The village of Lake Delton Board of Trustees placed Police Chief/Director or Public Safety Daniel Hardman on paid administrative leave Tuesday.
The board made the decision by unanimous vote. A third party will now conduct an investigation of complaints against Hardman made by Dells/Delton Emergency Medical Service employees.
The complaints were included in a letter issued Monday by International Association of Firefighters Local 5026 President Spencer Nett that was signed by all 16 EMS staff members. Nett said there have been allegations of discrimination, harassment, racism, sexism, and unwanted physical touching. Documentation provided by Nett of such complaints included letters that had all identifying information redacted.
“The village board felt that it was appropriate,” said West & Dunn Attorney Benoit Letendre, who represents the village. “He is entitled to due process. We are going to bring in an independent investigation team to thoroughly track down these leads, talk to the people who have leveled these allegations, and issue a report to the board.”
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Lake Delton Village Police Lieutenant William Laughlin was appointed as the interim chief during Hardman’s administrative leave. Letendre said Tuesday the third party investigator has not been determined.
Hardman has been the Lake Delton Police Chief since July 1, 2014. Prior to joining the Lake Delton Police Department, Hardman worked for 26 years as a police officer in Chula Vista, California.
The village board also decided Hardman will retain independent counsel at the expense of the village. Hardman will also remain a consultant regarding the construction of the upcoming police station in Lake Delton.
Letendre added that any judgment regarding the allegations was premature due to the recent nature of them, which was another factor in the decision to place Hardman on leave. He said the decision keeps Hardman from influencing the investigation and “protects the village” if the accusations are proven beyond reasonable doubt.
“The fact that we have placed Chief Hardman on administrative leave does not reflect poorly or positively on Chief Hardman, nor does it reflect poorly or positively on the witnesses who have made allegations against the chief,” said Letendre. “We just felt that in order to have a credible and thorough investigation, it was in the best interest of the village to remove, at least in the short term, Chief Hardman from his role as Chief of Police so that there’s no doubt that an investigation will be independent.”
Nett’s letter said that Hardman sees EMS employees as a “second-class workforce” and that he has publicly communicated his apathy towards the department, along with not advocating for its needs.
“I just want to really convey how proud of my Local I am that everyone felt that they could come forward and trusted in my leadership to bring this to light,” said Nett Monday.
