HORTONVILLE, WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) — Less than one month after the Hortonville police chief returned from a suspension, his officers allege that his misconduct is continuing.
Chief Michael Sullivan was suspended for two weeks for violating department policies in February. Sullivan was accused of harassment, discrimination, threatening officers if they file grievances, disclosing confidential information, and lying about the facts of an investigation into his conduct.
“It’s obvious that the paltry sanctions imposed by the Police Commission did very little to address Chief Sullivan’s unlawfully coercive and dictatorial behavior,” said Jim Palmer, the executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, which filed the new complaint on behalf of the Hortonville officers. “It’s clear that Sullivan has no intention to learn from his mistakes, despite his clear public promises to the contrary.”
The new complaint asks the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission to order Sullivan to remove documents from officers’ personnel files that he allegedly forced them to sign and require Sullivan to stop issuing similar documents in the future.
The WPPA also formally asked the U.S. Attorney to determine whether Sullivan’s personal use of the state’s confidential police database violated the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
