Milwaukee police Sgt. Charles Cross was arrested Tuesday on
allegations of drunken driving, the Police Department announced Thursday.
A second officer, whom police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz would not identify, was fired Wednesday for his second drunken driving offense.
The fired officer committed the second offense while on
suspension for his first. He is 44 years old and had been on the force for 20
years, according to the website, operated by the Police Department, that
released the information.
Cross, 49, already was under investigation for claiming
overtime he did not earn, police said. He also was convicted in 2007 of
criminal damage to property, according to court records.Cross, who has been on the force since 1993, was arrested around 8 p.m. Tuesday after his car crashed into a house near the intersection of S. 79th St. and W. Howard Ave., according to the posting on the website. His blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit for driving of 0.08, according to the website. His police powers have been suspended and he was placed on administrative duty while an internal investigation is pending, the site says.
In the overtime case, the district attorney's office is
considering a theft charge against Cross, according to Chief Deputy District
Attorney Kent Lovern.
Cross' 2007 misdemeanor conviction came after he kicked in the door of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend and threatened to kill himself, according to court records. He was fined $500 on that count.
Prosecutors offered him a deferred prosecution agreement on
a charge of domestic violence-related disorderly conduct, which was dropped
after he got treatment for depression and alcohol abuse.
Nannette Hegerty, police chief at the time, fired Cross, but the civilian Fire and Police Commission gave him his job back.
Cross was among 93 Milwaukee police officers disciplined for violating the laws and ordinances they were sworn to uphold, a Journal Sentinel investigation published in October found. Some officers suffered no legal or career consequences. Others got breaks from prosecutors that allowed them to keep their badges and guns. The most common violations were drunken driving and domestic violence.
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal hearings into the police problem in America. Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a permanent DOJ office on Police Misconduct.
At least 35 members of Milwaukee's police force have been
disciplined by the department after being arrested for off-duty drunken driving
since they were hired, according to the newspaper's investigation.
After the newspaper shared its findings with Chief Edward Flynn, he rolled out a new program to help officers deal with alcohol-related issues.
At least 16 Milwaukee police officers were disciplined after
internal investigators concluded they had committed acts of domestic violence.