21 Sterling Heights Police Command Officers Suspended

[David1946]

 

21 Sterling Heights police command officers suspended

 

Forged time cards and stole their pay Instead of suspensions they should be in jail but hey.. we all know about cops looking out for cops..Criminals in uniform!

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2012/03/22/news/doc4f6b0ef7c1c13951237620.txt

 

Twenty-one Sterling Heights police command officers have been suspended 10 to 30 days for the inaccurate submission of time cards.

 

Police Chief Michael Reese could not be reached for comment, but he made his feelings clear at a City Council meeting Tuesday evening.

 

A report, released by Internal Affairs Lt. Luke Riley on Wednesday to The Macomb Daily under the Freedom of Information Act, said the suspensions range from 30 days for lieutenants to 10-day suspensions for sergeants.

 

Riley said the officers violated a department manual of rules that stipulates they are required to submit accurate timecards.

 

 

 

The suspensions were the direct result of command officers leaving work early on numerous occasions dating back at least 90 days.

 

James Hack, a captain, second highest ranking officer at the department, denied participating or knowledge of officers leaving nearly. Some of the officers said Hack approved the practice. Nine command officers who advised the police administration said Hack was aware of the practice.

 

Other officers suspended for leaving early are lieutenants David Smith, David Sharna, Steve Jesperson, Kevin Reese, John Rogers, Dale Dwojakowski and Steve Jesperson. They were accused of receiving and permitting wages for the time where they were absent.

 

Sergeants suspended are Dale Brown, Colleen Hopper, Guy Holmes, Paul LaBaere, James Wood, David Cattaneo, Mark Schmidt, Ronald Gotowicki, James Bryant, Paul Korell, Linda Deprez, Anthony Roebuck, Scott Anderson and Kenneth Pappas.

 

The lieutenants will have 10 days of their 30-day suspension held in abeyance for two years and if they work with a clean slate the 10 days will be deleted. For sergeants, the same will occur with five days being held back.

 

Mayor Richard Notte said he believes all of the suspensions are fair. He said the discipline was severe.

 

 

 

“They are paying back all of the money they improperly took from their employer,” Notte said. “I don’t think this will ever happen again.”

 

Notte said Hack promoted the illegal activity because of a recent arbitration ruling against command officers.

 

The matter remains in Macomb Circuit Court.

 

“Hack condoned this activity,” Notte said. “He was their boss and promoted it because he was bitter at the city.”

 

Councilman Michael Taylor, a Mount Clemens attorney, said he is not satisfied with the suspensions. He said it wasn’t enough.

 

Taylor said the officers at the same rank got the exact same punishment. He said some should have gotten a lot more.

 

“Some are more culpable than others,” Taylor said.

 

The officers’ lost wages will come out of their vacation and personal day time bank. Taylor said it will be taken from money the officers have coming.

 

Taylor said the officers will lose $70,000 from their banked time. Hack, because of money he would have earned on the police department’s DROP program, will lose at least $400,000.

 

Hack is making $140,000 annually and he still had four years left on the DROP program.

 

 

[garyfisher]

Hack is making $140,000

[Kingdiamond]

Sickening if that were one of us at a regular job we would be shown the door .

[Mememe]

the news said he resigned

[kzoocares]

another example of crooked cops keeping their jobs. i aggree, if this were any other job title.. the employee would be fired on the spot.

 

shame shame

[newbie313]

Regular working folks would have been.fired asap

[Frank R]

Manipulating time cards is a terminatable offense for non-gun wielding citizens.

 

No excuses, bah-bye there's the door Joe Schmoe.

 

And maybe, just maybe the company will try to press criminal charges against Mr. Schmoe:

 

"Falsifying timesheets may result in not only termination of employment and perhaps civil liability, but also criminal charges. In Massachusetts, obtaining property by false pretenses with intent to defraud constitutes larceny, which carries a minimum penalty of one year imprisonment and $300 in fines. An employee may be criminally liable for larceny by obtaining pay for hours which he or she did not work, and thereby defrauding an employer."

 

 

I guess it just a "wittle bitty slip-up" when you're the Thin Blue Line that is the paragon of ethics and morality for an entire community....

 

It also helps that you and your co-workers are pathalogically depressed alcoholics with a history of violence and a large cache of personal fire arms and body armor.

Not the type of employee group an ex-employeer is going to want to have showing back up to work disgruntled, armed, and drunk as skunks.

"Hey, boss man! Me and Mr. 44 Magnum say's I gots my job back! Right, right?!! Good, now while I have a gun to your head let's talk about that pension plan..."