Ex-Bernalillo County Deputy: Looking At Naked Photos Just Part Of Job

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — A former New Mexico deputy has acknowledged he looked at pictures of naked women on the internet while on duty, but said he did so as part of his job.

Former Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mark Kmatz filed a complaint for employment retaliation on Wednesday against the Bernalillo County Commission, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Kmatz said he was looking at the nude photos to research "a specific group of individuals with distinct tattoos and piercings."

Kmatz wrote in the complaint that he was forced to resign or be fired, and said the nudes weren't on pornographic sites. He said other deputies engaged in "much more egregious violations of policy" and weren't fired.

Donald Gilpin, Kmatz's attorney, did not return calls for comment. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Felicia Romero, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, declined to comment on the case.

Kmatz had been with the Sheriff's Office since 1997.

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