Officers keep jobs despite sexual misconduct charges

Three Milwaukee police officers disciplined by the department after women accused them of on-duty sexual misconduct continue to wear the badge, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Gina Barton found. One of the officers served a 60-day suspension and has since been promoted to sergeant. The other two were fired but reinstated after appealing to the civilian Fire and Police Commission, which has the authority to conduct its own disciplinary investigations and to overturn punishments imposed by the chief. Recently fired officer Ladmarald Cates – accused of raping a woman after he responded to her 911 call in July - hopes to use the same appeals process to get his job back. Like the other three, he is accused of using his police authority to prey on vulnerable women. The complaints against the other three date from 1990 to 2004. In one case, a woman said an officer agreed not to arrest her if she performed a sex act. The other two officers were accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with women in their homes. In all three cases, internal affairs investigators concluded the officers deserved discipline.