By Mike Johnson and Jacqueline Seibel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Journal Sentinel Inc.
PEWAUKEE, Wis. — A citizens group on Monday asked that the mayor and Police and Fire Commission order Police Chief Gary Bach to undergo a medical and psychological evaluation before being allowed to resume his duties after a 10-day unpaid suspension.
Bach began serving the suspension April 23 after a city investigation - prompted by a complaint from a female officer - determined that Bach used inappropriate language when referring to women, female employees and African-Americans.
Mayor Scott Klein said he hasn’t “seen anything” that indicates Bach needs an evaluation but said he would review the request.
“People can request and demand things all they want,” said Klein, who imposed the suspension. “It’s a lot easier to make statements when you don’t have all the facts.”
And Bach, in an interview, said his mental and physical health was checked throughout his battle with lymphoma last year.
But if he could do it over, Bach said, he would have taken time off work. “I put the department before my health,” he said.
Bach said he never took more than a couple days off in a row during his treatment. It was difficult to go through chemotherapy and work, he said, but he did so because he is dedicated to the department.
The chief also brought up a recent New York Times article about research into the effects of chemotherapy on the brain. The research into what has been called “chemo brain” or “chemo fog” shows chemotherapy can affect concentration, reasoning, memory and comprehension.
Klein, while not excusing Bach’s comments, said Bach got hit with “two bad things” in December: the possible recurrence of a life-threatening illness and the complaint about his actions that resulted in an investigation.
“He was hurt by it. He got emotional. We all get emotional and do things in the heat of the moment,” Klein said.
“He’s been evaluated on an ongoing basis because of his illness,” Klein said.
In calling for the evaluation of the chief, the Greater Pewaukee Community Association referred to statements attributed to Bach’s wife that the chief may be suicidal.
A federal lawsuit filed by Officer Robert Kraemer against the chief in April alleges that Bach’s wife “accused Officer Kraemer of riling up the chief and claimed that if the chief lost his job, he would kill himself.”
The lawsuit also states that Capt. Daniel Meister met with Kraemer and said Bach “made suicidal threats by making motions of a gun to his head.”
Wally Fiedorowicz, president of the citizens group, stated in a letter to Klein and Police and Fire Commission members that an evaluation of Bach is necessary to determine his ability to handle the job. Fiedorowicz was among residents who prompted the recall of then-Mayor Jeff Nowak in 2005.
“In light of incidents such as the Virginia Tech shooting, we feel that it would be prudent to determine his medical and psychological fitness before allowing him to continue to serve as police chief,” Fiedorowicz stated. “Clearly there is just cause for concern following the recent incidents, which resulted in his 10-day suspension, a demand by the president of the Waukesha County NAACP chapter for his firing and the filing of a federal lawsuit against him and the city.”
Requiring an evaluation of Bach would “show that city leadership is duly concerned about his actions, looking out for his own welfare and ensuring the safety of the community,” Fiedorowicz said.
Police and Fire Commission President Cheri Enters declined to comment about the matter. The commission was not involved in Bach’s discipline.
NAACP Waukesha County Branch President Lillie Wilson demanded on April 24 that Bach be removed as chief for using unacceptable and derogatory terms when referring to minorities.
Klein met with Wilson last week and told her that while Bach’s comments were inappropriate, they did not rise to the level that warranted his firing.
He also pointed out that Bach has denied using racially inappropriate language.
Klein suggested Wilson and Bach meet soon so Wilson could decide whether to believe him. But Joseph M. Wirth, the attorney representing Bach and the city in the federal lawsuit, said “any meeting on the facts that are at issue in the lawsuit will have to occur after the lawsuit is dismissed.”