Brown Deer Police Inaction Is Inexcusable. Resignations, Not Excuses, Are In Order
We now know that the Brown Deer Police responded to incidents at the home of Radcliffe and Zina Haughton 20 times since the couple moved there.
Although at least seven of the responses were domestic violence calls, the Brown Deer police never made an arrest.
It is especially inconceivable that the Brown Deer police believed they saw Radcliffe Haughton with a gun, closed down the street, set up a perimeter, announced to Haughton that he was under arrest – and then decided to just go away without doing anything.
This was not a situation in which the police made one call to the house and there were a lot of questions about what was going on – only total ineptness can be the reason for so many calls and so little action.
In my opinion, the mishandling of the situation with Radcliffe Haughton put Zina Haughton in danger – as well as other citizens, and any other police officers that might have had an interaction with him. He surely was taught by the Brown Deer police, that he could get away with just about anything – no reason to fear lawful authority, was there?
I think it is obvious that this was a total systemic failure by Brown Deer police and officials that led to the deaths of three innocent women, and the wounding of others.
I believe that if they have any shred of integrity left, Police Chief Steven Rinzel, Police Lieutenant Jonathan Schmitz (who ordered the retreat), Village President Carl Krueger (who doesn't seem to have a clue about domestic violence) and Police Commission President Jim Jiracek (whose commission never evaluated the police chief) – should all resign immediately.
It is shameful that those men have not only not taken responsibility for their many failures, but the Brown Deer police recorded a nearly 14-minute audio statement from Brookfield attorney Lisa Martin, and then posted it on the village website.
In full disclosure, Lisa Martin represented me in a case, and in my opinion it appears that she is representing her dead client as well as she represented me.
Lastly, what happens in Brown Deer does not stay in Brown Deer – three murders and others wounded, due to their lack of proper police protocol. Their ineptness affects all of us and thus we should all be concerned.
mau
12:18 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
There are 3 to blame for this situation: The police, Radcliffe Haughton and Zina Haughton. If any one of them had taken a different approach to this scenario, there could have been a totally different outcome.
Randy1949
12:57 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
Zina Haughton? For not pressing charges back then? She should not have had to.
mau
1:39 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
NO, for any woman putting up with that treatment from anybody. Especially considering the societal changes have taken place since the woman's lib movement. You have a movement that is so vocal right now screaming about woman's rights but you still have that same attitude seething beneath "the need to have a man". Bull..... I was vocal to my spouse from day 1 that I would never ever tolerate that kind of treatment.
Randy1949
12:28 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
Amen, David. There was an armed standoff resulting from a domestic incident and the police just went away? That had me doing more than just scratching my head. And now several women are dead.
Haughton should have been arrested and had his guns confiscated at that time.
Luke
7:51 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
David,
I'm not taking sides, because I don't think I'm informed enough.
However, it must be noted that you did not mention the information contained in the statement released by Zina Haughton's attorney, which gives many more details that you are apparently unaware of, and which comes out in defense of the police. In that statement there are many details that had not been made public prior, including Zina's own perspective and her appreciation of how the police acted.
David Tatarowicz
4:47 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
@Luke What more is there to know? TWENTY TIMES called to the same house !!! The Law is Very Clear that they should have made an arrest.
And for there to be a Stand-off, when they thought he had a gun, with the police telling him that he was under arrest and to come out of the house --- and then the police just retreat without any action ---
Lisa Martin the attorney, as I mentioned before, in my opinion was inept working for me, and I cannot believe that she has even made any statement that throws doubt upon her now Dead Client.
Yes DEAD --- she and two other women, as well as wounded.
That is a whole lot of proof that the Brown Deer Police Officials were Very Wrong -- and for the Village President to now try to make excuses for them --- Outrageous!!
Luke
5:47 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
David,
I had hoped you would try to engage in critical thinking. Instead, you don't address what the attorney said, but instead ask me a question followed by a number of assertions and appeals to emotion.
I don't blame you for not addressing the details of what Zina's attorney has said, if you don't have any logical way of doing so. But if you are going to imply that the police were called to the residence 20 times, then at least be honest and admit that most of the times did not involve a dispute between the couple. Police can't arrest a man for domestic abuse because there are problems with their pets.
Again, David, give facts for us to discuss and interact with the information that is given. Personal attacks and appeals to emotion will not suffice.
As I said earlier, I don't feel that I have enough information to make a judgment just yet. But one thing I do know is that you have even less information than I do!!
David Tatarowicz
4:22 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
@Luke
Facts: 20 police calls to residence and at least SEVEN were for domestic per the police
Facts: 3 Women Dead
Facts: 4 Wounded
Facts: Victim of abuse Dead
Facts: Attorney Lisa Martin's assertions contradicted in the newspaper --- don't have time to reiterate them, check out MJS
Supposition: The Brown Deer Police will surely be sued by the families of the victims
Lisa Martin may well be trying to cover her B by getting out ahead of her being sued and or taken to task in the legal system for poor representation of her client --- this is again, my supposition and opinion ---
Fire Fly
9:23 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
Blame the police ? B.S. .....Blame the cab driver who drove him to kill his wife .
David Tatarowicz
4:49 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
@McRoy That is brilliant !! Let's do that.
Born Free
12:32 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
Local law enforcement is at the bottom of the food chain so blaming them is going to get you no where.
As a resident of Brookfield I can't help but feel violated because it happened in my community but then maybe it's more to do with audacity of it all due to someone's lack of self control.
The silver lining to this storm cloud is that he killed himself. The tax payers won't have to support his azz for the rest of his useless life in a prison. Keeping him alive would have only added insult to injury.
I doubt the public will ever find out what his tox report revealed.
David Tatarowicz
4:54 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
@Born Free --- It doesn't take a PHD in Police Science to know the Domestic Abuse Law --- any student in their first semester in any police science class can tell you that the law is extremely clear.
Local Law Enforcement is hardly the bottom of the food chain --- they can lock your azz up and hold you for a long time without a phone call --- they are the ones we give the power to, and along with the power goes responsibility.
The Guy was a scum bag --- I wish he was sitting in a cell for the rest of his life --- he was a Control Freak, and he took the easy way out for himself, so as not to lose that Control.
Atron
1:20 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Following this kind of stuff in Brown Deer, IMO, it seems like the BDPD has had alot of past issues that need some help. This requires leadership from the top down and I haven't seen much of that. Maybe this will be a wakeup call for positive change there.