Last April, when three former Milwaukee Police officers were acquitted in the beating of Frank Jude, Jr., an angry Mayor Tom Barrett said, "This is not over."
He was right. It wasn't.
From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Six former or current Milwaukee police officers were charged Thursday in the beating of Frank Jude Jr. - the latest development in the largest prosecution of police here in some 40 years.
The charges bring to eight the number of officers now accused in the beating outside a drunken off-duty police party in Bay View two years ago. Of those, three have agreed to plead guilty.
Jon Bartlett, Daniel Masarik and Andrew Spengler were indicted Thursday along with Ryan Packard and Ryan Lemke on charges of beating Jude and conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Jude and a second man, Lovell Harris. Former officer Joseph Stromei was charged with and agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice after he admitted he had been lying to investigators until a week ago.
U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic, who launched the federal probe after Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann was unable to win convictions against Bartlett, Masarik and Spengler in a trial in April, said the joint investigation continues.
"This is the largest part so far, but it may not be the end," Biskupic said. "We will continue to examine all aspects of the case, and there will be more charges if the evidence warrants."
Stromei has consistently said that he did not see anyone punch Jude or threaten him with a knife.
But last week, Stromei confessed to the FBI that he saw one off-duty officer punch Jude and saw another brandish a knife at him. Stromei contends that he was intoxicated during the beating and cannot remember whether he touched Jude. Evidence indicates that Stromei held Jude down, according to his plea agreement.
In exchange for pleading guilty and cooperating with prosecutors, Stromei will not be charged with perjury in state court, according to records. However, his plea agreement states that if authorities gain credible evidence that Stromei beat Jude, he can be charged for that.
Look at the condition that Jude was in after the incident at the Bay View party.
He didn't do that to himself. He was beaten mercilessly.
Certainly some charges and convictions in the case are in order.
Thankfully, Biskupic is around to do what the impotent McCann was incapable of doing.
So Stromei admits that he lied under oath. He perjured himself rather than break the Police Department's code of silence.
I think it's important to remember that not all cops are like the eight that have been charged in the Jude beating. The force has officers that day in and day out fulfill the duties of their difficult job with professionalism and integrity.
It's wrong to paint with a broad brush.
...Mayor Tom Barrett said he didn't think the Milwaukee County jury's verdict was correct.
"I feel this action by the U.S. attorney goes a long way to addressing issues of justice in this community," Barrett said.
Hey! Mr. Mayor!
You have a crisis on your hands!
In addition to issues of justice, it would be a good idea to address the depth of the problems of crime and violence in your city.
Hegerty said she hopes the criminal cases are resolved quickly.
"This has been a very, very sad chapter in the city of Milwaukee, especially as far as the Milwaukee Police Department goes," she said.
The problem is much deeper than the Frank Jude beating.
Hegerty doesn't get it.
Well, she does believe the problem is deeper. But in her mind, it has nothing to do with her Police Department.
It's a "societal crisis."
During the state trial in April, at which Spengler and Masarik were acquitted and the jury deadlocked on a single count against Bartlett, McCann made much of a "wall of silence within the Police Department."
Biskupic took that a step further Thursday. "Our investigation has found not a wall of silence, but a wall of lies," he said.
So in his investigation Biskupic found lies.
Interesting. McCann found frustration.
And Jude found no justice in the state trial.
Should Jude be awarded $30 million, the amount he, or at least his lawyer, thinks he deserves?
That's a high price for taxpayers. Although I don't fault Jude for suing, the $30 million is excessive.
I'm sure (hope) he would never receive that amount if he successfully sued, but it does remind one of the damage that a group of out of control, lying cops and an ineffective DA can do to a city.
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