2 Waukesha police officials who resigned smoked pot, department says

March 28, 2011
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By Laurel Walker of the Journal Sentinel

March 28, 2011 0

Waukesha - A Waukesha police lieutenant and a police officer who were put on administrative leave last year have resigned in the wake of charges ranging from illegal behavior to insubordination, according to internal investigation reports released Monday by the department.

Before they resigned Police Chief Russell Jack had moved to fire both.

Lt. Craig Rivers, who was first hired in 1988 and was later promoted to lieutenant, was first investigated after a heated argument last August between him an another officer. According to the reports, the fight stemmed from him having an extramarital affair with the wife of another officer while married to the sister of another officer, but his conduct had begun to interfere with duties in 2006 when he did not get promoted to captain. Investigation reports found that he was also smoking marijuana during the period.

Among other things, he was accused of failing to follow orders to properly staff the dispatch center and failing to properly monitor traffic grants that ended up costing the department thousands of dollars in overtime that wasn't covered by the grant. He was also accused of failing to properly administer a crossing guard contract, resulting in higher pay for guards than was negotiated in the contract.

Officer Scott Heitman was placed on leave last December after the investigation of Rivers revealed that Heitman had smoked marijuana with Rivers about six times between 2006 and 2008 on vacations and other personal time.

About Laurel Walker
Laurel Walker covered local, school and county government for 20 years -- the last half of that at the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- before she was named Waukesha County columnist in 1997. Today she writes about the people, places and events around metropolitan Milwaukee with a broad suburban focus. She was the youngest of nine children raised on a central Wisconsin farm before leaving the nest for journalism studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a masters degree at the University of Oregon. She has spent the last half of her life in Waukesha County, where she and her husband raised two sons. Though she has a fondness for life in Waukesha, she eagerly partakes in the culture of the big city to the east and the recreation of the forests to the west. With sons in the arts, she has a special fondness for symphonic music concerts and art museums. She finds peace in a good book at a Northwoods getaway weekend, adventure in family visits to the east and west coasts, and satisfaction in a column well-written that reaches readers.
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