AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC4) — A man who worked as a federal employee for the Dept. of Homeland Security, in law enforcement as an officer, and as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Utah Valley University was arrested Thursday night for possessing child porn.

Dan Waddington, 68, was arrested on August 3 in American Fork around 7 p.m. for aggravated child exploitation, and a myriad of other charges involving sexual exploitation of a minor. This comes after he allegedly attempted to secretly film a 13-year-old girl.

This investigation began in July 2023, when two parents told American Fork investigators Waddington had attempted to film their 13-year-old daughter (over whom Waddington maintained a position of trust).

According to the American Fork Police Department, during the investigation, it was found that Waddington had approximately 300 images of child porn on his personal devices.

Waddington also had several images of a 13-year-old girl with no clothes on in the bathroom. It appears Waddington had video-recorded the victim, but deleted the video upon getting caught. Images were able to be recovered from the phone through processing.

“What makes the alleged actions of Waddington even worse stems from his professional background. Waddington is a retired law enforcement officer for the Long Beach City Police Department in Long Beach, California, and is believed to have been a law enforcement officer for over 25 years,” the press release states.

Investigators also recovered a photo in what appears to be a classroom at Utah Valley University, and the camera was pointed up a female’s dress/skirt. Although the picture does not display nudity, the photograph violates a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Waddington had a Ph.D., and was an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Utah Valley University from August 2015 to August 2021, according to UVU. He had over 35 years of comprehensive criminal justice experience as a practitioner, mentor, consultant, educator, trainer, and analyst.

“He is a recognized expert in the fields of countering Violent Extremism, Criminal Justice Reform, Community Policing, Crime and Problem Analysis, and Organization Development.”

According to student reviews on Rate My Professor, “Waddington is one of the best [Criminal Justice] professors,” and “Dr. Waddington knows his stuff […] Great professor, really good at what he does, but doesn’t make it hard.”

UVU also stated that Waddington worked as an advisor and consultant for the Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of State, the United States Institute of Peace, the Global Counter-Terrorism Form, and the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism.

According to American Fork Police Department, Waddington has a high level of interaction with children and youth as he was on the Board of Directors for Second Chance 4 Youth, a program to provide opportunities for at-risk youth.

The press release included the following statement on Waddington’s impact:

“Words cannot adequately express the profound feelings of frustration, anger, and discouragement we feel as a department for Waddington’s alleged actions. The great majority of law enforcement officers do everything possible to represent that which is good, to protect the innocent, to serve all members of our communities, and to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

For a former law enforcement officer and someone who is known so well locally, nationally, and
internationally in the criminal justice world to be involved in such activity is the purest form of
betrayal to all law enforcement officers and the values we strive to keep affixed to the badge.
Lamentably, the ripples of this case will surely be felt throughout many locations of the world.
We have expended every effort to investigate this case to the greatest level of quality possible.
We unequivocally denounce any abuse of another, especially that of a child or youth member.

Our department is committed to doing everything we can to protect this vulnerable population,
even if that means holding another law enforcement officer accountable.”

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If any members of the public have had contact with Waddington that resulted in any form of perceived abuse, or other alleged inappropriate conduct, please contact the American Fork Police Department at (801)-763-3020.