HALTOM CITY
A police sergeant is under investigation after a complaint that she falsified her time sheet for the past six months, claiming she was at work while she was attending college classes during the day.
The Haltom City Law Enforcement Association filed the complaint against Sgt. Terry Stayer, who is over the police department’s internal affairs investigations. It alleges that the sergeant also had used a city-owned vehicle to attend classes during the day.
She is not allowed to use the vehicle, according to the complaint, filed with city officials last month and with the City Council earlier this week.
Attempts to reach Stayer were unsuccessful. An office voice-mail message indicated that the sergeant was out until Monday. An e-mail sent late Thursday by Interim Chief of Police Patrick C. Bridges said that Stayer could not discuss the matter because it is a pending investigation.
The 70-member association first made the complaint on Feb. 12 to then-Haltom City Police Chief Ken Burton and the city’s human resources department.
But it also sent the complaint to city council members Wednesday, unhappy with what the association saw as a lack of action on the matter.
“The HCLEA fears that this extremely serious and sensitive allegation is not being adequately investigated,” Haltom City police Sgt. Shawn Holt said in an e-mail to council members on Wednesday.
But City Manager Tom Muir said on Thursday an internal investigation should be complete in about 10 days. Muir said the city has retained Fort Worth attorney Bettye Lynn to investigate the complaint.
“We did get on it,” Muir said. “They (association members) are not happy because they wanted the Texas Rangers or another outside agency to investigate, but I decided to go with retaining counsel.”
The complaint alleged that police officials were showing favoritism toward the sergeant because she remains in her position as supervisor in charge of professional standards and is responsible for internal affairs investigations.
Last year, Stayer alleged that four other Haltom City police officers falsified time sheets, according to the complaint. At least one of the officers was placed on administrative leave, association members said.
One was charged with theft; charges against the other three were dropped, the complaint states.
Police officials told association members that Stayer would be working on Saturdays to make up the four hours needed to attend the college classes, according to the complaint.
But the complaint states that officers have not seen the sergeant on Saturdays and officers are not allowed to make up the work at home.
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