Interacting with naked people while on duty is required of San Francisco police officers at least annually. If one is not assigned to provide escort for the doms and slaves at the Folsom Street Fair, then there is the gay pride parade to contend with. Photographing naked people, off duty, however is punishable behavior—or so discovered Officer Gared Hansen, who enjoys creating fantasy scenarios with full-bodied mermaids and sorceresses.

The 36-year-old San Francisco Police Department officer accuses the department of violating his right to free speech by suspending him twice for his off-duty hobby of “creative photography” and nude “figure study,” according to his complaint filed on Aug. 9 in a federal court.
Thanks to the 36-year-old cop’s suit, a federal judge in Oakland is now saddled with making a ponderous precedent: Do police officers have the right to take and publish nude photos in their free time? Though cops with a penchant for sexy succubi may be rare, this case has important implications for other public employees with hobbies that their employers may find objectionable.
The seven-year officer served 10 days of suspension this January following an internal affairs investigation stemming from a photo shoot in an abandoned hotel in March 2010. Read More