Last week, I wrote on the Larry Meyer case in a post entitled, “Questions for a Reporter, and the Community.” I had two questions about coverage of the lawsuit against Larry Meyer, the now-retired investigator of the Whitewater Police Department. My questions were directed to the reporters of the Janesville Gazette, The Week, and their…
Police
City, Police, Press
Questions for a Reporter, and the Community
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers of FREE WHITEWATER know that I have written about the lawsuit against Larry Meyer, former investigator of the Whitewater Police Department. This is a public matter involving the conduct of a public employee. It tells much about how that employee was supervised and managed. Most recently, in a post entitled, “Clear Information in the…
City, Police
The Force We Need
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
Clear Information on the Lawsuit Against Larry Meyer
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s an update on the lawsuit against former Whitewater Police investigator Larry Meyer. I will offer a chronology, information on the latest legal developments, and an assessment of the coverage from Bliss Communications, publishers of the Janesville Gazette and The Week. This will be a long post, with the advantage being that it will serve…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Hirings without Oversight?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Under the Wisconsin Statutes that provide for the scope and authority of a Police and Fire Commission, there is a requirement that the Board Shall Approve a Department’s Subordinates. “The chiefs shall appoint subordinates subject to approval by the board.” 62.13(4)(a) A review of the minutes of our Whitewater PFC reveals that citizen approval of…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Citizen Complaints
by JOHN ADAMS •
One measures the strength and honesty of an organization not merely by what it asserts, but by its willingness to allow others to test its assertions, so that it might be open to better practices. It is in this way that the lack of an authentic, accountable citizen complaint process illustrates so much of what…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Performance Generally
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fifth post in my series on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. The first post was an introduction to the series, and the second post cited the authority of our PFC under Wisconsin law. The third post suggested reasonable standards for Whitewater’s PFC. The fourth post discussed meeting minutes. Let’s consider PFC…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Minutes
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Reasonable Standards
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the third post in my series on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. The first post was an introduction to the series, and the second post cited the authority of our PFC under Wisconsin law. In this post, I will suggest reasonable standards for Whitewater’s PFC. Every reasonable person can agree on a…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Importance and Authority.
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the second post in my series on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. The first part was an introduction to the series. In this post, I will outline the powers of our Police and Fire Commission (PFC) under Wisconsin law. The PFC is a legally-authorized and required commission under our law. It both…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Introduction
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers know that I am a critic of the Whitewater Police Department, and its chief, Jim Coan. In this series, I will consider our Police Commission, and its role — by law and practice — in overseeing the Whitewater Police Department. My views on the city are those of a libertarian, and libertarian thinking informs…
City, Elkhorn, Police
Cat Has Your Tongue?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last week, I criticized a policy of confidentiality in municipal litigation. I offered seven reasons that a city should not seek or receive confidentiality as a condition of settlement. Confidentiality in municipal litigation is a bad idea, principally, because it deprives citizens of information about the conduct of public officials, on the public payroll, in…
City, Police, Press
Against Confidentiality in Municipal Litigation
by JOHN ADAMS •
Longtime readers know that I have covered the federal lawsuit against Larry Meyer, a now-retired detective of the Whitewater Police Department. Plaintiff, Steve Cvicker sued Meyer federal court alleging violations of his civil and constitutional rights. In March, Cvicker’s Fourth Amendment claims survived a motion for summary judgment. In October, newspaper accounts reported that the…
Inbox Reader Mail, Police
Inbox: Reader Mail
by JOHN ADAMS •
A reader sent an email to me this week with a simple question: Is it fair that a man, accused of wrongdoing, settles a lawsuit through an insurance carrier so he doesn’t have to pay from his own pocket? Here’s my answer: No, it’s not fair. It is conventional, though: most people have insurance coverage…