Walker dealing with internal disciplinary issues
DECATUR – When Todd Walker became police chief last January,there were four disciplinary cases presented to him, including twoofficers who were fighting to recover their jobs after beingterminated, one who had a thick file of serious offenses andanother who stood accused of numerous incidents of domesticabuse.
Two of them recently resigned; one was reinstated by anarbitrator and returned to work, but was later suspended withoutpay, pending termination; another was terminated, but has appealedto the state appellate court.
Maurice Mosley resigned Aug. 8 after numerous disciplineproblems, including a 2007 case, in which he was in a woman’sapartment for more than two hours while on duty, beginning after 2a.m. he later filed a false police report in an attempt to cover itup. Despite recommendations of termination by command staffmembers, then-Chief James Anderson instead suspended Mosley for 15days.
Mosley, who was hired in 2004, used an incorrect name on hisemployment application for the police department. His name at thattime was Maurice A. West; he later legally changed his name. Mosleyhad been arrested on a charge of theft in 2001 in Springfield.Mosley was later a suspect in a deceptive practices case in 2006,for allegedly depositing a bogus $400 check in a Springfield ATMmachine and then withdrawing cash. Prosecutors did not file chargesin those two cases.
Shortly before Mosley resigned, under threat of termination byWalker, he filed requests for leave from work to attend drills atthe Illinois Air National Guard. However, he had no drills toattend, because the Guard had revoked his security clearancebecause of severe financial distress. Mosley also had numeroussmall claims cases against him and eight “preventable” vehicleaccidents while on duty, including one in which he “fell asleep andhit a tree,” according to a police internal affairs document.
Walker said that although the previous chief tolerated Mosley’sbehavior, he has a different approach.
“I have a different philosophy on what I will tolerate and whatI expect,” Walker said. “I have a very high standard for myself andfor all officers in this department and I won’t hesitate one bit todo what I have to do if an officer is going to violate thatintegrity. I do not want those officers who have violated the trustof their fellow officers and their command. I don’t want thoseindividuals back who are going to embarrass us.”
The names of the other officers who have been disciplined orinvestigated are not being used at this time, pending the finaloutcome of their cases or because some of the information providedhas been incomplete.
“We believe the police department has been forthright inproviding information to us on internal matters,” Herald &Review Managing Editor Dave Dawson said. “Once the matters arecleared up, we will be reporting the names.”
