'Bodycam Was Covered': Cop Accused of Taking Nude Photos of Prisoners With iPhone

A Pennsylvania deputy sheriff is facing multiple criminal charges after prosecutors alleged that he secretly photographed nude detainees with his personal iPhone and shared those images with others.

Ryan Gaffney, a former deputy with the Bucks County Sheriff's Office, was charged after he allegedly concealed his body-worn camera before taking explicit photos of detainees during arrests. Authorities said witness statements, bodycam footage, Axon records, and a forensic examination of his iPhone contradicted Gaffney's denials that he had taken or shared the images.

A Complaint Uncovered the Allegations

The case came to light on 31 March 2026, when the Bucks County District Attorney's Office received a complaint from the sheriff's office about one of its deputies. According to the criminal complaint, investigators alleged that Gaffney took pictures of partially naked detainees with his personal iPhone and showed the pictures to several female civilian employees.

The allegations arose from an arrest on 30 January 2026 at a Middletown Township residence. Deputies were serving an arrest warrant for a man authorities said was experiencing a mental health crisis.

According to prosecutors, the man was naked from the waist down when Gaffney and another deputy entered his upstairs bedroom. After instructing him to get dressed, Gaffney allegedly covered his body-worn camera and used his personal iPhone instead to secretly photograph the man as he was pulling up his trousers.

Bodycam Footage Raised Questions

Gaffney's own bodycam initially appeared to show nothing unusual. However, investigators noticed that he placed his hands over the camera lens briefly. It was the footage from other deputies' body-worn cameras that filled in the gaps.

The criminal complaint alleges that Gaffney was seen removing a glove, pulling an iPhone 15 from his pocket, and using it while standing near the detainee. Prosecutors then claim that he covered his own bodycam again before pointing the phone towards the man as he got dressed, with the camera app open.

Authorities also reviewed Axon logs, which showed Gaffney did not access his bodycam footage until months later. Investigators said the image allegedly shown to coworkers was not taken from his body-worn camera.

Witness Claims Led to iPhone Search

The investigation took a major turn after another deputy reported seeing Gaffney showing female civilian employees a photo of the detainee's genitals 'in jest.' The deputy also claimed that Gaffney took a similar photo of another detainee in custody on 26 December 2024, capturing the person's exposed buttocks before sharing that image as well.

Detectives later conducted a forensic examination of Gaffney's iPhone and, according to prosecutors, uncovered both images, contradicting his earlier statements that the photos did not exist. Phone records also showed one image had been sent to two contacts, while the other was shared with 12 people over four separate occasions.

Fired and Facing Multiple Charges

Gaffney was fired from the Bucks County Sheriff's Office in June, before prosecutors announced the charges on 20 July. Speaking at a press conference, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan denounced the alleged actions. 'Mr. Gaffney's conduct is a disgrace. It is a betrayal of the trust that was placed in him by the sheriff and by the taxpayers,' Khan said.

'When a deputy sheriff breaks the law and then attempts to cover it up by lying, he erodes the public trust that thousands of honest public servants work every day to preserve,' he added. Rejecting the allegations, Gaffney's attorney, Paul Lange, said his client 'deserves due process, not trial by publicity.' Gaffney, an Air Force veteran and part-time police officer, is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on 10 August 2026.