Police Officer Alleges Wrongful Termination

Case Overview

This case takes place in Kansas and involves the alleged wrongful termination of a police department internal affairs officer. The former officer alleges that he was wrongfully terminated for following appropriate policies and protocol, while his supervisors and their cohorts were allowed to conduct themselves in an inappropriate and unethical manner. The complaint also includes racial discrimination issues and other alleged violations, and claimed that the officer’s department had not followed pertinent employee retention policies.

Questions to the Law Enforcement expert and their responses

Have you served as a police department chief before or currently?

I have experience with these matters as a former Chief of Police.

Do you have any specific protocol that considers wrongful termination issues (i.e. defining when a department employee may be terminated)?

In my current position as a consultant, I work with municipalities and police departments and have been hired to address these specific issues.

Have you ever served as an expert witness before? If so, please explain.

I am asked by municipalities to conduct investigations concerning employee misconduct, and oftentimes it is police misconduct. I also served as the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commissioner, so I am extremely familiar with proper standards and protocols that police departments should be following.

About the expert

This expert spent 34 years in municipal policing. He started as a Patrol Officer with the Wellfleet Police Department and was promoted to Shift Commander after serving as a Detective, Court Prosecutor, and Corporal. He then worked for 10 years as Chief of Police of the Williamstown Police Department and later the Carver Police Department. In these roles he conducted and coordinated numerous internal and administrative investigations concerning on and off duty officer misconduct and violations of departmental rules and policies. Currently, this expert is the Principal of a public safety consulting firm. He provides investigative, forensic, and pre-trial services in criminal and civil matters for attorneys and private clients, conducts investigations and reviews of alleged employee misconduct, and provides subject matter expertise on public safety related topics including internal affairs and discipline, police operations, and policy review. He is a licensed Private Investigator and is affiliated with numerous professional law enforcement organizations.