On August 20, 2013, the Tucson Police Department was advised that a female prisoner, who had recently been booked into the jail, had made allegations against Benjamin Gaballa indicating he had engaged in inappropriate conduct.
Gaballa was hired in September of 2012. After completing his academy and field training, he was assigned as a patrol officer in Operations Division West. Due to the fact that the allegations made were potentially criminal in nature, personnel from the Office of Internal Affairs initiated both a criminal and administrative investigation into Gaballa’s conduct.
Gaballa was immediately removed from duty and placed on imposed leave. During the course of the administrative investigation, the investigators learned that Gaballa falsified an official police report, engaged in misrepresentation of facts to his supervisor, and mishandled evidence. The criminal investigation into Gaballa’s actions continues.
As a probationary employee, Gaballa was terminated from employment with the Tucson Police Department on August 22, 2013 as a result of the discoveries made during the course of the administrative investigation.