Copyright 2006 Journal Sentinel Inc.
One accused of performing lewd act while on-duty
By JOHN DIEDRICH
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
Six Milwaukee firefighters were fired Friday for their alleged roles in an incident in which a firefighter, while on duty, performed a lewd act in front of a computer camera while colleagues at a different firehouse watched.
A seventh firefighter remained under investigation, according to the mayor’s office.
It is the most firefighters terminated at one time in at least 20 years, the firefighters union president said.
“It certainly is not a happy day for anyone concerned,” said Greg Gracz, president of the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Local 215. “I can’t put a good spin on it, and I am not going to even attempt to. The fact is, it is a bad situation. If all allegations prove true, it is not a good situation.”
A news release from the Fire Department said the following firefighters were terminated: Lt. James D. Nelson, Lt. Sean A. Moore, heavy equipment operator Eric W. Kentowski and firefighters Matthew A. Palmer, Mark W. Zalewski and John P. Fisher.
“The internal investigation found evidence that these employees’ actions were in direct violation of Milwaukee Fire Department Rules,” the statement says.
The release says because the terminated workers have appeal rights before the Fire and Police Commission, the department would make no other comment. Fire officials did not return calls.
A “trial by chief” was Friday, where the fired firefighters made one final argument, at the end of which the chief decided to fire the six, Gracz said. Until Friday, they had been on paid suspension since last month, he said.
The firefighters have 10 days to appeal. Gracz wasn’t sure whether they would. None will receive pay if they appeal. City police officers are paid while they appeal under a state law unique to them.
Fire officials briefed Mayor Tom Barrett on Friday about the investigation’s results, said Barrett’s chief of staff, Patrick Curley.
“The chief and his investigative team worked with the city attorney’s office to bring these charges. They are serious charges that are going to have to heard by the Fire and Police Commission,” Curley said. “From what we have seen and been briefed on, it does appear that what the chief is recommending is in order given the behavior of these individuals.”
One night in late November at a firehouse, a firefighter was in a computer chat room, corresponding with a woman whom he thought he knew, sources familiar with the investigation have said. Actually, a group of firefighters at a different station had the woman’s password and were posing as her online, sources said.
At the request of someone who the firefighter thought was the woman, he partially disrobed and masturbated in front of a computer camera, which sent the images back to the other station where the firefighters watched, sources said. The episode was a gag meant to fill down time at the station, the sources said. At least one computer used in the incident was a personal computer, sources said.
Fire Chief William Wentlandt plans to ensure that the department’s computer-use policy applies to personal computers brought to the firehouse, Curley said. There also is going to be a review of how firefighters use down time, he said.
The case is still just department allegations, Gracz said. But if they prove true, they are an anomaly, he said.
“This is not normal. It is an isolated incident,” he said. “You can’t judge the entire department on an isolated incident like this.”