WATERFORD — Nearly 30 people packed into Waterford Town Hall on Wednesday night to learn about the issues plaguing the Waterford Police Department.
The department is currently short-staffed and has been without a police chief since January when the former chief retired early.
Previous Coverage: Residents seeking answers after Waterford police staff placed on administrative leave
Currently, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office is supervising the department. Town Board Chair Teri Jendusa-Nicolai said the agreement runs until the end of the year and can be terminated at any time.
During the meeting, Jendusa-Nicolai noted that four different investigations have been conducted between May and October.
“This is not stuff that you want to know. This is not stuff that you want to think really goes on, and I hate to be the one to tell you, but this is the reality,” said Jendusa-Nicolai.
However, she did share some examples of what they termed “bad behavior.”
One instance she highlighted was a call for a physical assault that went unanswered for eight minutes.
“We found out that our officer was sleeping—not just sleeping, but sleeping in a known sleeping zone,” said Jendusa-Nicolai.
Another incident she cited involved a part-time officer leaving the command center during a critical incident near the end of July. That officer has since resigned.
Watch: Waterford Town Board addresses police dept. issues, attendees weigh in
Other instances included a part-time officer not signing off on a department policy form, despite having several months to do so. There were also reports of officers not following through on complaints.
“The officers not being here to actually provide those details for themselves, I feel, is a little defaming,” said Linda Brand, a current patrol officer with the Waterford Police Department.
She and others in attendance disagreed with some, or even all, of the statements being made by the town board.
For example, Jendusa-Nicolai said the department does not have a Field Training Officer (FTO) manual, and officers are not trained on it, which can cause liability issues for the town.
“Many, if not all, of our officers have never been FTO trained for our department. That is a problem,” said Jendusa-Nicolai.
Brand disagrees with that assertion, telling TMJ4 that training is provided. She also said part-time officers have offered to help address the department’s staffing challenges.
“The allegations about the FTO manual not being provided and claims that part-time police officers are not being given details and information on how to help us during this time of need are incorrect,” said Brand.
David Ferger is one of the officers who was under investigation and resigned.
He expressed concern about the board’s direction regarding the police department.
“I feel like they have an agenda, and it's apparent that everyone who has been investigated has either resigned, been terminated, or threatened with termination, which would basically prevent you from working in this profession altogether,” said Ferger.
Board members attributed the town’s struggles to hire a new police chief to being bogged down by investigations.
They also stated they could not discuss current Franklin Mayor John Nelson, who retired from the Waterford Police Department amid an administrative investigation.
There was no public comment at the meeting.
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