Gallatin City Administrator Toby Dougherty terminated the employment of Gallatin police officer Mike Bailey and reserve police officer Howard Duckworth
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Gallatin City Administrator Toby Dougherty terminated the employment of Gallatin police officer Mike Bailey and reserve police officer Howard Duckworth on Aug. 22.
Officer Mike Bailey faces 16 felony counts of statutory sodomy and 12 felony counts of statutory rape. Reserve Officer Howard Duckworth was terminated for not reporting inappropriate non-criminal behavior of Officer Bailey to Police Chief Jim Wycoff.
Officer Bailey, 35, was arrested by the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department on Aug. 12. At that time the city suspended Officer Bailey with pay.
“We needed to get everything in order and consult with the city’s attorney,” said Mr. Dougherty. “By last Friday I felt comfortable firing Officer Bailey.”
Officer Bailey was already on a three-month probation because of an incident which occurred on July 4, according to Mr. Dougherty. The administrator said the incident involved fireworks being shot off after hours during a party. It required an on-duty Gallatin police officer to be called to the area several times.
Mr. Dougherty said that he and Gallatin Police Chief Jim Wycoff had been aware about two weeks before Officer Bailey’s arrest of alleged inappropriate behavior on the part of Bailey at the city pool and were in the process of formally investigating the complaints.
“It was nothing remotely connected to what he was later charged with,” said Mr. Dougherty. “The people who complained said Officer Bailey was not ‘acting his age.’ I checked out the story, which was backed up by people who frequented the pool.”
Mr. Dougherty said that Officer Bailey had been given a verbal warning regarding his behavior at the pool.
“Chief Wycoff and I discussed whether this was an offense for which Officer Bailey should be terminated,” said Mr. Dougherty. Before that decision was made, Officer Bailey was arrested, Mr. Dougherty said.
“I was surprised at the gravity and scope of the accusations,” said Mr. Dougherty. “I had no inclination of something more serious. To my knowledge, the people who contacted me had no clue, either. Their complaint was that Officer Bailey was viewed as an adult authority figure and that he should behave as one, even when he was off-duty. Our instruction to Officer Bailey was that he was a police officer 24 hours a day.”
Officer Howard Duckworth was also terminated on Aug. 22. Mr. Duckworth was an unpaid reserve officer for the city. He rode with other Gallatin police officers once or twice a month in order to keep up his accreditation as a law enforcement officer, according to Mr. Dougherty.
“Officer Duckworth admitted to Chief Wycoff that he was aware of an inappropriate action by Officer Bailey. It was not a criminal action — I cannot at this time say what it was — but it was something that should have been reported. Officer Duckworth failed to disclose it to the Chief until last week.”
Chief Wycoff recommended Officer Duckworth be terminated along with Officer Bailey, and Mr. Dougherty agreed.
“The city is shocked and saddened by what has happened,” said Mr. Dougherty. “We try to do everything we can to prevent something like this.”