SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — A San Francisco Police Department officer was arrested and booked into jail for allegedly impersonating an SFPD sergeant and lying to pull off an insurance fraud scheme, investigators said Monday.
The officer was identified by the SFPD as Officer Adam Eatia, a 15-year veteran on the force.
His arrest stemmed from an August 2019 vehicle collision. The SFPD’s Internal Affairs Division was notified that Eatia may have committed fraud to collect money from his insurance company. A lengthy investigation into the officer was launched.
SFPD said its investigators determined that, “Officer Adam Eatia committed theft by false pretense when he represented that the damaged vehicle was not insured and took money from the victim as compensation for the damage while off-duty. Eatia also made fraudulent representations to his insurance company when applying for and making insurance claims for the vehicle. Additionally, Eatia impersonated an SFPD sergeant on the application for insurance.”
Last September, Officer Eatia was disarmed and transferred to an SFPD assignment with non-public contact.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said the officer’s conduct was “disappointing.”
“No one — including a police officer — is above the law,” Chief Scott said Monday.
Eatia surrendered himself at the San Francisco County Jail on Friday and he was booked on the charges of grand theft, insurance fraud, identity theft, and forgery.
Scott said, “The actions of this SFPD member violate the law and regrettably fall far short of our department’s shared values. 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. At the same time, we are grateful to our Internal Affairs Division and its members for the thorough investigations they conducted and the case they presented to the special prosecution division of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.”