LETTER: Superior loses good cop

To the Telegram:

I heard recently that Chad La Lor left his position as captain of investigations with the Superior Police Department. What a tragedy.

What was it that Chad did wrong? He testified in a case where a police officer admitted to stealing thousands of dollars. Shame on you for having integrity, Chad.

Okay, in 2009, Chad made a mistake, but he made himself a better person for that error.

For all of the citizens of Superior who don’t know what La Lor accomplished in his career, I really want to enlighten you about all he did for you.

I was mayor when Chad was hired as a police patrol officer, and I am very proud of that fact. He is a good cop. He is honest, has integrity and he cares about innocent victims of crimes. I’ll take credit for hiring him.

Chad served the police department loyally and faithfully. He served his country for 14 months after Sept. 11, 2001. He spent 11 of those months in Iraq in heat as hot as 140 degrees. I saw him wearing shorts when he came home. His legs looked like hamburger from the sand flies.

Chad was initially assigned to cold case crimes when he returned from Iraq. He worked on those cases for several months. They were old homicide cases that had been sitting on the shelf for decades, unsolved.

I am no longer a patrol officer or a detective. I wish that I had just one cold case homicide to my credit. Chad La Lor solved two in a couple years. Two murderers are in prison today because of Chad La Lor’s diligence. Imagine how the survivors of those victims felt when they were told that Chad solved those two cases after all those years.

When District Attorney Dan Blank’s home was firebombed while he, his wife and child slept in their beds, who led the investigation? It was Chad La Lor. Chad supervised a team made up of local, state and federal investigators made up of more than 30 officers for several months and got convictions for the offenders. Those offenders will be in prison until they are on Medicare. Chad was in the office a half hour early each day during that investigation to make sure each of us had independent assignments. He worked 16-17 hour days, each and every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, until he got the convictions.

Chad was a champion cop. I served the police department for 19 years and managed it for eight years. I supervised Chad and he later supervised me. I know a good cop when I see one.

When I think of the most honest and hardworking police officers I ever worked with, the names that come to mind are: Bill Germond, Tom Blatt, Dick Taber, Gaylord Palm, Scott Campbell and Chad La Lor.

The losers here are the citizens of Superior. You just lost one of the best police officers they’ve ever had and criminal investigations will suffer for it.

The people who stood by and watched this, or enabled it, should be ashamed of themselves. Chad La Lor deserved better.

Herb Bergson,

Madison

Tags: opinion, letters