Can Waukesha Police Chief Son Be Hired As Officer?

WAUKESHA, WI — Will Derek Jack, the son of Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack, be able to serve as a police officer in Waukesha?

The answer to that question will take a complicated path after news of the hiring bumped up against a 2004 city policy that bans family members from being in a "direct supervisory" role over immediate family.

Ald. Aaron Perry, the Alderman that represents Chief Jack, stated that he has put a referral through to the city Human Resources Committee, asking for the city to allow Derek Jack to be hired as a patrol officer as an exception to the rule.

"If someone who wants to serve in that role is highly qualified, it shouldn't matter what their last name is," Perry told Patch. "I don't care who you're related to. I want the best people in those positions."

Promotion Attracts Attention

It all started when Derek, already a Community Service Officer with the department, was in line for a promotion to Patrol Officer. That happened in June.

In July is when things got complicated, after Mayor Shawn Reilly sent a letter to the Chief, stating that it was against the law to hire his son.

In a letter to Chief Jack dated July 25, Mayor Shawn Reilly stated, "when we spoke late last week about this issue, you indicated that you would not be in a supervisory role over your son as a police officer. State Statutes are clear that you are always acting in a supervisory role over every officer in the department," Reilly stated in the letter.

"As Mayor of the City of Waukehsa, I am providing you with this written determination that any immediate family of the Chief of Police cannot be hired as a City of Waukesha Police officer," Reilly wrote.

Then, on Aug. 16, the city Human Resources Committee will hear a referral by Ald. Perry to consider an exemption to the city's "Employment of Relatives" policy, which, at present, forbids immediate family members from being in a "direct supervisory" role over immediate family. That referral was put forward on Aug. 1.

Issue Moves Forward

While state statues, written here, are not as specific as Waukesha hiring practices, they do state that the Chief "shall have command of the police force of the city ...and shall obey all lawful written orders of the mayor or common council."

According to information published online by the Waukesha Freeman, Jack was taken off the final approval list by the City Police and Fire Commission after the committee's chair was contacted by the Mayor and City Administrator.

As knowledge of his son's potential hiring began to circulate publicly, Chief Jack issued a statement, saying "This issue is best handled at the Human Resources Committee and not in media outlets. At times emotions override facts and get misrepresented and taken out of context. We believe this is one of those issues that needs to be handled at the committee level."

Out In the Open

In the Aug. 1 referral written by 12 District Ald. Aaron Perry, Perry writes to the Waukesha HR Committee "To consider an additional exemption to the B-10 police of the employment of relatives, specifically in the case of the Police Department and recent patrol hirings."

"After reading the State Statues, talking with the mayor, city administrator, and the city attorney, I felt the best practice was to write a referral to put it all out in the open," Perry told Patch.

The answer to the question, "Will Derek Jack, the son of Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack, be able to serve as a police officer in Waukesha?" will have to wait.

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image via waukesha police department