First openly gay DC police union chairman arrested on child sex crimes

An openly gay Washington DC police lieutenant and union leader has been arrested on child sex crime charges after he attempted to meet a 15-year-old boy.

Lt. Matthew Mahl, who previously served as chairman of the Metropolitan Police Department’s union, was arrested on Tuesday in Harford County, Maryland. He has been placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues. The Metropolitan Police Department said it was not aware of the investigation prior to his arrest. 

Mahl faces charges related to child solicitation and possession of child pornography.

"The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” MPD said in a statement. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes."

According to a report by NBC4 Washington, Mahl has been with the department for 23 years and was most recently assigned to special operations. He also made history as the first openly gay chairman of the police union. 

Charging documents allege that Mahl communicated for several weeks with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old boy on Reddit, sending sexually explicit messages and photos of himself. In reality, he was actually communicating with an undercover Harford County sheriff’s deputy.

Authorities say Mahl used his real name during the exchanges and identified himself as a DC police lieutenant. He allegedly sent a photo of himself in uniform and acknowledged the risk of losing his career if caught. At one point, he requested sexually explicit images and arranged to meet the individual after school. When he arrived at the agreed-upon location, he was taken into custody.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the case, saying, “We don't have any knowledge of any accusation or any investigation involving the District, his employment or any of our children, and I don't really know what else to say.”

“We don't want anybody like that on our force if those allegations are true,” Bowser added.