The top two officials in the Beloit Wisconsin Police Department were placed on administrative leave today following an outside review that questioned police "leadership and management."
Chief Norm Jacobs and Deputy Chief Tom Dunkin were put on paid leave, effective immediately, according to City Manager Lori Curtis Luther.
"The findings of the report are serious and involve questions of leadership and management of the police department," Luther said in a statement. "Because of the findings, the city is launching an internal investigation."
In February, the Beloit City Council voted unanimously to hire Chicago-based consultants Hillard Heinze to study employee morale and department productivity. Officials said at the time that complaints had been made by citizens and police-department employees.
Luther said she has the utmost confidence in the officers and support personnel of the Beloit Police Department.
Luther says she understands the public wants to know the basis for her decision.
"Please be patient with us because in order to follow due process as required through the internal investigation, we are limited about the amount of detail we can provide by them.”
Luther says, because of the findings, she has ordered an internal investigation of the department’s leadership and management.
"There is no single incident, there is a series of serious allegations that we have to consider. And I apologize I cannot share more detail with you."
Luther says the results of the investigation could be turned over to the Beloit Police and Fire Commission for further action.
The city has named David Zibolski, a retired captain with the Milwaukee Police Department, as interim chief while the investigation proceeds.