Ferdinand Town Council defends decision regarding former-Chief Bieker

Ferdinand — Besides town officials, town employees and six media representatives, around 15 Ferdinand residents filled the meeting room of Ferdinand Town Hall Tuesday night in support of former-Police Chief Ted Bieker.

Bieker, who served for nine years as chief, had been asked to resign prior to the May 14 meeting but was told he could stay on as an officer. He read a four page statement expressing his dismay and listed several grievances he had with the town council and City Manager Marc Steczyk during that meeting.

Both Bieker and his wife, Patty, submitted letters to the editor that appeared in the June 5 issue of the Ferdinand News. In light of those letters, Council President Ken Sicard drafted a five-page response, which he read at the start of the meeting.

That response is available to read here.

He cited the continued attacks on council members and Town Manager Marc Steczyk as the reason to “correct the inaccurate statements and innuendos that are being editorially printed and, ultimately, perceived as real news.”

Sicard primarily wished to defend Steczyk because he felt there has been a focused attempt to “lay blame at his feet” to pull attention from the fact the council replaced the chief “due to specific management issues.”

He outlined, point by point, some of the issues put forth by Bieker (who was not present).

Bieker had said he was not allowed to make purchases over $500 unless he receives the written consent of the Town Manager. Sicard said this is true of all town departments as outlined in town ordinances.

Sicard said the directive from Steczyk to the Police Department not to exceed 84 hours per person per pay period was also true, but not mentioned was the fact the Town Manager fought to add a sixth officer in 2009 that would ease the burden, which could only be afforded if overtime was kept to a minimum.

He said most of the assertions provided by Bieker concerning the Police Department budget were inaccurate. “For someone who was chief for over nine years, he still does not comprehend how the Police Department budget works.”

Council woman Debbie Johnson recalled her surprise five years ago after her election, at attending P.D. meetings that lacked organization, structure, or an agenda.

Earlier, resident Don Farina berated the council for not providing a secretary for Bieker, but Johnson said she had made the offer and he demurred due to the sensitive nature of information pertaining to members of the community. Bieker feared that information might be “leaked.” He also rejected the offer of an intern for the same reason.

Johnson noted her concern for the safety of the officers, as those on the night shift were without working flashlights ad those on the day shift lacked working cameras.

“While Ted is wonderful with the public, great at interacting with them, he is not good at managing his department.” She added, “He is a wonderful officer which is why we asked him to stay on.”

David Oeding asked the council to reconsider their decision, as did Don Farina, both Ferdinand residents.

Sicard said the council is standing by their decision.

Johnson went on to say she initially asked for an inventory five years ago, suggesting a rolling inventory would help with budgeting problems. She also wanted a list of needs. “To this day I have not received an inventory,” she noted.

“I don’t know where this budget question is coming from,” added Sicard. “The police department almost always gets what they ask for or need.”

Councilman Ron Weyer agreed. “We always strive for safety. The Police Department and Fire Department are two critical things for the community. But, they have to tell us what they need.”

Which seemed to be the crux of the matter.

“My concern,” Johnson noted, “the Chief didn’t address it [departmental needs]. She said anticipating those needs is the supervisors’ job. “They know what they need and budget accordingly.”

In his statement, Sicard said the request to resign should have come as no surprise to Bieker as he had met with him frequently to discuss problem areas. Sometimes, he said, the situation would improve but then would decline again.

He noted that through interviews with all the officers he discovered the police department was split “due to inadequate management practices.”

He said immediate disciplinary actions needed to be timely and personnel problems were evident. “He [Bieker] was constantly behind in paperwork; SOP update, general orders update, letters for certifications, etc.

“It should be noted,” read Sicard, “that our reserve officers finally got their badges after two years of being on the force.”

He also stated, “On more than one occasion and with more than one officer, officers were forced to wear outdated/expired bulletproof vests for up to four months simply because they weren’t ordered. This is an officer safety issue.”

As to Steczyk, Sicard said no other department head has issued complaints similar to Bieker’s.

Despite any evidence to the contrary, several in the crowd voiced the opinion Bieker should be reinstated or, barring that, that one of the town’s current police force should be hired as chief.

Council members have so far interviewed six potential candidates but have not made a decision.