Oak Creek PD Trying To Fill Void Left By Lt. Murphy

The Oak Creek Police Department is hiring an officer on a contingency basis as it faces the long, and possibly permanent, absence of Lt. Brian Murphy.

Police Chief John Edwards said it's too early to say when Murphy will come back to work, if he comes back at all. Murphy during the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. He is out of the hospital, but faces a long recovery and cannot speak much due to a wound in the neck.

"Lt. Murphy's injuries will require an extended period of time to heal," Edwards said in a memo to Oak Creek aldermen. "There is the possibility that he may not be able to come back to work as a result of the injuries."

The department has made contingency hires many times before, Edwards said, most recently in 2011 as the result of a long-term injury.

The officers are hired knowing that if the injured officer comes back, they will be laid off. However, Edwards said one or two retirements are planned for 2013, meaning the contingency officer has a good chance of landing a permanent position.

The Oak Creek Police Department is also creating an acting sergeant position to fill the supervisory role left by Murphy. The officer to fill that position will come from the department's patrol division.

Financially, the city will pay an acting sergeant less than it would a lieutenant, which neutralizes the impact of worker's compensation costs paid to Murphy, Edwards said.

"It's almost a wash, in that respect," Edwards said.

The Oak Creek Common Council approved the moves unanimously in its meeting Tuesday.