Terminated Police Officer Has Appeal Hearing With Civil Service Commission
David Boelke says even if he's reinstated, the job won't be the same
FARGO, N.D. — David Boelke tells us he started helping others as a child, when he would go to his older brother’s concerts.
“I’d stand there for what 15 minutes holding doors for old ladies,” said David Boelke.
He would continue his mission to help people as a Fargo Police officer for 15 years.
In August, he was fired for not responding to calls for service, failing to report incidents and not collecting evidence.
“If somebody is not going out there and serving our community, that’s breaking a trust with our community,” said Fargo Police Chief David Todd.
Boelke may get a second chance after having an appeals meeting with the Civil Service Commission.
“Let me remind you, you have the obligation and the authority to make a decision based on the facts,” said Heidi Bolke, David Boelke’s wife Heidi.
His attorney says it all started when Boelke didn’t show up to court on his day off.
Fargo Police officials then did a look back into calls Boelke had from December 2016 to March 2017.
They found Boelke didn’t respond to 36 calls during that time.
“How many calls did supervisors receive dissatisfaction?” said one of the commissioners.
“I wasn’t aware of any,” said Fargo Police Sgt. Jared Crane.
Police officers interviewed almost all of the people who placed the calls and gathered GPS data from Boelke’s squad car.
They told city commissioners Boelke didn’t go to three locations.
“I responded to every call, whether it be in–person, by phone, by email,” Boelke said. “And I documented everything into the dispatch.”
A majority of the calls were accident-related.
“Not every call you go to requires a written report,” Todd said.
Chief Todd said state–mandated report is only required when damage charges are more than $1,000.
The Civil Services Commission plans to make a decision sometime next week.
Boelke says he’s just hoping it’s the positive outcome he’s been waiting for.
“I need to clear my name and clear my character,” Boelke said. “If you don’t fight for your character and your name, what do you fight for?”
