RACINE - A second Racine police lieutenant has alleged discrimination by Police Chief Kurt Wahlen.
"I believe I (and others) am being subjected to discrimination, retaliation and intimidation in the workplace," Lt. Carlos Lopez said in an email obtained by The Journal Times.
"I kindly ask that you cease and desist engaging in such conduct," Lopez, a second shift patrol division commander, said in the Aug. 11 email to Wahlen.
This spring Wahlen announced he was retiring and the Police and Fire Commission decided to launch a nationwide search to fill the vacancy. Since then Lt. Al Days, the commander of training and recruitment, filed a discrimination complaint against the chief alleging he overlooked him for at least two promotions. He filed his complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Equal Rights Division.
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The complaint filed with the Equal Rights Division said Lopez was also overlooked for promotions.
The city has denied the discrimination allegations, asserting Days was denied promotions for legitimate reasons. But Days' attorney Shannon McDonald said he is planning on releasing his response this week to the city's filing.
McDonald said he is also representing Lopez, but Lopez has not filed an official discrimination claim against the chief. Lopez declined to comment on the emails or any future plans.
Wahlen said, "It's not going to end at least until they select a new chief." But he said he could not comment beyond that. "This is an internal investigation," Wahlen said. He officially retired in late May and in June he returned as acting chief while a nationwide chief search is conducted.
In Lopez's email to Wahen, he said, "You have been put on notice and directed to not retaliate, intimidate and-or harass me because of my involvement in that complaint."
Lopez is one of only two people in the in the department in a supervisory role to have a master's degree, which was a requirement in the last chief selection process. The other is Deputy Chief of Investigations Art Howell. The chief position has not yet been posted, Lopez said Tuesday, and he couldn't say if he would apply for it.
Lopez's email alleging discrimination was sent in response to an email from Wahlen in which the chief questioned what information he had shared with The Journal Times about a May Crime Stoppers meeting. Wahlen said in an interview that the police department has a policy against going to the press with internal matters. It goes through the public information officer, Wahlen said.
In Lopez's email to Wahlen he said he was concerned about Wahlen's email because of the tone and because it demanded information that is unrelated to his job as police lieutenant.
"In light of these facts," Lopez said in an email to Wahlen, "I am a bit intimidated by this email and feel compelled to provide the information you seek in fear of losing my job or being subjected to further intimidation and/or retaliation."
He said he did not provide the media with any information about the meeting, but in his email to Wahlen he expressed concern about the May meeting.
According to Lopez's email to Wahlen, at that meeting Debbie Seeger, Crime Stoppers chairman, announced Wahlen was retiring and that he was coming back as a consultant.
"I was concerned by Mrs. Seeger's statement because, due to its timing, it was clear that you and the city already had made this decision/agreement before you had actually retired, which raises a number of red flags," Lopez said. Reached by phone Tuesday, Seeger denied announcing anything about Wahlen's retirement and plans to return at a May meeting.
