Does anyone have the latest information about their claims?

ResponsibleCitizen the village needs to get you good ol boys out of office .

momof5 Darien must be a delightful little Village to live in .

"mm" always has been, and always will be a shady character.

you can take it however you want...there are more than one person who should read this...I did not imply anything by my last post...read it and take it however you want.

Responsiblecitizen: thanks for bringing to light the law enforcement code of ethics. I know what your intention was to discredit the chief but…..I believe what he did was to uphold the law and the oath that he took. Unfortunately for the village board members they were the ones that “broke the rules” and were called out by the chief. If he didn’t do his job, we as tax payers would question why not. So who’s really at fault, the chief for upholding the laws or the village board for violating them? The fact that the VP’s house was just searched by WCSO also tends to lead toward the suspicions that the chief had but unfortunately couldn’t pursue them because of the person that dictates the agenda (the VP). Also, if the chief received / sent emails with other employees or had an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate employee, then why are they still employed? I don’t encourage law suits but it certainly appears that the chief is going to have a viable one against the village. It’s time to wake up Darien and smell the coffee. Continue with the endeavor to get rid of the chief and he’ll own this community. Maybe CM and AK aren’t the dumb politicians that some think they are!

ResponsibleCitizen What in the hell have you been drinking ????

To those it may concern:
Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve
mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against
deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful
against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all
men to liberty, equality and justice.

I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain
courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop
self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in
thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in
obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department.
Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided in me in
my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in
the performance of my duty.

I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices,
animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise
for crime and the relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law
courteously and appropriately without fear of favor, malice or ill will, never
employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.

I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I
accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the
police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals,
dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession...law enforcement.

cmh you have some bad advisors. Practice what you preach and get facts.

Cmh: I too did some checking only to find that you must spend a lot of time talking with cm. I found that GE did not have the knowledge required to discipline one of his disgruntled employees so he went to the chief for advice on how, and to be a witness between he and LL. So who really wanted him to be involved? Also EM and LL asked him if they could meet him at his house to discuss becoming a member of the WPPA police union because they were upset about employment issues; the village board and their boss. “Lies to police officers about board actions”, have you even talked to anyone except Maltese, obviously not. I’m sure you’re referring to the promotion of Maltese to Sergeant. I think it’s a real known fact by now that the interview panel recommended Chet Wilson as did the chief, but by majority of the board overturned that decision. None of the police officers have confidence in the guy. I would hope that if you get elected as trustee that you are more open minded and come to the realization that there are 2-sides to every story. By the way, why did you talk to everyone except the chief himself? I’ll bet he’d be willing to share information with you.

Barker
I guess you think I'm someone I'm not.

cmh, your message from 7 miles SW of Darien is coming through loud and clear. The house of cards is just starting to tumble. Those with nothing to hide don't have to really comment but, just sit back and watch the kindling fuel the fire. Lots of luck!

Me2 and qtp2t: “Hmm, this formula appears to be Metzner + Maltese = TROUBLE” is what you believe?. Why does Maltese come into your equation or Metzner for that matter? This “TROUBLE” as you call it goes back to late 2003/LL. Chief had just been promoted in 2003 by trustees RW, JA, KZ, JH,DL, CS, GW and the party (TROUBLE) began. In checking facts, here is what took place: the chief wanted to arbitrate the LL thing, (instead VD hired a labor law atty. specialist which saved VD big $$$$$$, then the word was out about wasting $$ on atty.’s), chief then contacted DPW staff, held union meetings at his home, when union didn’t get thru, chief put bad words out about clerk & DPW as well as certain brd. members and specifically asked people he could manipulate to run for office (i.e. JH, GT, SS, VP); two fell out of his favor (i.e. JH, VP) Information and manipulation continued (i.e. rash of filing with DA and WCSD against brd. members and VP. So what are we left with as a result of all of this? A DPW union, lies to police officers regarding brd. action, lies about Maltese’s work in our village, lies and misinformation about village employees. The “background” manipulation continues to evolve which bringing us to now and what do we do? Take the time and effort into really looking into things as I did. Don’t be manipulated as others have.

are the citizens and board members of Darien going to request Maltese move closer to Darien if he is appointed chief? After all living in Janesville is quite the distance, if he was to get called in on an emergency....that's right, he doesn't answer his phone and hides from doing what police officers do!

me2 - logic and reason. How refreshing.

I think we really need to back up and start evaluating the things that have happened to Darien and when they started occurring. When Bob Wenzel was VP he NEVER told people that they couldn’t speak without prior notification before the board meetings and was NEVER limited to 3 minutes. And, prior to Maltese coming to the village of Darien the police department seemed to have a very good moral, worked together and was generally liked by the community. Now, the chief gets terminated, officers are resigning and relocating to other departments, the village residents trust in the police department has diminished. Hmm, this formula appears to be Metzner + Maltese = TROUBLE.
Those who have forewarned Darien about their experiences in Orfordville, Evansville and Albany seem to know what they’re talking about. Thanks for the heads up and I hope the people of Darien wake up before it’s again too late.

Well, if this forum isn't taken down soon...

Once a lawsuit is filed, the Village's insurance company will likely retain counsel to defend it. At that point, current attorneys will be out of the picture.

Don't look for depositions any time soon. A lawsuit would take many months (if not years). I'm not sure what the expected trial schedule is in Eastern WI Federal Court right now, nor in Walworth County Circuit Court. But, a trial date would likely be a year or more down the line. Depositions would not be taken until after the suit is filed, and a schedule is issued by the Court.

Negotiations will likely not even begin until the actual trial date approaches. When they do start negotiating, the full Village Board will have to vote on any proposed settlement.

This is a looooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggggg process, folks. Once a suit is filed, the people aren't going to hear anything about it until a settlement is reached or the trial begins.

Who Really thinks that maltease wasnt involved? Do you really think or know what really happened? .no one will know for sure, but those who know maltease know that the truth is far from his lips. He lies to get ahead. He is violent and will confront you to fight then run and tell on you that youre threating him. I know for a fact that maltease did not perform his duties in orfordville, much of the time he would stay in his house while on duty because he was scared. maltease wanted that chiefs job, but never got it! He has his black book keeps stuff on everybody! He comes into Darien and while the chief's out on medical, backstabbs and gets promoted. He has a proved track record of screwing up towns, villages and townships. Just think the buddy of maltease who was the attorney against the chief in orfy, is the same Attorney that now knows what a piece maltese is and now knows all the lies he made up to get at this chief in orfordville. maltease is the problem, he will do whatever it takes to be chief. with no education, some college, an ego and a badge doesnt qualify you to be chief. maltease is a looser and you will see his true colors too late to stop it now but wait. Darien will be brought to its knees because of him, families will be divided, friends lost forever, towns people will not have trust in the Police for a while, all because someone has little man syndrom. Yes ,I know him and the type, I see it all the time. Look at Orfy, see what happened, Look at Footville see what happened, now look at Darien, history will always repeat itself. there are great people in these towns and have nightmires because of maltease. he has ruined lives and then he leaves the town a mess and goes to ruin another town. How did he go in one year from part-time to acting chief because of his resume, No. what really happen in the office. I bet he wasnt on camera, oh no he knew they were there, He set up his Friends! To use that later. Snake thats what he is.! Good Luck Darien with him as Chief, your going to need it. He wont be there long, as soon as his village conections get voted off the board, he will run and hide. Do security for kmart again. I feel for the Officer's, and towns people who have been drug into this mess. It's hell going through it. Trust me there is light at the end of the tunnel! To The Officer's in Darien, Good luck, keep the Union informed and your going to need an attorney too, he will go after each one of you. My advise is to wear a mic and recorder, tape every conversation you have to have with maltease, it will come in handy.

Me2, You hit the nail on the head about your new acting chief! he has a very bad temper towards his co-workers, too scared to do that to the public.

little man syndrome
A man, small in stature, who attempts to overcome the way he believes other people perceive him (as a diminuative character) by 1) attaching himself to authority figures, 2) trying to manipulate himself into positions of control, 3) migrating toward positions of leadership, and 4) having a fairly volatile temper.
I had a boss with little man syndrome and besides never being able to please him, he always had to prove he was better than anyone else! Welcome Mike Maltese.

Zeemax: I think the depositions were probably for the water /sewer case on W. Beloit St. that Danz wasn’t capable of collecting on so they hired Hazelbaker to his job. I’m sure DeVoy’s attorney will be proceeding with depositions from members of the police department in the near future for his lawsuit. Most municipalities never expect police officers to sue them but I’m not so sure that’s the case here. By the way, didn’t Metzner stand up after the last election and proclaim he was “president elect” and informed Hazelbaker that his services would no longer be needed? Funny how people change when they now need him! How many attorneys does it take to screw in a light bulb? In this case it appears 3 is the answer.

Sorry, actual verbage is Danz billed the village for "reviewing correspondence regarding Epping /McLernon /Veely /Michalek depositions" on February 26.

Still, the question of whether Metzer opts to vote against himself or not is unheard of.

Was he taking actual depositions or just speaking to potential witnesses? There's a BIG difference between the two.

I find it difficult to believe Danz would be stupid enough to be taking formal depositions at this stage of the game.

zeemax
Where did see that Danz was taking depositions?
That would seem strange since there has not been a lawsuit filed yet.

What about village attorney Danz taking depositions from the 11 employees who are suing the village? It was quoted in one of these articles that he "would recommend that the Board deny the claims".
So Danz is getting paid to work on behalf of the suing parties, and AGAIN on behalf of the village board?
Now that village President Metzner is also suing, is he supposed to 'vote' against himself?

This stinks to high heaven.

I just found the answer: If my math is right the actual cost was $11,046.13 vs. $35,000 that Metzner claimed. Anyone else think DeVoy was right for reporting Metzner's attempt at insurance fraud?
X. Rainbow International ($5,203.79)
Craig McCue moved, seconded by James Abbott to recommend the Board approve for payment the above listed invoice in the amount of $5,203.79 for Water Mitigation at Village Hall. The motion carried unanimously.
XI. T & T Carpets ($5,842.34) (Carpet for –Village Hall Deposit $2,854.58, Police Dept. Deposit
$1,400.00, Balance for both $1,587.76)

Something is bothering me about this whole lawsuit issue. Perhaps someone here is more knowledgeable than I about such matters and can enlighten me.

When a municipality is being sued, who is it within the local governing body that negotiates the lawsuit? I mean, I understand the Village Attorney handles the legal end of things. But, the Village Attorney surely must answer to someone within the local government, right? He or she must have to discuss the lawsuit with someone else, rather than just making all decisions on their own.

What I'm getting at is, what role, if any, does the Village Board play in such situations? Are they out of the loop on something like this and it is just up to the Village Administrator and the Village Attorney, or are there other persons that step up to the plate?

What responsibilities does the Village Board have in Darien? That's a serious question, I'm not being facetious.

Why don't you ask Marc in a nice way. Of course with a lawsuit in the wings. Come back & tell us what he said

keepitrealnow: I agree whole heartedly with you. Even though the clerk’s office may have had records stored in the “police department” facility, they shouldn’t have been within the confines of the police department offices. Anyone that knows anything about the law should know that juveniles and records containing medical information to mention a few is sensitive and cannot be viewed by the public. Look at the minutes to the July 9, 2008 police committee meeting:
IV. Update on building conditions
Following the incident of leaking plumbing fixtures in the men’s restroom in the Village Hall, estimates of damages in the amount of $12,000 – 15,000 have been submitted to the Insurance Company. These costs will be covered minus the deductible. A second claim, estimated to be in the amount of $20,000 will be made to replace carpeting.

V. Other business as deemed necessary
Chief Steve DeVoy entered on the record that he has applied for a grant in the amount of
$10,000 for the purchase of police equipment.
Chrm. Robert Metzner entered for the record that areas of the Police Department should now be considered as restricted due to the presence of evidence need for several court cases. In particular, now in evidence is a car that was involved in a hit and run accident.

Someone should check to see what the actual cost was for the carpet vs. Metzner’s claim. Maybe we’re getting somewhere here. Didn’t Metzner make a FEMA claim alleging the carpet was damaged by rain? And didn’t he post the building “contaminated” due to a sewage backup?

one943-All you have to do is ask....are you kidding???? Do you actually believe they would be willing to divulge the truth in this matter? One could go back and forth on this subject day in and day out (which is what is happening) and everyone obviously has their own opinions, however, one has to merely look at the facts of what has been happening and why to see whose credibility/activities are the ones that are really questionable. On one hand you have a dedicated servant of the village of Darien that has NEVER been written up who apparently thought there was some questionable activity on behalf of the president of the village. He acted appropriately and in the best interest of the village and is now being hung out to dry like a 21st century witch hunt! On the other hand, you have a village president whose credibility is seriously lacking and questionable at best. Who should be given the most benefit of the doubt???? In the end, I think you will find that the village residents will ultimately be the ones to suffer in all this mess--primarily by perhaps loosing a loyal police chief!!!!

keepitrealnow
All you have to do is ask.

one943-how would you know that the clerk's office still had files at the P.D.? Inside knowledge?

There is one small point that hasn’t been brought out yet. The Clerk’s office & Police Dept were together in the same building. The Clerk moved a couple doors away but everything wouldn’t fit so a lot records & files were left behind. That means some of that building was still part of the Clerks office. Just because the Chief said this is all mine now doesn’t make it so. I would think this is what Connie, Dean, Mary, & Marc are hang there hat on. Don’t know about the rest.

qtp2t : I second your motion to get rid of Metzner and Maltese. I know the camera issue has been beat like a dead horse but I can’t help to point out a Wisconsin Brief from the Legislative Reference Bureau. See link: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/wb.... The brief clearly outlines that there is an “invasion of privacy” if you’re in a place that a reasonable person would consider private or in a manner which is actionable for trespass. I don’t know of anyone that’s ever been arrested for trespassing in a police department before unless they broke into it. If that's the case then I'd think they'd likely be charged with burglary. So people, the next question is; are we dealing with “reasonable” people? Maybe the 10 "employees" and village president that filed a notice of claim against the village should be arrested for trespass. Do you think your "acting chief" has what it takes to accomplish that? Oh yeah, that's right, he's in on the take too. I'm sure he'll just close out the case without talking to anyone. Someone should also check to see if Metzner can continue to hold his position on the board after filing a civil action against the village.

Nice job Anne Marie. Now we know that Metzner and Maltese were who DeVoy suspected of being up to no good. And now both are suing the village.
No wonder they wanted to get rid of DeVoy - he was right about them!
Metzner and Maltese have cost this village a ton of money - and counting. And wrrecked a guy's career. Anybody else think its time for them to go?

Take my last note however you want it...Bob Metzner is just looking for a paycheck since he won't be collecting his meeting money anymore.

JimPI 078yb976r7vm,umtufybr3eawxwxcu6r 6 year term

delavan, jimpl and keepitrealnow- you are the only ones addressing the issue in a realistic manner. Thank you for that.
Let's get back on the subject. We now have a guy who holds public office, suing the very people he is supposed to represent, over a wannabe get rich non-issue. And he is not only up for re-election, he is rude to citizens on a regular basis.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

blacktaz/Regina, well if you've been reading my posts here and elsewhere, I think it is obvious whose side I'm on as well.

And, um, I'm about as "real" as it gets.

Every knows me it!s Regina. I!m not afraid to say who I stand up for.I know for a fact metzner is no good and wants Darien to fail.If I came at you to strong it!s because I don!t like people saying with out standing up for what they are.You must be real.

If you are investigating the fox in the hen house....you sure do not tell the fox.

blacktaz, you could take your own advice. Why so huffy about what I posted? And, um, my name's Jim, though I'm not sure why you're asking. Somehow, I'm thinking your name isn't Taz.

jimpl if you don't like it don't read it. Who asked you anyways... Whats your name?

Mooser as a matter of fact I do have camera's on my house. That way I got the creeps stalking in front of my house. Like I said before if you are afraid to use your name shut up!!! Maybe your in their pocket. IMPEACH METZNER AND FIRE ALL FOOLS AT CITY HALL!!!

ResponsibleCitizen, what is your point in posting what the President earns?

blacktaz, what are getting at? Who is Mr and Mrs K? God, I hate it when folks post here in some type of code. If you don't have the guts to post what you're really saying, then don't bother posting.

And the hits just keep on comin'

Darien Village Board President receives $100/per month + $30/per mtg. + $35/special bd mtgs. Darien Village Board Trustees receive $50/monthly bd mtg. + $30/per mtg. + $35/special bd mtgs.

They are enough people signed the recall to get rid of Metzner and Putman. But of course that is on hold . The crimes that is going on in this town is sick.Now what MRS K and MR K is he still being picked on? Metzner needs help he has lost it. I think all persons who filed this suit should be fired. Maybe this is the reason they did this? Sorry guys that won!t work.

It is interesting to see the Gazette (and WNA) once again pushing aggressively for transparency, even though it gets very dicey in personnel matters.
.
I'm still not sure what the whole point of any of this was, though. I think some people took things waaaaaay too seriously and then it just got worse from there.
.
From an administrative harmony standpoint, though, the village was probably right to get rid of DeVoy using any excuse that would fly. I just hope it doesn't open them up to a lawsuit (one will be filed, I'm sure, but whether it will be a valid tort is another matter).

Of course DeVoy can talk to the gazette and he has, look at the article on Feb 26.

SarahB1, if the Village has a policy against unauthorized cameras being installed by the Chief, they probably also have a policy against speaking about it, LOL.

Seriously though, it might not be against Village policy but I doubt DeVoy's attorney would allow it to happen.

Responsible…while your posting was poignant in pointing out Bob’s shortcomings, I would caution you to reserve judgment on the chief that he “broke the rules” until he actually has a chance to defend himself…after all, we have not heard his side, nor has he been offered a chance to defend himself…after all aren’t we all innocent until proven guilty? A man who has dedicated 20 years of his life protecting and serving the residents (without even a minor infraction on his record) of Darien should after all be entitled a fair hearing before being hung out to dry!!??

Ok, as detailed in the above article, the charges against DeVoy are:

1) Installed cameras without authorization. From whom should he have sought authorization? I take it the Village Board is his de facto "supervisor," right? Well, if he suspected one or more of those Board members of illegal acts, would it make a heck of a lot of sense to ask for their permission to install those cameras? Further, I'd really like to see something in writing that forbids him from installing surveillance cameras "without authorization."

2) Put unauthorized and obscene material on his office computer. Sure, I'd be willing to bet there is obscene material on his office computer. Bet I could find obscene material on the computer of ANY of you reading this message. And the majority of it would have arrived on your hard drive without you knowing about it. Darn near any computer that goes online ends up with crap like that somewhere on the hard drive. A simple forensic examination would clarify things in a big way for DeVoy.

3) Had a relationship with a subordinate. Don't know about this one but according to at least one person posting in this discussion, that one is true. But, can it be proven? Shouldn't it have to be?

4) Failed to lead the department. What guidelines or benchmarks did the Board use to come to that conclusion? In what way(s) did DeVoy fail to lead?

I don't know. Based only on what I've read in the various Gazette articles on the subject, it seems to me that DeVoy is being railroaded. I sincerely hope he retains competent counsel and sues the butt off of the Village Board, as well as wins the anticipated suit filed by the Board President and others. Something is certainly rotten in Denmark.

Devoy Broke the rules plain and simple...if and when all the evidence comes out, hopefully everyone will see that. THAT DOES NOT CONDONE HOW THE BOARD ACTED OR HOW METZNER CONDUCTED HIMSELF. Obviously Bob proved that he could win in a pissing contest; However he still lives here and I would like to know how many people continue to be friendly with him now.

In this case I wonder if he is required to step down as President of the Board...Gee Danz is up for one heck of a payday huh?

Metzner isn't smart enough to see the conflict. A wet paper bag would be hard for that mental midget to fight out of.

Must be something in the air... http://www.channel3000.com/news/18890697...

So does anyone else think that Metzner's conflict of interest (filing a claim against the county/village should have precluded him from voting to terminate DeVoy?

I'm not from Darien and have withheld judgment in this pissing match, but the stink is undeniable, now.

This is going way beyond weird! A public official sueing for being observed in a public building, the water supply must be tainted with lead. What a bunch of 'tards.

Devoy doesn't sound like a very smart guy. I am wondering how he came by this job in the first place.

and I thought Evansville had issues..