The Marco Island Police Department suspended three officers, Sgt. Mark Haueter, Capt. John Wallace, and Reserve Officer Ed d’Alesandro, for falsely claiming that Haueter had completed firearms qualifications. The officers received 160-hour suspensions without pay, a two-year last chance agreement, and mandatory training after admitting responsibility. The department recognizes the importance of accountability and fairness and has safeguard systems in place for checks and balances. Haueter had been reprimanded in 2019 for misusing his personal cell phone on the clock, but investigators could not conclude whether he had sent sexual messages while working. The investigation came after reports of multiple cases of officers having sex while on duty.
Marco Island Police Department Officers Suspended for False Claims
The Marco Island Police Department suspended three officers for falsely claiming that one of them had completed firearms qualifications. The officers are Sgt. Mark Haueter, Capt. John Wallace, and Reserve Officer Ed d’Alesandro. The department conducted an internal review that found the officers falsely claimed Haueter completed a qualification exercise on February 22, 2020. However, the department’s training coordinator, Lt. Matthew Gallup, noticed that no such exercise took place on that date. After confirming his suspicions with the firing range manager and the department’s firearm instructors, Gallup wrote a report detailing the discrepancies.
The investigation report revealed that Haueter and d’Alesandro signed paperwork certifying that Haueter had completed a qualification exercise, although no such exercise took place. Haueter, who leads the department’s school resource unit, was struggling with part of the evaluation due to his recovery from a serious illness. Wallace, Haueter’s supervisor, signed off on the plan as a favor to Haueter. When Gallup started asking questions, Wallace confronted him and asked why he cared. According to Gallup’s report, Wallace became angrier and told him that no one goes after his guys without his permission.
Gallup wrote in his report that he felt threatened and intimidated by Wallace, who wanted him to “take care of Haueter.” Both Wallace and Gallup gave competing complaints to Chief Tracy Frazzano, with Wallace upset about the investigation being opened without his knowledge.
On Monday, the Naples Daily News requested a copy of the investigation report, and the department released the report and a press release on Tuesday. In the press release, Capt. Richard Stoltenborg wrote that “Police Chief Tracy Frazzano acknowledged that the action of these three officers falls short of meeting the values of the Marco Island Police Department.”
In summary, the Marco Island Police Department suspended three officers for falsely claiming that Sgt. Mark Haueter completed a firearms qualification exercise. The investigation revealed that Haueter and Reserve Officer Ed d’Alesandro signed paperwork certifying the completion of the exercise, although it did not take place. Capt. John Wallace signed off on the plan as a favor to Haueter, and when questioned, Wallace confronted Lt. Matthew Gallup and became angry. The investigation report suggests that Wallace wanted to protect Haueter and his officers, which resulted in him intimidating Gallup. The department suspended the officers for their actions that did not meet the values of the Marco Island Police Department.
Marco Island Police Department Acknowledges Importance of Accountability and Fairness
The Marco Island Police Department recognizes the importance of accountability and fairness in preserving trust within the department. The department has safeguard systems in place for checks and balances to ensure that consequences reflect the totality of the circumstances.
In a recent incident, Sgt. Mark Haueter, Capt. John Wallace, and Reserve Officer Ed d’Alesandro were suspended for falsely claiming that Haueter completed firearms qualifications. The officers admitted responsibility and received 160-hour suspensions without pay, a two-year last chance agreement, and mandatory training.
Haueter had previously been reprimanded in 2019 for misusing his personal cell phone on the clock, but investigators could not conclude whether he had sent sexual messages while working. The investigation came after reports of multiple cases of officers having sex while on duty. The Naples Daily News has reached out to Marco Island’s police union for comment.
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