A graphic photo of the act was released by the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office this week following a public information request from the media. The officer was fully clothed, with his utility belt still around his waist.
The officer has been put on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the investigation, according to the New Mexico State Police.
The camera was placed on the remote La Bajada Ranch by law enforcement to catch vandals, according to ABC’s Albuquerque affiliate KOAT.
“It’s strictly a personnel matter,” Sgt. Tim Johnson, the public information officer for the New Mexico State Police Department of Public Safety, told ABCNews.com. “We received the information from the sheriff’s department in Santa Fe County. An internal personnel investigation was initiated immediately and was completed.” Johnson said a decision on disciplinary action is still pending.
Johnson said that “no criminal wrongdoing occurred” and that the situation “comes to integrity issues.”
When asked if the officer was on duty at the time the photo was taken, Johnson said he could not answer that yet, but said the “person was in uniform.”