3 San Diego Police officers arrested within 3 weeks
Aug 25, 2026
Three San Diego Police officers are accused of being on the wrong side of the law over the past three weeks and a department spokesperson says that is not normal.
On Aug. 1 at the Zach Bryan concert at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego State Police officers took two SDPD officers into custody after t
hey appeared to be intoxicated. Detective Amanda Allen and Homeless Outreach Officer Francisco Diaz were taken to jail on a charge of disorderly conduct.
San Diego Police confirmed they know about the incident and have placed both officers on administrative duty.
Three weeks later, on Aug. 23, Lt. Ruben Gutierrez was arrested by Chula Vista Police for domestic violence. Gutierrez has been placed on administrative assignment from the police department and his police powers have been removed, according to an SDPD spokesperson.
“We expect much more of our officers than that,” said Lt. Cesar Jimenez. He told NBC San Diego that SDPD is taking it “very seriously”.
“We hold our officers to a very high standard,” he added.
Jimenez said SDPD has launched internal investigations into all three officers’ actions, in addition to the criminal proceedings that will happen in court.
If the officers are found to be guilty and if they violated department policies and procedures they could be suspended or even terminated.
“Accountability for us is incredibly important, just like trust with the community,” said Jimenez.
“We’ve done a lot of work to make sure that the image of the San Diego Police Officer is one of excellence and one that is someone you can trust,” said Jimenez, who admitted that sometimes the stress of the job can take its toll on officers and their families.
There are 1,800 sworn officers in the SDPD, and even though three arrests doesn’t sound like a big number, Jimenez says it’s too many.
According to court documents, Lt. Ruben Gutierrez has been charged with battery of a spouse. His bail was $10,000.
NBC San Diego reached out to the San Diego State University Police Department. They offered the following statement:
“UPD responded to an incident involving two individuals who appeared to be intoxicated in public. The individuals were taken into custody and transported to the San Diego County Jail. No criminal charges were filed. To be clear, under California law, the matter is classified as a detention rather than an arrest. Consistent with that law and department practice, UPD cannot release identifying information regarding detention-only matters.”
Editor’s Note: San Diego police originally told NBC 7 that Lt. Gutierrez was placed on administrative leave. The department later corrected to say he was placed on administrative assignment. The story has been updated.
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