Scott Williams
William Jeschke, who worked 14 years in the Waterford Police Department, announced his retirement Sept. 18.
Jeschke, 55, said he enjoyed his years in Waterford, and he chose to retire because he is eligible for retirement benefits.
“I have no problems with the department or my fellow employees,” he said. “I definitely could retire, so I did. I’m looking forward to it.”
Jeschke served as acting police chief following the January retirement of Chief Matt Johnson.
Town Chairwoman Teri Jendusa Nicolai said Jeschke submitted his retirement prior to an interview with the town’s investigators that was scheduled for last Wednesday.
Nicolai declined to comment about why Jeschke was under investigation.
“I can’t speak to that,” she said.
The Town Board, however, later issued a statement that Jeschke had been under investigation for complaints of harassment, discrimination and retaliation. No details were provided, and because of Jeschke’s retirement, the board said the complaints would be “not fully investigated.”
The investigation is being closed as incomplete, the board said, noting, “Lieutenant Jeschke did not provide his side of the story before retiring.”
The board also announced that two unidentified part-time police officers have recently resigned, one being investigated for “alleged unprofessional behavior” and the other for “alleged misconduct.” No details were provided.
This comes following an initial May 6 announcement from the town that three police department employees had been placed on administrative leave and that all three were being investigated. Jeschke was not publicly identified as one of those employees until his retirement.
Officer David Ferger agreed to resign after being investigated following allegations that he’d been untruthful with one of his part-time employers. His labor union said most of the accusations were found to be baseless or insignificant.
Ferger’s investigative file includes allegations from the Wisconsin Professional Police Association that Jeschke, as acting police chief, had been untruthful about Ferger’s alleged dishonesty.
The third employee still on administrative leave has not been identified, and no reason has been given for that investigation.
Another investigation was announced in August when officials said officer Nate Schweitzer, the department’s union steward, was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons.
Schweitzer had appeared before the Waterford Town Board to argue against an expanded role for the Racine County Sheriff’s Office in overseeing WPD, along with other union issues.
The town has contracted the Racine County Sheriff’s Office to provide temporary administrative oversight at a cost of $13,317 a month while the police department is short-staffed.
Ferger said he believes town leaders are trying to disband the police department and replace it with the sheriff’s office. He said he sees no other reason for the recent turmoil.
“I don’t know any other big picture,” he said.
Nicolai denied any such motive, and said the upheaval in the police department has been stressful on her and other town officials.
“If we wanted to get rid of our police department,” she said, “there are much easier ways to do it.”
The Town Board has met several times for closed-door discussions about the ongoing investigations and their impact on police department operations. One board member, Tim Szeklinski, has suggested ending the investigations
Once again, the "authorities" hide the truth from those who pay their wages and suffer under their tyranny.
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