The Hortonville Police Commission will hold a hearing about the status of Police Chief Michael Sullivan, who is currently on Administrative Leave for undisclosed reasons.
The hearing is scheduled to take place Wednesday night and Thursday if necessary, both are to start at 5:00 p.m. and will go no later than 10:00 p.m.
Scott Herrick is the Hearing Officer and Legal Counsel for the Hortonville Police Commision, who will be chairing the meeting.
“My basic role is that I’m the lawyer for the commission,” said Herrick. “I represent the commission and not either of the parties. During the course of the hearing, I will actually be presiding.”
Herrick explains tonight’s meeting will operate very much like a court trial. “It’s called a hearing, but it’s a trial,” said Herrick on what will take place Wednesday and Thursday. “It doesn’t refer simply to proceedings against a Chief, but against any police officer, or a firefighter for that matter. The commission can and does go into closed session to deliberate.”
The hearing is open to the public, and although unusual, the Wisconsin statute that provides for this goes back to the 1890’s, says Herrick.
“From that time, it has said that these proceedings are open to the public,” Herrick informed. “It remains somewhat unusual, but police and fire commissions set an open proceedings standard a long time ago.”
The hearing is being held in the Community Center in the Municipal Services Center, located at 531 North Nash Street in Hortonville.