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Madison Officer Facing 50 Charges Fired

Durgin Among Four Officers Accused In Sex Case

POSTED: 3:37 pm EST January 25, 2008
UPDATED: 7:13 pm EST January 25, 2008

A police officer facing 50 various charges lost his job in Madison on Friday.

Officer Bernard Durgin was accused of having encounters with prostitutes while on duty, among other charges.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Ray Daudani reported four letters list the 50 charges against Durgin, some of which included feigning illness, neglect of duty, misusing his official position and conduct unbecoming of an officer.

The Madison Police Commission and Durgin met on Friday behind closed doors to review the evidence.

"I think the evidence was overwhelming. We saw sworn statement after sworn statement from police officers and credible witnesses. We also heard credible witnesses," said Emile Geisenmeyer, a Madison police commissioner. "We saw documents, we saw lots of stuff today. So, there was very little question as to where the evidence was going when it was presented to us."

Durgin, 39, was already facing charges in an unrelated case involving accusations that he used department computers to look up information about women he knew. Police later accused Durgin of trying to stop witnesses from cooperating with an internal investigation into the computer charges.

Police said Durgin obtained information on people from the Connecticut Online Law Enforcement Communications Teleprocessing System between February 2006 and July 2007.

Durgin, a seven-year veteran on the force, was on unpaid suspension. Durgin is one of four officers accused of theft, stalking and meeting with prostitutes and felons.

The commission wrapped up the evidence portion of the day's events by about 3 p.m., after which time, in an open session, officials read each of the 50 charges against Durgin. The commissioners voted 5-0 on each charge to recommended termination several times over, Daudani reported.

Detective Sgt. Trent Fox testified on Thursday before the panel that the officers regularly spent time with prostitutes at various spots around town while on duty.

"You have credible information that at least 30- to 40-some-odd times these women were being brought out to Madison to meet with officers on shift?" Madison Town Attorney William Clendenen asked Fox.

"Yes, sir," Fox replied.

Fox told the commission that the women came up from New Haven and other areas. He said the women were brought to Madison by Albert LeClair, a friend of Durgin.

"Albert LeClair is a person who has a drug problem who has been arrested multiple times and is a convicted felon," Fox said.

On Thursday, the commission fired Sgt. Tim Heiden, who police have accused of failing to monitor officers during their shifts. The commission sustained two of three charges against Heiden that arose earlier in the month during a disciplinary hearing.

An attorney for Heiden said Heiden was not aware of the actions of the officers, and that Heiden is unfairly taking the blame for the officers' actions.


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