Republicans vote to reinstate pay for fired police officers
State Representative Barbara Toles
Representative Barbara Toles (D-Milwaukee) expressed dismay over what amounts to constant assaults on Milwaukee taxpayers in the 2011-13 Budget.
“Echoing the recent expansion of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Republican controlled Joint Finance Committee, led by Senator Alberta Darling and Representative Robin Vos, have again granted the wishes of a special interest group over the interests of Milwaukee’s taxpayers.
Just after midnight last Friday morning, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee passed Motion #472, which adds language to the 2011- 13 Budget that would reinstate full pay for discharged Milwaukee police officers who have committed rules violations pending the outcome of their appeals. Governor Walker says his budget will not raise taxes, however, under this proposal Milwaukee taxpayers will once again be forced to pay months and possibly years of salary to police officers who have been fired. Senator Darling and her fellow Republicans’ action would restore full salary and benefits to an officer like Ladmarald Cates who is appealing his dismissal for lying to department investigators, and having sex while on duty. Members of the Joint Finance Committee who voted for this motion may think Officer Cates’ actions are a minor infraction, but his rules violations were uncovered after he was accused of raping a University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee student after he responded to her 911 call for help last summer.
In a January 16, 2011 article, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that in response to the rape allegations, Officer Cates first denied any inappropriate contact with the victim, but then, a day later, admitted to investigators that he had “let his sexual arousal get the best of him.” Although the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office declined to press criminal charges, possibly due to the challenges of successfully prosecuting police officers, the case is now the subject of an FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation. Without any formal charges pending against him, the Committee’s vote last Friday says that an officer like Cates deserves to be paid tens of thousands of dollars while he awaits his appeal before the Fire and Police Commission. The taxpayers of Milwaukee deserve better.”