Photo: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com / San Jose Police Department
This is no way for a police officer to behave.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on May 16, 2022
A San Jose police officer responding to a call in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California, about domestic violence has been accused of sexual misconduct after visiting the family's home.
The officer was called to the scene after a mother and father who had a restraining order against their son reported that the individual was breaking the restraining order.
The Bay Area police officer was allegedly caught masturbating while in the family's home.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has charged 32-year-old Officer Matthew Dominguez with a misdemeanor indecent exposure after masturbating in front of a family that placed a restraining order call.
The mother, identified in the statement as Ms. S, the father, Mr. A, and their 23-year-old daughter were all at the scene when Officer Dominguez and his two colleagues arrived, with the former taking the “lead investigative role.”
The unnamed son of the family broke the restraining order they had placed against him on the evening of April 21, causing them to call the police and the son to flee, according to the statement of facts provided by the District Attorney’s Office.
Officer Dominguez began his investigation by talking to the daughter first, “took interest in her and continued to interact almost exclusively with her.”
After the daughter gave the officer a possible location for her brother, Officer Dominguez sent the other two officers he arrived with to look for him while he “milled around the home” and “managed to keep the daughter in view of his Body Worn Camera.”
When the daughter asked Officer Dominguez what she should do with her brother’s GPS monitor, they, along with Ms. S, went to retrieve it.
This is when the mother allegedly saw Officer Matthew Dominguez begin to masturbate.
“While she was discussing the GPS unit, Ms. S saw Officer Dominguez unzip his pants, place his hand inside his zipper and began rubbing his crotch,” read the statement, adding that the daughter saw him do this as well.
Clearly uncomfortable with the situation, Ms. S asked her daughter to fetch her some water, which she mistakenly gave to the officer.
After asking her daughter to get her a second glass of water, she was followed by Officer Dominguez to the kitchen, prompting Ms. S to follow behind them.
When the officer turned around to face Ms. S, “[she] saw Officer Dominguez’s penis outside of his pants fully exposed,” according to the statement.
The daughter and the mother then left the residence and called for Mr. A, the husband/father in the home, and an uncle who lived nearby.
When Mr. A entered the house, he “saw Officer Dominguez facing out of the kitchen with his erect penis in his left hand and his right hand on the counter.”
Mr. A once again left their home, and after waiting a few minutes, Dominguez allegedly left and went back to work.
The family informed the other two officers of Dominguez’s behavior.
“The charged behavior is beyond disturbing,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Law enforcement officers respond to our homes to help crime victims, not terrorize, traumatize, and create new victims.”
According to the Office of the District Attorney, Dominguez was placed on administrative leave following the incident and has an arraignment scheduled for June 22nd.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.