RENTON DEPUTY CHIEF DISCIPLINED FOR 'UNBECOMING CONDUCT'
KING 5 News [LINK]
By Linda Byron
July 12, 2011
A high-level officer in the Renton Police Department has been investigated for allegedly stalking his girlfriend. The Mayor’s Office first became aware of the allegation last fall, prompting an internal investigation. According to documents obtained by the KING 5 Investigators, Deputy Chief Tim Troxel, engaged in “unbecoming conduct” by having a sergeant from Special Enforcement accompany him to his girlfriend’s house in Newcastle to find out if she was with another man. According to the investigation, Troxel told the sergeant he did not want to drive his own car because his girlfriend would recognize it. Troxel observed the house from the street and the backyard. The incident happened in the summer of 2009 but wasn’t investigated until the Mayor’s Office received an anonymous complaint in the mail in November 2010. Renton Police Chief Kevin Milosevich initially recommended Troxel receive 40 hours suspension without pay and be required to complete a performance action plan. In the “Intent to Discipline Memo” dated January 14, 2011, Milosevich wrote, “your actions in the evening in question could be construed as irrational or desperate in an effort to continue this personal relationship. A more appropriate response would have been to not involve an on-duty member of the Department and to avoid contact that weekend.” Milosevich also wrote that, “...the facts and circumstances as investigated does call into question your ability to be a successful leader within the Police Department.” After Troxel met with the chief in February, Milosevich reduced the suspension from 40 hours to 24 hours without pay. “I appreciate that since the beginning, you have accepted responsibility for your actions and that you understand the seriousness of this incident,” wrote the chief in the final discipline memo. Neither Milosevich nor Troxel returned calls to KING 5 seeking comment. Communication Director, Preeti Shridhar, told KING 5 News that Mayor Denis Law had no comment on the case. “The Investigation is being handled by the Police Chief and the Mayor has complete confidence in his chief,” Shridhar said.
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Interesting comment on the KING5 website with the story.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the investigation, you will truly want him to have professional counseling. There are all the makings of a serious domestic violence incident in the future with his behavior. Even in the words of the chief saying he was "irrational" and "desperate", I only hope he gets the help he needs. Certainly, he may be in the wrong line of work if his personal life is irrational and desperate with his intimate relationships. And this wasn't just a girlfriend/boyfriend spat, it was a married police officer committing adultery that started it. Docking 24 hours of pay is a slap in the face of justice should anything happen later to future potential DV victims. Although the City of Renton would be bankrupted by that lawsuit, nothing can make up for being a victim of a domestic crime which could have been prevented. Nothing can ever make up for Crystal Brame for what Tacoma PD knew, should have known, and did nothing to address or prevent.
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