
A former Columbus police officer, Nicholas P. Duty, entered a guilty plea in federal court for purposely deactivating his body camera during interactions with women while on duty. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's statement, Duty was charged with destroying or altering records in relation to a federal investigation, admitting to two counts of the crime. His plea agreement includes a recommended prison sentence of 18 to 48 months.
Investigations began after officers working on prostitution crimes in Columbus were tipped off by a witness regarding Duty's activities on the job. He was identified through a blind photo array. The incidents in question occurred on Oct. 31, 2023, and March 22, 2024, in which Duty was found to have intentionally turned off his body camera, thus undermining a federal investigation. In an attempt to fully obstruct justice, he also reportedly deactivated his in-car camera.
The first incident on Halloween night, 2023, involved Duty responding to a call from a woman whose boyfriend was in danger. Following the call, he disabled his recording equipment and later contacted her off-duty. In March of the subsequent year, according to captured audio, despite the absence of video, Duty was recorded asking another woman multiple times for sex. Although she declined sex, the recording detailed her performing oral sex on Duty and being paid $20. These audio snippets surfaced despite Duty's efforts to remove his body camera and block its recording capabilities, as the U.S. Department of Justice reported.
Duty had been an officer with the Columbus Division of Police since June 2018 before his indictment by a federal grand jury in April 2024. Notable figures such as United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, and others announced the guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. The case is being pursued by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Kevin W. Kelley. It is under the investigation of the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission’s Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.