Wray’s career defined by failure to supervise Officer Heimsness

Chief Wray started working for the Madison Police Department around the time Paulie Heenan was born. He’s had achievements over his 28-year tenure, but we will always remember him by his career defining failure to properly supervise, investigate, and reprimand a bigoted, volatile cop until after he ended our friend Paulie Heenan’s life.

It only makes sense that Chief Wray would say in parting that the relationship between the police department and the community remains strong. State statutes allow him to exist in a self-centered reality of his own making. In that bubble of groupthink he can stand by his exoneration of a cop for homicide based on the premise that he’s trustworthy and then, months later, fire him for being chronically untrustworthy, all with the enthusiastic support of the Mayor.

As we see it, watching from the orchestra pit this stiffly acted political theater, nothing is settled just because Chief Wray says so, or because he’s stepping down. He works for the community. So do Randy Gaber and John Davenport. How have these highly paid, highly respected city officials gotten off with so little accountability for a cop culture that allowed someone like Steven Heimsness and others to behave so badly for so long?

Our community’s questions about the inconsistent account of events from the night of November 9, 2012 remain unanswered. Those who could be held liable by the city are falling one by one. We ask for accountability and transparency, but all we get are evasive maneuvers.

Amelia & Nathan Royko Maurer