To protect & serve?

6/21/2012 1:31:25 PM

Two Lauderhill police officers are being investigated for allegedly groping two women and forcing one of them to perform sex acts, according to a search warrant filed in Broward County Court.

The search warrant names police officers Franklin Hartley, 32, and Thomas Merenda, 34, as the targets of the investigation. Neither officer has been charged with any crimes linked to the allegations made by the 29 and 31-year-old women.

Both police officers were on-duty and in uniform during the incident alleged to have taken place on May 24.

"There is an open criminal and internal affairs investigation on two of our officers and the search warrants were a part of that investigation," Lauderhill police spokesman Capt. Rick Rocco said.

Rocco did not confirm the identities of the officers. However, he did say the two officers being investigated were on paid administrative leave as of June 12.

Attempts to reach Hartley and Merenda by phone were unsuccessful.

According to the search warrant that was filed with the court on Tuesday:

The two women, intoxicated, had just left the Vegas Cabaret strip club in Lauderhill when Hartley stopped the 2010 Toyota Yaris they were in along the 7600 block of West Commercial Boulevard in nearby Tamarac.

Hartley alluded to arresting the women and subsequently told them to follow him in their car to a dark area behind a business a few blocks away.

That's when the second officer, Merenda, arrived on scene. Hartley asked the 29-year-old to get out of the car and began touching her breasts while reminding her she could be arrested. He had her perform oral sex and also had intercourse with her.

As that took place, according to the search warrant, Merenda remained with the other woman and when Hartley returned, they exchanged the two alleged victims.

Merenda then conducted a "pat down" and touched the female's breasts and genitalia. Hartley did the same with the other woman, the search warrant said.

According to the document, Merenda also asked one of the women to punch him in the groin and reassured her that he wanted her to do it. She did.

Other information in the search warrant indicated that a location device on both officers' police cars recorded that the cars were parked at the scene of the alleged incident for about an hour and 40 minutes.

It also said that evidence found on scene included three condoms, two condom wrappers and a pair of orange panties.

According to personnel records, Hartley has been with the Lauderhill police department for five years and has a salary of $59,426; Merenda has been a city police officer for nearly 11 years and makes $78,129.