PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A former Philadelphia police officer was sentenced to prison Friday.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced William Watts, Sr., 56, faces five years and ten months in prison, five years of supervised release and is ordered to pay $12,000 in special assessments by District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsk for receiving and possessing child pornography.
Prosecutors say Watts was arrested in October 2021 after a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to an FBI investigation. They found he possessed hundreds of images of child pornography between his online accounts and electronic devices.
At the time of his arrest, he was a police officer in Philadelphia’s First District. He has since resigned.
In July 2022, Watts pleaded guilty to these charges and, according to Romero, Watts admitted to seeking out videos of children being abused for his own gratification.
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Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, said that, as an officer, his he was sworn to protect and serve, but instead put people at risk.
“Not only did he break the law by continually seeking out these disgusting images, his actions put child victims at further risk of sexual exploitation,” Maguire said.
“Justice demands, and this sentence ensures, that he is held accountable.”
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Prosecutors say this case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative that helps combat sexual exploitation and abuse of children. It was launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice.
More information about the project can be found on their website.