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BUPBA finds Vote of No Confidence in police chief

The Bradley University Police Benevolent Association, Inc. released a statement to the media on March 7 outlining a vote of no confidence in Bradley University Police Department’s Police Chief Brian Joschko.

The letter stated the union has “lost all trust, faith and confidence in Chief Brian Joschko’s ability to lead the department.”

BUPBA President and BUPD third shift patrol officer Theresa McConnell-Hill said this is the third vote of no confidence in Joschko the union has passed in the last three years, the first of which was taken when Joanne Glasser was president of Bradley. Joschko was hired at Bradley in 2011.

“Chief Joschko is a micromanager and does not allow his staff – captain, lieutenants and sergeants [to] do their [jobs],” McConnell-Hill said in an email to The Scout. “With the hostility, I think to summarize, [it is] the lack of trust in the officers and his [administration]. A lot of us are veteran officers, and we do not need to be micromanaged. He does not let his command be command and lead their shifts, and it is frustrating, to say the least.”

McConnell-Hill also said Joschko violated the union’s collective bargaining agreement several times, though she did not go into detail about specific alleged violations because some are “still in progress.”

“He has allowed promotions within the department to proceed unfairly, giving some officers promotions without interviews when others have had to go through the whole process,” she said. “He has violated the CBA several times [with] disregard.”

Secretary-Treasurer of BUPBA and BUPD Officer William Riggins said the union has filed approximately two dozen grievances with the university since Joschko was hired.

“Of the grievances filed, nine were resolved in favor of the BUPBA, seven were resolved in favor of the [Bradley University] administration, two were withdrawn, and currently, five are not resolved,” Riggins said.

After the release of the vote of no confidence, union leadership and BUPD leadership met with university President Gary Roberts to go over the concerns.

“Chief Joschko, his command staff and I are working with the executive board of the officers’ union to understand their issues and try to come up with ways to improve morale and working conditions,” Roberts said in an email to The Scout. “We have had one meeting that, from my perspective, was very constructive. The conversation will continue. Everyone involved is a professional who is committed to [their] job and the mission of keeping our campus community safe and secure, so this is not a matter that will have any adverse effect on campus security.”

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