Police say they have arrested a Smith Haven Mall security guard for committing a sex act while on duty last year.

According to police, 33-year-old Jose Irizarry, of Holbrook, was working as a security officer on Aug. 29, 2022, when he approached a 24-year-old woman inside Zumiez clothing store and suspected her of shoplifting.

Irizarry, under the guise of escorting the woman out of the mall, brought her into an employee-only corridor and then into a storage room. That is where police say he forced the victim to perform a sex act on him in exchange for her being allowed to leave the mall without being charged.

Detectives arrested Irizarry on Thursday at the Fourth Precinct at 4:34 p.m.

Police say Irizarry was a state-licensed security guard with Allied Security for 15 years.

Crime victims advocate Laura Ahearn says it's an example of a weakness in licensure laws. She says to get a security guard license in New York state, someone only has to be 18, have a driver's license and be fingerprinted.

Ahearn says because security guards are in a position of power and deal with the public, a psychological evaluation should be required as part of the screening process for applicants.

"Because that screening would weed out any potential individuals that could be problematic, people that have boundary problems," Ahearn says. "It's easy to weed out an individual who use their position of power to cause harm to another person."

Irizarry was arraigned Friday on a charge of first-degree criminal sex act.

If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Police say an investigation continues in the case because there is a possibility that there are more victims.