UPDATE, NOVEMBER 29, 2008: Dells officers sued by Guardsmen give their side of story
Two police officers accused of forcing two Iraq war veterans to lick what he and another officer believed was one of the men's urine claim it was the veterans' idea.
The National Guardsmen, Sgt. Anthony Anderson and Spc. Robert Schiman, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit over the June incident in the Wisconsin Dells. It names Officers Wayne Thomas and Collin Jacobson as well as another officer, the chief and the city.
In a police report obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Thomas told Schiman he wouldn't get a citation, but Thomas wanted Schiman to admit he urinated in an alley.
The report says the guardsmen argued with Thomas, and Anderson put his fingers in the puddle and licked them. Schiman then bit a leaf off a weed in the puddle.
The men claim the officers forced them to do it.
I am more inclined to trust the word of the guardsmen rather than the story of 19- and 20-year-old Dells officers.
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This story is true, not a scene from a Quentin Tarantino movie.
From the Wisconsin State Journal:
Two Wisconsin National Guardsmen filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Wisconsin Dells, its police chief and three officers because they were forced to lap up what was believed to be human urine from the ground last summer.
The guardsmen, both of whom have served two tours of duty in Iraq, were in the Dells for weekend training and were stopped by police officers Wayne W. Thomas and Collin H. Jacobson early the morning of June 1 and accused of having urinated in public, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Madison.
The officers pointed out a wet spot in an alley that they thought was urine, the lawsuit states, but the guardsmen, Sgt. Anthony R. Anderson, of West Bend, and Specialist Robert C. Schiman, of Kaukauna, denied having relieved themselves in the alley.
In order to prove that it was not their urine and avoid a citation, Thomas and Jacobson made Anderson and Schiman lick the ground and scrape mud up with their hands and lick it, according to the lawsuit.
Schiman also was made to eat a plant that was drenched in the liquid, the lawsuit states.
A third officer, Scott Albrecht, arrived at the scene and was told by Jacobson, "I can't stop laughing. Wayne just made those two guys lick their own piss off the ground," according to the lawsuit.
The suit alleges infliction of emotional distress on the soldiers; negligent hiring, training and supervision of Thomas and Jacobson; false imprisonment and violation of the Constitutional and civil rights of Anderson and Schiman.
It seeks $600,000 in compensatory and punitive damages for each of the guardsmen, along with other unspecified damages and costs.
Their attorney, Jason Baltz of Whitefish Bay, declined to comment on the lawsuit and said he had instructed his clients not to comment as well.
Wisconsin Dells Police Chief Bret Anderson, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, also declined to comment. He referred questions to City Attorney James Gerlach.
The lawsuit states that Thomas, 19, was fired the same day as the incident and Jacobson, 20, was suspended for two weeks without pay. Both were limited term police officers.
Albrecht was cited by the department for failing to follow procedures.
According to the lawsuit: After having forced Anderson and Schiman to lick the wet ground, Anderson was made to do it again after one of the officers said he didn't see it. "That's not good enough," the officer said. "Do you want a ticket?"
After the two were released from the scene without being cited, they told their story to Albrecht. As Albrecht stood by, Anderson and Schiman asked Thomas and Jacobson for the name of their commanding officer, but were threatened with burglary charges if they filed a complaint. The police officers told the soldiers that nobody would believe them.
After the two soldiers filed complaints that night, Sgt. Perry Mayer, the commander on duty, interviewed the three police officers and looked at the scene of the incident. He later issued a report recommending action against the three officers.
This is disgusting.
Wisconsin Dells police officers Wayne W. Thomas, Collin H. Jacobson, and Scott Albrecht abused their authority.
Does what Thomas and Jacobson demanded of Iraqi veterans Sgt. Anthony R. Anderson, of West Bend, and Specialist Robert C. Schiman, of Kaukauna, constitute torture?
I think it does. It's sick.
I question why the city of Wisconsin Dells hires anyone as young Thomas, 19, and Jacobson, 20, to be officers.
You must be at least 21 years old to apply to be a police officer in the city of Milwaukee.
Granted, being an officer in Milwaukee is quite a bit different from being an officer in the Dells. Nevertheless, what Thomas and Jacobson did makes the case for not allowing individuals under 21 to become officers.
Perhaps the Dells should change its hiring policies. Thomas and Jacobson acted like sicko schoolyard bullies rather than men trusted to protect the people and the property of the community by enforcing laws and ordinances. They acted like creepy sadists.
Thomas and Jacobson are thugs, and Scott Albrecht isn't much better.
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More.
2 comments:
I have known one of the accused police officers for over 15 years and in all my years of knowing him he has never done something like this, nor has he ever come close. From everything I have heard from him as well as locals from the same bar the soldiers were drinking at that night (same bar that was across from the scene) they seemed to act the same way as just about every other tourist that comes to the dells, and thats absolute disregard for our town. When people come here they act like they can do whatever they want, throw trash anywhere, break property, and yes piss in the alleys. Most people don't even know we are a real town, and you have no idea how many times I have heard
"Wow your city has a school I didn't even know people lived here year long"
Its really quite pathetic, the fact that this is even been brought to light is because they were guardsmen, and thats sad. If it was not for that it most likley wouldn't even have been noticed, but they were guardsmen. So what is it not possible they were just two drunk guys caught taking a leak in an alley and they try to get away with it by making the cops laugh about the whole thing. But what happens, they go back to the bar, tell the story to the rest of their friends, and then the rest of there drunk friends tell them thats not right, your guardsmen they cant make you do that, so they go back and file a report. If it was on the police officers why wouldn't they go straight to the police station which is less then a half a block away from where this all took place and report it right away instead they go back to the bar... This just sounds like two drunk guys taking advantage now of two young police officers and using the tags to make them sound better then these other young men. I'm sorry but I have friends currently in the military service as well as four friends who served in Iraq so in no way am I disrepecting the military, but it just seems to me that they are just trying to get something out of this.
wow seriously people!! give me a break i was there that night not more then 20 yards away. Both these yahoo's pissed in the alley way. Hate to burst everyone's bubbles but both of them are babies. And you notice they have'nt asked any of there fellow guardsman to stand up for them. Let me tell you why.. both of them found every possible way they could to get outta missions while they were overseas. Infact i can tell you that all anderson did was sit in his room playing video games and eating ramen noodles. Yup thats right folks these fools are sent overseas to protect us and all they do is hide. THEY BOTH PISSED IN THE ALLEY WAY!!! a bar was not more then 20 yards away. I'd count myself lucky not getting a fine. But because they were drunk and stupid it was much more fun to whip it out in an alley way and pee.
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