What Ex-Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler Says the Department is Doing Wrong

I found this summary of what recently fired Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler’s suit says the Office of McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren did wrong interesting.

Maybe you will, too.

It’s listed under “Monell Allegations” near the bottom of the suit. Seipler is represented by Blake Horwitz.

67. It is the custom, practice and/or police of the supervisors/agents and/or other employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and the COUNTY OF MCHENRY to perform the following acts or omissions:

a. generate false documentation to cover-up for the misconduct of McHenry County Sheriff’s Department officers;

b. fail to properly discipline officers from said police department who have committed act(s) of racial profiling;

c. fail to properly investigate a complaint of racial profiling perpetrated by McHenry County Sheriff’s Department police officers;

d. allow misconduct to occur in various types and severity such that police officers believe that they can engage in racial profiling without repercussions and/or significant repercussions;

e. fail to provide adequate sanctions/discipline to officers who engage in racial profiling, such that a permissive atmosphere exists among officers wherein they believe that they will not be disciplined (or significantly disciplined) for engaging in such behavior;

f. fail to properly investigate officers who engage in racial profiling, causing said officers to believe that they can engage in racial profiling and to not be disciplined or significantly disciplined for engaging in said behavior, which violates the rules, policies and/or procedures of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department;

g. fail to take proper remedial measures to prevent and/or correct officers who engage in racial profiling, causing said officers to believe that they can engage in racial profiling and not be disciplined or significantly disciplined for engaging in illegal behavior;

h. fail to provide proper training to prevent officers from engaging in racial profiling and violating the rules, policies and procedures of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department;

i. stigmatize employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who speak out against officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who engage in racial profiling;

j. issue verbal and written reprimands against employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who speak out against officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who engage in racial profiling;

k. instigate administrative and/or criminal proceedings against employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who speak out against officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who engage in racial profiling;

l. suspend from duty employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who speak out against officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who engage in racial profiling;

m. discredit employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who speak out against officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who engage in racial profiling; and

n. demote or otherwise retaliate against employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who speak out against officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department who engage in racial profiling.

68. This practice and/or custom, as alleged above, has gone unchecked and been allowed to exist in the COUNTY OF MCHENRY for a significant period of time, so much so, that police officers for the COUNTY OF MCHENRY recognize that they will not be punished for committing said acts and that, in fact, said acts are either permitted or quietly consented to by superior officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department in order to permit said conduct to re-occur.

69. A code of silence exists between officers of the Defendant Municipality. This code of silence obstructs the legal process (preventing the free flow of honest information with regard to acts of misconduct). This code of silence contributes to the generation of secrets, in the department, regarding police officer misconduct.

70. In an attempt to further strengthen this code of silence, when employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and the COUNTY OF MCHENRY attempt to break this code of silence, they are retaliated against and threatened with criminal investigations by supervising employees of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and the COUNTY OF MCHENRY, such that their employment is threatened, in an attempt to further strengthen this code of silence.


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