An Everett police officer, who was facing termination, has quit after being accused of inappropriate behavior on duty for the third time in 13 years.
Officer Robert W. Franklin submitted his resignation last month, but details of the investigation only came to light after a records request Friday by KING 5.
Everett police began their investigation last year when the spouse of an employee at a QFC store in complained that Franklin was courting a relationship with his wife. Officer Franklin provided uniformed security at the QFCfor a number of years.
Franklin and the woman denied they had a sexual relationship. Franklin also denied that they had much of a personal relationship. But phone records showed Franklin spoke with the woman at least 84 times on his cell phone over the course of a couple of months.
The officer was found to have made untruthful statements during the investigation and that violates the public trust. The officer no longer works for our department, said Everett city spokeswoman Kate Reardon.
Investigators said they could not prove that the pair had sex while Franklin was on duty, but they did determine he was untruthful in his description of the relationship to internal affairs.
These actions are unacceptable and violate the public s trust, Chief Kathy Atwood added about the 27-year veteran s behavior.
Franklin was suspended and demoted in June of 2000 for allegedly having sex on duty and lying about it. In 2010, the department launched another investigation when a separate woman accused him of having sex with her on duty. Investigators say he also lied about the facts in that case, and again he was suspended and demoted.
Documents indicate that the 2010 case did not proceed any further because the complaining witness became uncooperative.
Franklin declined to comment when KING 5 reached him at his Everett home.
