SHARE Both Sides of the Law How the system allows Milwaukee Police officers to keep their jobs despite run-ins with the law Go to section

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Milwaukee police Sgt. Charles Cross has been fired from the department for driving drunk and crashing into a house, and for faking his time cards and lying about it, according to the Fire and Police Commission.

Cross has appealed the dismissal, according to the commission. A hearing date has not yet been set.

Cross, 50, who had been on the force since 1993, was ticketed for first-offense drunken driving after the crash, which occurred May 1 near S. 79th St. and W. Howard Ave., according to a complaint Chief Edward Flynn filed with the commission. Cross' blood-alcohol level was more than twice the 0.08 level considered evidence of intoxicated driving, according to the complaint.

An internal investigation also found that Cross got to work late and left early on numerous occasions between December 2010 and December 2011 and that he claimed overtime he did not work, according to the complaint.

In 2007, Cross was convicted of criminal damage to property, according to court records. The misdemeanor conviction came after he kicked in the door of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend and threatened to kill himself, according to court records. He was fined $500 on that count.

Prosecutors offered him a deferred prosecution agreement on a charge of domestic violence-related disorderly conduct, which was dropped after he got treatment for depression and alcohol abuse. A domestic violence conviction would have required his removal from the force under federal law.

Nannette Hegerty, police chief at the time, fired Cross, but the Fire and Police Commission gave him his job back.

Cross was among 93 Milwaukee police officers disciplined for violating the laws and ordinances they were sworn to uphold, a Journal Sentinel investigation published in October 2011 found. Some officers suffered no legal or career consequences. Others got breaks from prosecutors that allowed them to keep their badges and guns. The most common violations were drunken driving and domestic violence.

At least 35 members of Milwaukee's police force had been disciplined by the department after being arrested for off-duty drunken driving since they were hired, according to the newspaper's investigation. At least a half-dozen more have been arrested for the same conduct since then.

After the newspaper shared its findings with Flynn, he rolled out a new program to help officers deal with alcohol-related issues.

At least 16 Milwaukee police officers were disciplined after internal investigators concluded they had committed acts of domestic violence.