LETTER: Review-Journal details issues at the Henderson Police Department
“Good cops” become “bad cops” when they remain silent when a rogue officer violates police policy. And police chiefs and prosecutors become abettors of repeat offenders when they fail to oust officers such as Henderson police Lt. Brett Seekatz, whose brutality and misconduct was detailed in the Review-Journal’s Sunday package, “Flawed Discipline,” an investigation of police accountability.
To add insult to injury, Seekatz — who has had more that 50 misconduct complaints filed against him — was promoted despite his long history of use of force, verbal abuse and filing false or incomplete reports. This ahs cost Henderson taxpayers nearly $300,000 in victim payments, the RJ reported.
All the detailed discipline failures are egregious. But it is not surprising that the most severe punishment Seekatz received was a written reprimand. Rogue and violent police officers around the country are seldom fired or prosecuted for their misdeeds and abhorrent behavior, according to numerous studies of police accountability.
Thanks to video cameras — which were key to the recent murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin — and the current nationwide demand for police reform and officer accountability, the times hopefully are changing. And “bad apples” such as Seekatz should seek other employment.