A Baltimore City police officer said he is facing serious disciplinary charges for misdeeds that occurred while he was on vacation more than a year ago.
Sgt. Michael Wingler, 44, a 20-year veteran who works in the city?s Southern District, may be terminated for allegedly showing photographs of nude women at Southern District headquarters throughout November 2006 while on duty.
But Wingler said he was off duty for almost the entire month of November 2006, and his log sheets prove it.
“I was off all month, I wasn?t at work, I actually in the Dominican Republic on vacation until the end of the month,” said Wingler.
“It?s retaliation, that?s what this is about.”
Police officials declined to comment on Wingler?s allegations.
Wingler maintains the charges were leveled after he tried to stop an affair between a sergeant in his district and a female officer he was supervising.
“I told them I couldn?t care less what they did on their own time but it was causing problems on my shift,” said Wingler, adding that the affair was undermining the sergeant?s ability to lead his squad.
Memorandums from district commanders to police brass also indicated the tryst was interfering with operations.
“Oftentimes she was described as responding late to calls,” a lieutenant in the district wrote about the female officer in a December 2006 memo to his district commander.
Tensions boiled over when the sergeant involved in the alleged affair approved Christmas leave for the female officer, who had very little seniority ? forcing two senior officers to work Christmas Day, documents allege.
After district commanders decided to move the female officer to another district, Wingler said he was hit with multiple charges ? showing the pictures of nude woman and failing to report a sexual harassment complaint ? that now may end his career.
Now Wingler, who said he was ready to retire, has decided to stay put and fight.
Wingler said he believes his case is similar to that of Sgt. Robert Smith, who came forward two weeks ago after he was charged administratively with a sex offense while he was off duty.
Smith, a supervisor in the Southwest District Flex Squad, also was on vacation when the alleged rape occurred at the police station in 2005. His charges hve been dropped.
