Friday, March 14, 2014

Police Lt Brian Pergande Charged with Taking Photos of Stripper

Police Lt. Brian C. Pergande has been charged with official misconduct by the Waukesha County District Attorney for taking revealing photographs of a stripper while she was being detained - perhaps improperly - at the Butler police station in 2009.

The woman had  very large breasts and was wearing a very low cut, tight fitting t-shirt, according to the complaint filed in  Waukesha County Circuit Court late Friday afternoon.

The Butler police department does not photograph, fingerprint or book defendents at the village police station. Instead, it is department policy  to take the individuals to the Waukesha County Sheriff's office or county jail, according to District Attorney  Brad Schimel

It is also highly unusual for a police officer to travel into another jurisdiction to arrest someone on a warrant based on a municipal traffic citation, according to Schimel.

Pergande and two Milwaukee police officers arrested the women in a strip club. They escorted her to a back room of the club where she removed her thong and bikini top and changed into street clothes before being taken to the Butler police station, according to the complaint.

Pergande has denied allegations of any wrong doing and told investigators that the photos were cropped and blown up by someone else in order to emphasize the strippers breasts, according to the complaint.

If found guilty of official misconduct, Pergande could face a maximum of three and a half years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Pergande was a central figure in the "Porn in the Morn" scandal that rocked the local police department last year.

He and another Butler police office have filed a federal law suit against the village and Waukesha County claiming they were harassed and discriminated against during the investigation of Butler police conducted by the Waukesha County Sheriff's office.

It was complaints from Pergande and Officer Chad Rahn that prompted the investigation that revealed former Chief Michael Cosgrove and some of his officers displayed sexist and racists attitudes and watched pornography on village computers while on duty.

Corporal Alvin Harvey Charged with Theft

A Shreveport Police officer finds himself on the other side of the law.

Back in January, Shreveport Police Department administrators conducting routine audits of fuel management logs discovered inconsistencies relative to gasoline purchased on the police department's account. Chief of Police, Willie Shaw, was notified and immediately ordered a criminal investigation into the matter.

Based on information and evidence gathered during that process, Shreveport Police detectives assigned to the Caddo-Shreveport White Collar Crimes Task Force obtained an arrest warrant charging Corporal Alvin Harvey, 35, with a single count of misdemeanor theft. Harvey surrendered to authorities at the Caddo Correctional Center Friday evening.

Harvey, who joined the department in March of 2004, was initially placed on paid administrative leave back on February 7, 2014 amid the ongoing inquiry in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Shreveport Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board which states: "When an employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be immediately relieved of duty and placed on "departmental leave" for up to one week at full pay and with continuing seniority".

Former Officer Cody Smith Arrested for Rape of Child

A 39-year-old man who worked temporarily for both the Logan City Police and the Cache County Sheriff is expected to appear in court Thursday on multiple felony charges.

Cody Smith was booked into the Cache County Jail Tuesday afternoon. He’s being held on two counts of rape of a child, three counts of rape, one count of object rape, one count of forcible sexual abuse and three counts of aggravated assault.

Utah State University Police Chief Steve Mecham said his department was asked to investigate the case because Smith has a brief employment history with both the Logan City Police and the Cache County Sheriff.

According to Logan City Police Assistant Chief Jeff Curtis, Smith was a reserve officer, volunteering with the department, after graduating from the police academy in the mid-90's.

Curtis said Smith was never hired permanently and left the department to try and get a job with the Cache County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Lynn Nelsen said Smith volunteered for the sheriff's office from May 1999 to October 1999. He was then hired full-time and began the “Field Training Program,” a 12-week program to qualify for full-time service.

Nelson said Smith was terminated during the program for not meeting department standards in December 1999.

Bail has been set at $100,000.

Officer Tyisha Williams Arrested for Assault

An NYPD officer was arrested on assault charges Thursday in the Bronx.

Officer Tyisha Williams, 31, was arrested Thursday in the 52nd Precinct, which includes the Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, and University Heights sections of the Bronx.

She was charged with assault, police said.

Police did not immediately provide further details on the allegations.