Rockford’s police chief goes before the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners today. It’s the continuation of Monday’s meeting. That’s where Chet Epperson spent nearly seven hours defending himself against misconduct charges filed by the police union.
The complaint is rooted in a 2013 incident where Epperson advised an acquaintance to not allow officers into his house when they responded to a call about domestic violence. Jeff Kolkey has been following the case for the Rockford Register Star.
His lawyer said this is a power struggle between the union and the chief about who controls the police department. And it has basically been around since the beginning of his tenure as chief.
More witnesses, including police officers, are expected to testify today. The commission will determine from this hearing whether there’s enough evidence to further pursue the case against Chief Epperson.
CORRECTION: The day the hearing began this week was Monday, not Tuesday as originally reported. This has been corrected in story.