David Clarey
A Milwaukee police captain who previously was suspended for a slow response to a rape call was fired after thwarting the transfer of a sergeant whom she believed was planning to become pregnant and take family leave, according to recently released records.
The former captain, Roberta Klein, then came under more scrutiny for telling a co-worker about the resulting internal investigation into her conduct, the records say.
A police spokesperson said Klein's firing in January was the only termination of a captain the department could recall.
The records detail allegations of Klein acting unprofessionally, calling another sergeant her "little nugget," regularly gossiping about her female colleagues' personal lives and discussing an explicit photo sent to her by an ex-boyfriend.
Klein did not respond to multiple interview requests. She denied the allegations in internal affairs interviews, according to department records.
She has filed an appeal to try to get her job back with the city's Fire and Police Commission, the civilian oversight board. The appeal hearings are scheduled for May 8 and 9.
The Police Department declined to make any official available for an interview about the case. The Milwaukee Police Supervisors Organization, the union for the police supervisors, declined an interview request.
In 2018, Klein was suspended for six days for a slow response to a woman who was kidnapped and raped. At the time, Klein and two other supervisors were working in the department's 911 center — which is now managed by a separate city department — when calls on the incident took place.
It took over an hour for officers to be dispatched and she later told investigators it was "the worst night I've worked."
Klein accused of discriminating against officer planning family, criticized others use of family leave, reports say
The current investigation began in January 2024, when a department lieutenant reported Klein's General Crimes Division was on the verge of "mutiny," records show.
"(The lieutenant) questioned if Captain Klein was mature enough to be leading the division," the report reads.
The division is now known as the Major Crimes Division and investigates crimes other than homicides or gun violence.
According to internal affairs records:
Klein was accused of blocking a sergeant's transfer to her division because she believed the woman was planning to have a child and go on parental leave. That accusation was levied against Klein by a lieutenant and another sergeant.
The lieutenant also said Klein disclosed the personal health history of the female sergeant when explaining why she thought the sergeant was trying to become pregnant.
Multiple people told internal affairs that Klein openly criticized the use of family leave, including texting critical messages to other supervisors of a lieutenant who requested time off following a family member's death.
She suggested those who used family leave were "not dedicated to the division," internal records show.
Klein was notified in January 2024 that she was under investigation. Per department policy, she was told not to disclose the investigation to anyone. However, investigators learned she showed a notice of the investigation to another colleague.
Klein's relationship with another police sergeant — whom she called her "little nugget" and who was also investigated — came under scrutiny in the investigation. A lieutenant told internal affairs their close relationship "compromised" the division's culture, with the lieutenant feeling undermined by the sergeant and Klein.
Klein's friend, the sergeant, was the person who disclosed the medical information of the female sergeant whom Klein later blocked from transferring.
The sergeant, whose name is redacted from Klein's records, denied telling Klein about their co-worker's medical condition. The Milwaukee Police Department declined to release the sergeant's name but said the sergeant resigned during the investigation.
Members of Klein's division also said they feared retaliation for reporting her behavior and several described a meeting where Klein discussed receiving an explicit image from an ex-boyfriend, which made some people so uncomfortable they left the meeting early. A lieutenant said Klein often spoke in "innuendos" during meetings.
When questioned by internal affairs, Klein denied she violated department policies. She said her hesitancy to transfer the female sergeant was because of concerns with the sergeant's performance and behavior issues, not due to a possible pregnancy.
Klein told the investigator she should not have disclosed the internal investigation into her conduct, but said she thought she was a "good captain" and that "subordinates are confusing 'hostility' with accountability,'" the records show.
Klein made $142,194 in gross salary in 2022, according to the Journal Sentinel's most recent records of Milwaukee employees.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.
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