A D.C. police vehicle

Photo by Tony Hisgett / Flickr

A police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department was arrested on Wednesday and charged with five counts of simple assault and one charge of threat to do bodily harm, per court documents and a press release from the department.

Prosecutors accuse Robert Alexander Anderson of Hanover, Maryland of inappropriately touching and kissing MPD coworkers without their consent, and threatening another coworker with a knife when he tried to intervene. The incidents allegedly occurred over a span of two months at the Fifth District station house where Anderson was assigned, and involved three female police officers, one female civilian employee, and one male civilian employee, according to the documents.

Anderson has been an officer with MPD for nearly 30 years. The department has revoked his police powers and placed him on non-contact status, according to the release.

“The Metropolitan Police Department does not condone any criminal or immoral conduct by an employee,” Police Chief Peter Newsham said a statement. “Officer Anderson’s actions are disgraceful and not a representation of the men and women of this agency.”

The incidents in question allegedly took place in January and February of this year. In one instance on January 14, Anderson allegedly approached a female officer while she worked at a computer, made a beckoning motion toward her with his finger, and, when she did not comply, leaned over and kissed her on the back of her neck, near her ear, according to court documents. The incident was recorded on surveillance camera footage in the station.

Descriptions of the February incidents mirror the first one.

On February 5, Anderson is accused of coming up behind a civilian employee in the station while she worked at her computer and touching her hair; when she asked him to stop, he attempted to touch her a second time, per court documents. Another civilian employee allegedly interjected and told Anderson to back up from the woman’s chair, to which Anderson allegedly responded “I know where I stand.” As he walked away, he reportedly stated “I still like your hair.”

A few minutes later, prosecutors allege, Anderson went up to a female officer as she sat at her desk, tapped her shoulder, and began touching her hair without her consent. She told him to stop touching her twice, and he allegedly did not comply. The male civilian employee interjected again, and this time it escalated into a dispute in which Anderson took a silver military knife out of his pocket and held it to his side, court documents say. The civilian employee told police that he said “So you’re just going to pull a knife on me? There’s a camera.” Anderson reportedly responded with “what knife?” and placed it back in his pocket, according to the police account.

These incidents were also reportedly captured on station camera.

Yet another female officer told police that on February 5, as she sat in a chair at the station, Officer Anderson came up behind her, put one arm around her chest and held back her shoulder with his other arm, per court documents. He allegedly placed his lips on her ear, and held her in that position for 30-40 seconds.