A Metropolitan Police Department (web|news) officer, serving with the Sex Assaults Unit, was arrested for soliciting an undercover officer during a prostitution sting, according to police sources.

Police sources said Detective Elgin Wheeler was arrested around 2:30 Thursday morning when he approached the disguised female officer at the intersection of West Virginia Avenue and Neal Street.

Detective Wheeler has been the recipient of several awards and commendations for his service in the police department. He has been with the department since 1989. Police confirm that he was off-duty and in plainclothes at the time of the arrest.

"I'm disappointed. Shocked and disappointed," said resident Barbara Thompson. A local man adds, "He should be dismissed because he's in the public eye. He's supposed to be a role model for the kids."

People who live in the Trinidad neighborhood are raising an eyebrow, after their community has been overrun recently with police officers putting a squeeze on an out of control crime rate. The neighborhood has been the site of police checkpoints that are now the subject of a civil liberties lawsuit.

Resident Andre Colter notes, "It's shocking. We have All Hands on Deck and the barricades. Seems like he would pick a better spot."

"I'm not surprised," said one resident. The case of a police detective from the sex crimes squad being arrested for soliciting an undercover officer disappointed many. People said the neighborhood has been plagued by prostitution.

Wheeler was charged with solicitation and placed on administrative leave from the department, and his police powers have been removed.

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