Zane Seipler has won his arbitration hearing!
In a decision released this morning, the arbitrator rendered his decision that Seipler should not have been fired almost a year ago by McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren. The arbitrator indicated that a three-day suspension would have been the appropriate discipline.
Seipler was awarded all back pay, except for three days.
Seipler, who was suspended on July 21, 2008 and fired on November 17, 2008, expects reinstatement to his position as Deputy Sheriff with the Department.
The McHenry County Sheriff's Department Merit Commission was unable to meet last Wednesday, because a quorum of its members did not show up for the regularly-scheduled meeting. According to the County Board Calendars, it has not re-scheduled that meeting, although one of the members present had indicated it would be re-scheduled.
No regular meeting is scheduled (yet) for November, because the Merit Commission's regular meeting day (second Wednesday of the month) falls on Veterans Day, November 11, a Federal and County holiday. Was it an oversight not to schedule its meeting on the first available business day after November 11?
If the Merit Commission does not meet before its regular meeting on December 9, will Seipler have to wait that long to be reinstated? Or will the Merit Commission hold a Special Meeting to handle its October Agenda business, approve its meeting schedule for 2010, and reinstate Seipler?
Or will the Sheriff try to get the Merit Commission to appeal the decision of the arbitrator, and incur additional legal costs to fight what was obviously a wrongful termination?
Will the appointees on the Merit Commission have the "intestinal fortitude" to stand against the Sheriff and order Seipler's reinstatement and immediate payment of all awarded back pay without delay or further waste of County taxpayer's monies for legal expense?
Trespassing in Woodstock
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14 comments:
Well, if an Arbitraitor believes a 3-day suspension was in order vs a termination, still the deputy was guilty of something! I just dont remember what. And now he wants to run for Sheriff???
Geez Big Shooter, ur gonna win that tin star by default for being the least of the Bozo's out of the bunch! DOH!
Gus, you think it okay to write a ticket to someone who was not driving and therefore could not have committed the crime? You will make an awesome Sheriff! It's called perjury! look at the bottom of the next ticket you write and see why a police officer signs the ticket! UNBELIEVEABLE
One of the things I don't get about the whole Siepler thing is that he seems to claim to have specific evidence of racial profiling by specific other Deputies but chose to protect those alleged bad cops by refusing supervisory directives to share the specifics and name names. As an outsider, it just seems kind of like the person who wants the "cops" to clean up their neighborhood but refuses to be a witness.
It's also deeply troubling that a precedent seems to now be set by Seipler's lawsuit that a Deputy lying by signing their name to a ticket they knowingly falsified now will be a 3 day suspension. That should be frightening to us all.
Either way, great job breaking this story Gus. Let's see how long it takes the NW Herald to catch up to you this time.
Oh, yeah you don't write tickets so you would have no clue!
What about Gorski? Will this be dragged on and on like that case?
I keep reading in different articles that Nygren can't be reached for comment. So what do you think? Is he at home using using a razor blade or overdosing on sleeping pills? Screwing with Zane seems to be political suicide!
According to the County Board Calendars on the McHenry County website, the Sheriff's Department Merit Commission is now scheduled to meet on Friday, October 23, 2009, at 8:30AM.
The Agenda seems to be the same as for last week's meeting. It isn't too late for the Merit Commission to do the honorable thing and reinstate Zane Seipler this Friday.
All they have to do is amend the Agenda, and they have until Wednesday 8:30AM to do that.
Just answer this question. If you were a passenger in a car, the driver got pulled over, then you were told by the officer to get in the drivers seat AND proceeded to give you tickets for YOUR illegal driving
THAT would be okay with you Gus?
You support that?
By showing your happiness for this outcome I say you support that.
UR1096, my support of the outcome of this arbitration is based on the rational decision of the arbitrator that the dirty deed was worth a 3-day suspension, not termination.
Gus, the moron commission has no say in what happens to Zane. He chose the arbitration process over the cronies commission. Nygren has to bring him back to work or appeal it to the courts and waste more taxpayer money for his high priced lawyer buddies. Nygren gets campaign donations from the lawyers. This county is worse than Chicago. Why would a member of the merit commission donate over $55,000 to Nygren. How could a deputy get a fair shake with these types of connections.
I don't think the public has any clue as to how many deputies and supervisors get suspensions for up to 30 days. ALL tickets are officer discretion. The vehicle that was stopped had no proof of insurance and the girl was in control of the vehicle at some point and by her own choice. All she had to do was show her insurance card at the courthouse. And her no license boyfriend got a break and didn't have to go to Nygren's hispanic profit center. Zane was fired for whistleblowing, not for the traffic stop. The undersheriff put an innocent man on death row and didn't get fired or suspended, and that has cost the taxpayers $1,900,000 + so far in legal fees. Seems like the sheriff has his head in his ass.
Curious1 , the precedent was already set by a female deputy who was writing insurance tickets to drivers who had insurance. She wasn't fired, she was given a 3 day suspension. Punishment should be handed out fairly, which is not the case in the Nygren administration. What about deputies falsifying arrest reports after beating up an elderly couple and that gets swept under the rug. Zane gave names, in fact they were the same names as the elderly arrest. But why fix the problem when you can shoot the messenger.The only thing that is frightening is that no one has the balls to stand up to Nygren, that is until Zane. After the election Nygren will retire and pass his office off to his boy Lowery. On 02/02/10 vote out Nygren.
What about the search of Zane's squad and confiscation of his personal property during the sheriffs investigation. Then 2 days later they actually swore under oath to a judge to get a search warrant for a search they had already done. If that's not perjury I don't know what is. Do as we say not as we do.
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