Arizona Mother Calls for Accountability After Abusive Cop's Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Perjury, Legal Abuse, and Official Misconduct is Covered Up
Mesa Police SWAT Officer Accused of Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Official Misconduct, Filing False Criminal Charges, and Perjury in Family Court. “These are not just personal accusations—they reflect a systemic failure where an officer entrusted with public safety instead used his badge to harm, silence, and legally dismantle the life of his former partner,” says a source close to the case.
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ (1888PressRelease) May 30, 2025 - Maricopa County Family Court Victim and Domestic Violence Survivor Calls for Independent Investigations into the Abuse of Power and Systemic Failures in Arizona's Justice System.
A formal complaint filed by domestic violence survivor Erin Gerlach has brought serious allegations against Shawn Freeman, a SWAT Operator with the Mesa Police Department. The complaint outlines an alarming pattern of domestic abuse, child endangerment, retaliatory false charges, policy violations, official misconduct and substantial perjury committed under oath in family court.
Concerned community members are calling for immediate investigation and accountability following disturbing allegations of misconduct by Mesa Police Officer Shawn Freeman. The claims—spanning nearly a decade—raise serious questions about internal oversight, judicial integrity, and public safety in Arizona.
According to Gerlach’s complaint and supporting documentation, Officer Freeman engaged in years of coercive control and physical abuse, culminating in a campaign of legal retaliation after Gerlach ended their engagement and sought protection for their 7-year-old daughter.
The complaint states that Freeman:
Physically assaulted and strangled Gerlach during their relationship in front of their child;
Threatened to use his position in law enforcement to take their daughter and ruin her life;
Filed false Police Reports and intentionally made False Statements to police resulting in bogus criminal charges against Gerlach in what appears to be a calculated act of retaliation;
Committed perjury in family court, providing knowingly false information under oath to manipulate custody outcomes and conceal his own violent behavior;
Abused the child and exposed her to abuse, contributing to psychological trauma and fear;
Abused members of the community while on duty and committed serious policy violations.
Reportedly accessed law enforcement databases for personal reasons without a valid law enforcement purpose- in violation of departmental policy and Arizona state law.
Allegedly falsified work-related injury claims and improperly manipulated timecards to inflate his pay—actions that may amount to fraud.
Allegedly was involved in a hoax officer-involved shooting in 2021 and later retaliated against the individual - raising serious integrity concerns.
Perhaps most concerning are allegations that Freeman has made knowingly false statements under oath in the Maricopa County family court, intentionally manipulating judicial outcomes to his advantage while identifying himself as a police officer.
Gerlach alleges that Freeman used his position as a police officer to file false police reports, commit perjury in court proceedings, and obtain custody orders through perjury, fraud and intimidation. The complaint provides detailed evidence that Freeman’s sworn statements to multiple courts and law enforcement agencies directly contradict one another—yet he has faced no accountability.
Even more alarming, Gerlach claims that the Maricopa County Family Court ignored this perjury, denied her due process, and issued custody orders based on demonstrably false information. Judge Charlene Jackson is accused of disregarding evidence of domestic violence and failing to follow legal standards required under Arizona law and the U.S. Constitution. Judge Charlene Jackson has been in hot water for Judicial Misconduct she committed in numerous cases - yet the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct irresponsibly fails to remove her from the bench.
“The court never reviewed the evidence. They let a police officer lie under oath, again and again, he committed fraud on the court and now my child is living with her abuser without the ability to see her Mother - the parent who took care of her daily needs since birth” said Gerlach.
“These are not just personal accusations—they reflect a systemic failure where an officer entrusted with public safety instead used his badge to harm, silence, and legally dismantle the life of his former partner,” said a legal advocate close to the case. “The allegations of perjury and abuse of legal processes should raise alarms about the integrity of the Mesa Police Department and its internal accountability mechanisms and the failures of the Maricopa County Family Court.”
Despite the gravity of the claims, Freeman remains employed with the Mesa Police Department. Taxpayers are funding numerous City of Mesa employees who are participating in an ongoing campaign of intimidation, harassment and retaliation against Gerlach for speaking out about Freeman's misconduct.
Advocates for Gerlach are now calling for:
An independent investigation into Freeman’s conduct on and off duty;
A review of all legal filings and testimony provided by Freeman in all cases where he has testified or submitted filings under oath child custody and criminal proceedings;
Immediate Accountability for Freeman's repeated instances of perjury, perjury by inconsistent statements, harassment, retaliation, legal abuse, providing false statements to police, filing false police reports, ongoing domestic abuse and official misconduct.
“This case is a clear warning,” said the advocate. “When perjury and false charges are used to win in family court, the system becomes a tool of abuse. We must not allow those in a position of power to abuse their authority to manipulate the legal system and shield abusers from justice.”
"Shawn Freeman is using taxpayers' money as his personal piggy bank to achieve his personal goals of destroying me and my life, as he promised he would do to me for years. Freeman has a long list of victims who he has harmed, I wasn't the first and I won't be the last. Freeman will never be held accountable for victimizing people because he has personal and professional connections in the justice system including lawyers, judges and all levels of law enforcement. I have witnessed Freeman manipulate other law enforcement agencies, lawyers, judges and other professionals into assisting him with his personal vendetta against me. Shawn portrays himself as a victim while omitting substantial material information to make people do his dirty work for him. I have provided several agencies with evidence that Freeman lied to them, including the Gilbert Police Department. They have failed take action to stop Freeman from his escalating acts of legal abuse regardless of the fact they know Freeman filed false police reports, made false statements and lied to officers and investigators while identifying himself as a police officer and committed dozens of acts of perjury and perjury by inconsistent statements in three different jurisdictions. The State of Arizona has a licensed peace officer who is demonstrating his lack of integrity by lying on a public record while under oath and a Superior Court Judge who has racked up dozens of serious complaints including ordering custody of a child to a convicted pedophile. The State of Arizona needs to hold members of their justice system accountable and stop intimidating, threatening and taking other drastic measures to silence victims of Arizona Police or the Arizona Family Courts. The First Amendment needs to be respected. If you don't want your crimes and misconduct exposed, while working in public service, then don't commit them! Shawn Freeman, The Mesa Police Department and Maricopa County Judge Charlene Jackson all have demonstrated histories of misconduct, a long list of similar complaints against them and accusations they participate in corruption. Several Notices of Claim and Civil Rights lawsuits settled by the City of Mesa detail claims similar to the allegations I have made publicly. The City of Mesa has a history of issuing press releases, official statements and comments to the media claiming every act of misconduct they are accused of committing is someone else's fault. They do not take any accountability. In several of those lawsuits, Plaintiff attorneys allege Mesa's Internal Affairs - Professional Standards Unit repeatedly fails to hold their officers accountable. There is clearly a much bigger problem in Mesa than what is being highlighted in my case. Employees for the City of Mesa and The Mesa Police Department have stalked me, intimidated me, harassed me, and repeatedly tried to silence me because I exposed crimes their officers were committing. There are no whistleblower protections for former spouses of cops, so Freeman and his friends in law enforcement keep coming after me. Official Misconduct, Abuses of Power, and Corruption are running rampant in Arizona with little to no oversight. State agencies such as Arizona POST and the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct are failing citizens of Arizona by looking the other way when legitimate complaints are filed. Victims are facing retaliation for exercising their rights to file complaints and nobody is stopping it from happening. The cycle of abuse continues with no end in sight. If you speak up about the misconduct or corruption you experienced as a victim of the Arizona Family Courts or Arizona Law Enforcement, The State of Arizona will punish you. There are too many victims of this system who have been failed, including my innocent daughter" Gerlach said.
Community advocates are urging the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) Board, and the Arizona judiciary to launch independent investigations into Freeman’s conduct and take measures to protect the public from predator officers.
Gerlach is calling on the Arizona Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an immediate, independent investigation into both Officer Freeman’s conduct and the systemic breakdown within the Maricopa County Family Court.
Gerlach is available for interviews and is prepared to speak publicly about her experience. All supporting documentation—including the full complaint and evidence—can be provided to members of the press.
To schedule an interview with Erin or obtain additional information, please email our Media Contact Bridgette at justiceforbrooklynanderin ( @ ) gmail dot com
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam