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Report: Resource officer’s kiss violates policy
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A former Mesa police officer violated city policy when he kissed a teacher on the head while working as a school resource officer at Power Middle School last year, according to a police internal affairs report released Monday.
Mark Larkin retired from the Mesa Police Department on Sept. 30, 2006, before any discipline could be handed down for the incident, which occurred about a month before, the report states.
However, Larkin’s work history shows additional sexual harassment incidents dating years back into his career.
Records show the former officer was once placed on disciplinary probation for harassing a female burglary victim, demoted and placed on one-year disciplinary probation for making sexual comments to a female officer and massaging another officer’s shoulders, disciplined for having sex on duty and counseled for making sexual comments to a teacher at Brimhall Junior High School.
In the most recent incident, Larkin is accused of walking into a teachers’ break room and kissing a female teacher on the head whom he had known for just one week.
The act violated the city’s policy for police officers’ conduct, the report stated.
According to records, Larkin felt “horrible” that he couldn’t apologize for kissing the teacher on the head.
He said he was just being friendly and trying to “fit in” at the school.
“I didn’t think that it would be found to be offensive ...” Larkin said during an internal affairs interview.
“No one is telling me about it so I could correct what I’m doing wrong.”
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which certifies officers to work in the state, took no action against
Larkin during a July 16 board meeting, said Bob Forry, the board’s compliance manager.
That means Larkin is still certified to work as a police officer in Arizona.
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