurance fraud, the San Francisco Police Department said Monday.
Officer Adam Eatia voluntarily surrendered Friday at the San Francisco County Jail after a superior court judge issued a warrant for his arrest on Wednesday.
SFPD Internal Affairs investigators were first notified in August 2019 that Eatia had allegedly committed theft by false pretense after he was involved in a vehicle collision.
Eatia, while off duty at the time, allegedly claimed his vehicle was uninsured and took money from the other party involved in the collision as compensation.
According to SFPD investigators, Eatia also impersonated an SFPD sergeant on a car insurance application and made “fraudulent representations” to his car insurance provider.
“The actions of this SFPD member violate the law and regrettably fall far short of our department’s shared values,” Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement. “As sworn police officers, we have no higher obligation than to earn and maintain public trust, and we are disappointed that this incident detracts from the outstanding work done by our officers and non-sworn members every day.”
Eatia is a 15-year veteran of the SFPD, according to the police department. He has been on a non-public-facing assignment since September 2021 in light of the investigation.
San Francisco Police Officers Association President Tracy McCray called for Eatia to face legal consequences if he is found guilty of the allegations against him.
“San Francisco police officers are held to a high standard for their conduct on and off duty,” McCray said. “Eatia’s actions, if true, disgrace our star and he should be held fully accountable by the department.”
McCray added that the union will not pay for Eatia’s legal defense because the crimes of which he is accused occurred while he was off duty.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.