Pennsylvania Deputy Charged for Covering Bodycam to Snap Nude Prisoners with iPhone
Bucks County Deputy Sheriff Ryan Gaffney has been charged with official oppression and other offenses after allegedly using his iPhone to photograph nude detainees and share the images with female coworkers, while covering his bodycam.
A Pennsylvania deputy sheriff has been charged with covering his bodycam and using an iPhone to secretly photograph nude prisoners, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
Ryan Gaffney, 33, who worked for the Bucks County Sheriff's Office, was referred to prosecutors on March 31, 2026, following a complaint about his conduct. The complaint alleged that Gaffney used his iPhone to take photos of nude prisoners he encountered on the job, and then shared those photos with several female civilian employees.
The main incident occurred on January 30, 2026, when Gaffney and four other deputies responded to a local man suffering a mental health crisis. The man was naked from the waist down and was being persuaded to put on pants. Investigators believe Gaffney took a photo of the man's genitals at that moment. After the arrest, another deputy saw Gaffney showing the photo on his phone to a female employee "in jest."
Investigators checked Axon system logs, which showed Gaffney had not accessed his bodycam footage from the incident for months. However, his own bodycam footage showed him covering the lens with his hand for a few moments. Other deputies' bodycams captured Gaffney removing a glove, pulling out an iPhone, manipulating it, and pointing it toward the man while the camera app was open.
A search warrant for Gaffney's phone was obtained on April 22, and both nude photos described by witnesses were found. Further examination revealed that Gaffney had shared one image with two contacts and another with twelve contacts on four different dates.
Gaffney had voluntarily interviewed with the sheriff and denied the allegations. His lawyer provided screenshots showing the photos were not in his library or recently deleted folder, but a forensic search later recovered them.
Gaffney was fired last month and today was charged with official oppression, unsworn falsification to authorities, possessing an instrument of crime, and obstructing the administration of law. District Attorney Joe Khan stated that such misconduct erodes public trust and vowed to aggressively prosecute official wrongdoing.
