I just about fell out of my chair this morning when I read that Troy Parker has been put back on the police force by an arbitrator, albeit on unpaid administrative leave. Parker, you’ll recall, was fired for driving a boat while intoxicated, crashing the boat, and killing Damon Teverbaugh.
So, let me see if I understand how things work here. If you get drunk and kill your best friend in a boating accident, you should be allowed to stay on the force until convicted in a court of law — internal investigations are insufficient to fire you read more about the DWI Criminal Law Center who can help you get representation. But if you take a winning ticket at the Par-a-dice by accident because you thought it was your own, then make restitution immediately upon finding out you were mistaken, and no charges are filed — you’re fired anyway. Case closed.
Something is not right here. I don’t know if it’s racism or just that Dunnigan was disliked by the wrong people, but you can’t tell me there isn’t an inequity in punishment here. Why is Troy Parker still on the force and Marshall Dunnigan isn’t?
Look for Dunnigan to get the same treatment perhaps — if not, then we can wonder about the differential treatment. Too early to tell at this point.
I think this is ONE of the travesties of the state of collective bargaining in Illinois…it is too heavily weighted in favor of the employee in disciplinary actions — at least at the public sector level.
Anyone should be fired for this action – whether convicted in court or not.
Here’s how I understand it:
Parker appeared his firing. The arbitrator didn’t want to decide because there’s a pending criminal case. So, he ordered him re-instated — WITHOUT pay — while the arbitrator waits for the criminal case to end. If Parker is convicted, he’s fired. No question. If he’s acquited, then the arbitrator will rule, and the arbitrator is not bound by an acquital to rule in his favor.
Duinnigan was never charged with a crime, so we are talking about two different issues.
Honestly, I fell out of my chair too. Then I read the whole article, then I understood what was going on.
He took the ticket by accident?
” …APPEALED his firing”
Duh.
Yeah, also remember something: The City didn’t give Parker his job back, the arbitrator did. Didn’t Dunnigan appeal his firing, too?
It was an accident?
Vonster: Probably not an accident, but look at the whole picture. Parker will never return to the force, and Dunnigan will. The law is a slow process, but generally comes out right in the end. We are in the procedural process right now, thanks to collective bargaining.
This is stupid. If you are a Police Officer, you should be held to a higher standard due to the position you hold within the city, state, county, whatever. BOTH cops should be fired, their FOID cards taken, and put in jail.
Killing, stealing. Both jailable offenses. Lock em up. But wait!!! They are cops. We cannot lock our own cops up!! That will look bad!
Heh. Lock them both up, make them pay fines, serve time. Lose their jobs, guns, badges. Like the rest of us who do something bad. Lock em up and throw away the key…Let -Big Bubba- get a peice of them…That will teach them to do stuff wrong again.