HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-12-1998 Articles lhe (;azelte, Monday~ April 27, 1998~ page 2B
PoliCe review board rules against 4.
Gazet~ Jolmmm County Bur~u been asked more tactfully, the,
IOWA CITY -- The Police IOWA cITy board said. .
Citizens Review Board recently The board also ruled against
ruled against four complainants. Lng when they came to his home the man's claims that he .was
According to the board's re- in February to get additional stopped without probable cause
ports to the City Council, all of information for the county attor- and that police refused to take
the complainants have ~ed nu- ney for a pending case. The man action against his neighbor even
merous eomplaLnts in 1907 and has ~ed eight complaints this though the neighbor had violat-
1908. year and last, according to the ed his rights. Officers addresged
One complainant, who has board's report, the matter but chose to handle it
~ed seven complaints, alleged Another complainant has ~ed without prosecution, the board
that he is being harassed by nine complaints. The complaint noted. The man also clairhed
Police Chief R.J. Winkelhake. most recently considered by the that he was harassed while po-
He cites an incident in February board concerns police stopping lice served him with outstand-
when officers came to his house the man for allegedly following lng misdemeanor citations dur-
and removed fishing line at- his neighbor to the home of the ing the traffic stop. The board
tached to his chain-link fence neighbor's grandmother, also ruled against this all.ega-
and strewn across the sidewalk. The man denied doing any- tion.
In ruling that the man had thing wrong and said his neigh- The final complaint repor/ed
not been harassed by WLnkel- bor had spit on his windshield, by the board is one of 10 ~ediby
hake or the department, the The officer asked ff the man and the same man, who claims ithat
board said that Winkelhake was his neighbor were in a relation- he informed police he didn't
not directly involved in this ship, because the alleged actions want them calling him, yet.an
incident. The board members seemed .to the officer to be typi- officer left a message on his
also said that any police officer cai of a domestic dispute, answering machine in Marc~h.
attempting to contact a person The board ruled against the Given that the officer who
at home under the cireumstanc- man's allegation that officers called was investigating apl, evi-
es the man described is not called him a homosexual, noting ous complaint ~ed by the man,
trespassing, that the possibility of a standing the board ruled agaLnst the
The board made a similar no-contact order made the ques- man's allegations that police ha-
ruling in a case where a man tion about a relationship rele- rassed him and that he is being
claimed officers were trespass- rant, The question could have denied the right to live in peace.