WASHINGTON D.C. – A seven-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department has been arrested and charged with production of child pornography after allegedly photographing a naked 15-year-old girl at a D.C. apartment, while he was on duty, and in uniform. After an investigation, Officer Marc Washington was taken into custody on Monday, shortly after allegations surfaced.

According to charging documents, Washington allegedly took photos of a 15-year-old girl while conducting an investigation into a missing persons report. He allegedly went over to the girl’s house in Southeast Washington on Sunday night. Authorities say the girl had previously been reported missing and Washington claimed he needed pictures of her injuries despite the fact the girl said she had not been injured. Washington allegedly coerced her into stripping down naked, claiming he needed photos for identification purposes and that it was procedure.

After Washington left the house, the girl told her mother, who then called police. According to prosecutors, Washington saw the mother’s 911 call to dispatch and tried to delete the pictures but was unsuccessful in getting rid of all the evidence. He was taken into custody and law enforcement officials discovered nude images of other young girls on his digital camera.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the allegations against Officer Washington are a blow to every good police officer on the force: “To learn of an allegation of this kind against a person who is sworn to protect our children, it is both shocking and disturbing.”