Seattle Officer on Leave Amid Probe Into Alleged Stalking

MONROE, Wash. (AP) — A Seattle police officer is under investigation for using police equipment to stalk a woman he dated, and has been placed on administrative leave, according to police.

Records filed in Snohomish County Superior Court show detectives believe there is probable cause that Andrew Swartz committed felony stalking over a two-month period while working as an officer in 2021, The Daily Herald reported Monday.

Gathering the evidence

In September 2021, a Monroe woman filed for a restraining order against Swartz. In sworn statements, she said she caught Swartz underneath her car, apparently placing a tracking device, and said Swartz had repeatedly followed her while she drove.

She said there were “several prior incidents of stalking since we broke up in mid July.”

A police department spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper that Swartz is on administrative leave and that the Office of Public Accountability is investigating.

A 22-page affidavit requesting a search warrant to review Swartz’s phone records was signed by Superior Court Judge Miguel Duran in late September of this year.

Seattle Police Department spokesperson Patrick Michaud told the newspaper Swartz was still employed by the department as of November 2022. Efforts to contact Swartz weren't immediately successful.