Former Bucks County deputy sheriff Ryan Gaffney photographed naked people in custody with personal phone

On January 30, 2026, Bucks County Deputy Sheriff Ryan Gaffney covered his body camera and used his personal cellphone to photograph a man who was naked from the waist down and suffering a mental health crisis during a warrant execution in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania. Body camera footage from the four other deputies present captured the moment Gaffney obscured his own camera. Gaffney then showed the photograph to female civilian employees in the sheriff's office and sent the image to personal contacts.

During the subsequent investigation, a court-ordered forensic search of Gaffney's phone on April 23, 2026 also recovered a second image from December 26, 2024, showing a handcuffed man lying on a bed in a hotel room while in custody. Gaffney sent that image to 12 personal contacts over four separate dates. When investigators questioned Gaffney in an April 6, 2026 administrative interview, he denied using his personal phone to take or share the January 30 image and provided screenshots designed to mislead investigators. Digital metadata on the recovered files matched timestamps and physical positioning captured on the other deputies' body cameras.

Sheriff Danny Ceisler referred the case to the District Attorney's office in March 2026 after the January incident came to light, and Gaffney was terminated in June 2026. He had served as a Bucks County deputy sheriff since June 2023 and previously served in Iraq with the U.S. Air Force and worked part-time as a police officer in Hulmeville Borough.

Updates

2026-07-20 — District Attorney announced criminal charges against Gaffney [1]

Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan announced criminal charges at a press conference at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown. Gaffney, 46, of Feasterville-Trevose, faces two counts of official oppression, one count of unsworn falsification to authorities, one count of obstructing the administration of law or other government function, and one count of possession of an instrument of crime. Khan stated that the conduct was "a disgrace" and "a betrayal of the trust" placed in him by the sheriff and taxpayers. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 10, 2026. Gaffney's attorney Paul Lang stated his client "deserves due process, not trial by publicity."