Former San Diego deputy convicted of sex crimes now works as police chaplain

Nearly $10 million in taxpayer-funded civil settlements preceded Fischer’s chaplaincy role

Former San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Ricky Fischer now works as a chaplain with the Christian Law Enforcement Fellowship, a San Diego-based police outreach nonprofit, according to Voice of San Diego reporter Jakob McWhinney, whose reporting was distributed by The Associated Press.

The fellowship describes itself as a “non-denominational Christian organization committed to a Biblically oriented outreach to the law enforcement community of San Diego County.”

The organization provides support and mentorship to police officers throughout the region and hosts widely attended prayer breakfasts and marriage retreats.

Fischer took the chaplaincy role roughly two years after the resolution of civil cases brought against him by his accusers — cases that together cost San Diego County taxpayers nearly $10 million to settle.

The accusations against Fischer spanned a two-year period, McWhinney reported, and ranged from unwanted groping and kissing to forcing victims to perform oral sex on him.

More than 20 women accused Fischer of the abuses. His accusers included women pulled over for traffic stops and women who had called the sheriff’s department for help.

Fischer ultimately pleaded guilty to a half-dozen felony and misdemeanor charges related to his sexual crimes.

The case against Fischer played out over nearly a decade before his guilty plea, according to McWhinney’s reporting.