A Philadelphia police officer was in tears as she defended a decision that she says has brought her nothing but judgment.
“I’m just tired,” said Terra Barrow. “I’m tired. Somebody always has something negative to say. Everyone is so quick to talk about my morals."
The 35-year-old officer, who’s assigned to the Civil Affairs Unit, says she’s sick of people judging her after it came to light that she was running a phone sex business on the side.
“I never portrayed myself as a police officer,” Barrow said. “My real name was never revealed to my characters. I never did anything to expose the police department.”
For years, Barrow allegedly ran websites and phone lines aimed at callers with fetishes that are illegal when acted upon, including rape and kidnapping.
Barrow says the only reason she got into the phone sex industry is because her father became sick and she needed to support her parents financially.
“No one knew what was going on in my life and what I was going through,” she said while in tears.
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Police officials say they received a complaint in 2011 stating that she was working in the phone sex industry on the side. The department did not punish her however due to a loophole in their policy.
Directive 121 doesn’t specifically prohibit officers from phone-sex work. The department is now working to define what kind of side jobs officers can have.
While she never faced any legal action, Barrow says she decided to quit the phone sex business. Her new side job is selling body wraps meant for weight loss.
“Everybody is so quick to judge,” Barrow said. “But at the end of the day, I go to sleep knowing my mom and dad are taken care of.”
