www.register-mail.com/stories/030306/MAI_B953K9BN.GID.shtml

MONMOUTH - Mayor Rod Davies denied Thursday the city and its police department covered up the suspension of two Monmouth Police officers in September. Davies said the matter was handled as a personnel issue and personnel issues are not released as public information. Two Monmouth Police officers, Randy Ewing and Terry Hepner, were suspended from duty for five days without pay for what Monmouth Police Chief Brad Zeigler called "neglect of duty" - failure to take enforcement action against four underage girls who had been drinking and had possession of alcohol at Hepner's home. The incident happened in August. Zeigler said the officers did not buy the alcohol for the girls; the girls brought the alcohol to Hepner's home. A third officer at Hepner's house, Brian Hall, was disciplined but not suspended, according to Warren County State's Attorney Chip Algren. Algren, who released all three names, said Hepner and Hall were off duty when the four girls - whose ages are reported from 18 to 20 - arrived at Hepner's house with beer. Ewing, who was on duty, had stopped at Hepner's home. While at Hepner's home, one of the girls took photographs of the others with the officers. WQAD TV news of Moline reported Thursday that Selina Merrill, 18, Monmouth, was one of the girls in the pictures. Merrill told WQAD the photos were not meant to surface, but says they were stolen and photocopies began turning up at businesses.   Submitted photo This picture was taken during an incident at a Monmouth Police officer’s home where underage drinking was taking place. Zeigler initially received an anonymous letter alleging misconduct at Hepner's home. Zeigler said the officers admitted the girls went to Hepner's home after attending a party at another location. Zeigler issued five-day suspensions from duty without pay for Hepner and Ewing. After the disciplinary action, Zeigler learned of the photographs. He said he sought out those who might have copies of them but did not locate them. Weeks later, Algren gave Zeigler copies of the pictures. Algren said the photos were left on a table outside his office in the foyer on the third floor of the Warren County Courthouse. Algren said he did not know who left the photographs until he went to the Warren County Jail where he found Aaron Warrington of Monmouth distributing the pictures. Algren said Warrington's mother Cheryl also e-mailed the photographs to some members of the media. Merrill told WQAD the police paid close attention to her after the photos surfaced. She received five speeding tickets within a month, including a DUI, speeding and seat belt violations. "The police chief did an investigation and informed the state's attorney," Davies said. "They felt there was no basis for criminal charges and the police chief handled this in a manner consistent with personnel policy. No, we were not trying to hide this, it was a personnel matter." Davies said he has seen the pictures and he could not tell if the girls had alcohol in their hands or if alcohol was involved. "They were just pictures," Davies said. Zeigler said it is important to note the women were not minors. A person is considered an adult in Illinois at age 18, but the girls were not the legal age to drink or possess alcohol. "We have disciplined the officers and I don't anticipate any further action taken against the officers," Zeigler said.

Sadly, this behavior is likely not isolated. The difference between this misconduct and the other misconduct that routinely takes place is that this is documented in photographs. This stuff has gone on for years. When I was 17, a local police officer used to buy all the alcohol for a 16 y/o friend of mine since he was shaggin his mom.

A number of local officers are rumored to have very close relationships with underage girls on regular basis. Some of them have been heard bragging about trips to Thailand where they allegedly engaged in intercourse with very young girls (preteens in some cases). I certainly don't have any personal knowledge of these things but there are a substantial number of folks that claim to. This sort of stuff does little to suggest otherwise.

Of course nobody has lodged a formal complaint Chief Ziegler. Nobody wants to be the next person to be on the PD shit list. Unfortunately, a few bad apples can easily damage the credibility of the entire police force.

Not a police apologist here, but photographs don't mean squat The beer cans could be empty and you couldn't tell in a picture. Right now I'm looking a big set of lips talking to me on TV. I know it ain't real but there is the picture Pictures like that are NOT good evidence of drinking

These women were ADULTS. No story here as far as I am concerned.

ADULTS that can't legally purchase or drink alcohol?  Take away the titties and those adults would be in some deep water from those same cops.

Quoted: Not a police apologist here, but photographs don't mean squat The beer cans could be empty and you couldn't tell in a picture. Right now I'm looking a big set of lips talking to me on TV. I know it ain't real but there is the picture Pictures like that are NOT good evidence of drinking

But they weren't empty

failure to take enforcement action against four underage girls who had been drinking and had possession of alcohol at Hepner's home

And most local uniforms can smell a drop of alcohol on a person's breath at 10 paces. Tell yourself that these pictures aren't symptomatic of a larger problem.

This is probably a pack of lies too:

www.register-mail.com/stories/030406/MAI_B958FK5I.GID.shtml

MONMOUTH - Aaron Warrington, 25, of Monmouth is a well-known figure in the city's law enforcement community. He's the one who gave photos of Monmouth police officers and underage females drinking alcohol to the Warren County Sheriff's office. He's also facing charges of battery of Randy Ewing, one of the police officers who was involved in the August incident. Ewing and another officer, Terry Hepner, were suspended without pay for five days. Another officer, Brian Hall, was disciplined but not suspended. Officials have said the girls brought alcohol to Hepner's home. Ewing, who was on duty, was photographed with them while in his uniform. Warrington says he got the photographs from a friend of the girls' before leaving copies at the sheriff's department. Before he gave the photos to the department, Warrington says officers harassed and tried to intimidate him. "They knew I had the photos and they kept on harassing me," Warrington said. "They'll drive by here, smile, then wave a peace sign." If someone came into his office complaining of intimidation, Warren County State's Attorney Chip Algren said, he would respond by having the Illinois State Police investigate the case. But that hasn't happened, he said. "Not a single person has come into my office and said, 'I've been intimidated,'" Algren said. Before the photos surfaced, Algren said he didn't know who might have them. "I'd heard rumors that there were some type of photographs floating about," he said. "I had no idea who had them." Before Warrington gave investigators the photos, Algren already knew him. Warrington is charged with two counts aggravated battery for allegedly hitting Ewing on the chest and spitting on him, court records show. The charges are still pending, with a trial scheduled for April. Warrington disputes the charges and says Ewing was rough with him. Algren says he can't say much about the case other than that another officer besides Ewing was present during the incident and physical force was needed to restrain Warrington. Warrington admits he's not perfect and has been in trouble with the law before. Still, he says there's no excuse for police officers to ignore underage drinking. "I want the people to see how it is around here," he said. Warrington says the punishment was too light for the officers. "I don't think they should have their jobs," he said. Although other Monmouth residents may not be as well acquainted with the police officers as Warrington, several expressed similar sentiments. They said it was a double standard for officers to ignore underage drinking and not be prosecuted in court. When asked to provide their names, the residents declined, saying they didn't want to be targeted in a small town. "It doesn't make the department look very professional," said one man. "There's a lot of people that are definitely upset about it. It doesn't make our community look very good."

Quoted: Not a police apologist here, but photographs don't mean squat The beer cans could be empty and you couldn't tell in a picture. Right now I'm looking a big set of lips talking to me on TV. I know it ain't real but there is the picture Pictures like that are NOT good evidence of drinking

Do you really, truely believe what you posted?

DUPE!

Quoted: DUPE!

If you are going to attempt to become another Dupe Nazi, then figure out how to do it right...

I've always told my guys, never, ever do anything that someone can later use against you. And NEVER, do anything on film that you wouldn't want your mother to see on the 5 O'clock news.

Quoted: I've always told my guys, never, ever do anything that someone can later use against you. And NEVER, do anything on film that you wouldn't want your mother to see on the 5 O'clock news unless the film is yours and in a locked safe that only YOU know the combination to.

Fixed.

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