ELKHART -- Six Elkhart Police officers have been disciplined for their roles in an incident at the police station. The incident happened Thanksgiving morning.

Investigators say a woman was engaged in inappropriate behavior and an Elkhart Public Safety Officer joined in. The city fired that safety officer.

Other police officers on duty at the time were investigated for their roles in the incident. One officer, Cpl. Benjamin Eaton, has already resigned. Now six officers have been suspended without pay and some will have to face monthly evaluations.

Officials say multiple officers were supervising Safety Officer George Collard at the time of the inappropriate behavior.

“This safety officer willingly participated with her, most notably photographed her in inappropriate poses, suggestive poses,” Director of Public Safety Nelson Chipman told WSBT News last week. “This was picked up on the monitoring cameras in the lobby and as a result he was terminated.”

The department then began an internal investigation into the officers. They were stripped of their supervisory roles during the investigation.
This week, they received their punishment.

In documents obtained by WSBT News, Chief Pam Westlake sustained allegations against six officers.

Click on the link in the Related Content box to read the disciplinary notices.

Cpl. Andy Rucker, Cpl. Ben Kruszynski, Sgt. Jim Ballard, Sgt. David Baskins, Sgt. Todd Thayer and Lt. Chris Snyder were all found to have committed neglect of duty.

Cpl. Rucker and Cpl. Kruszynski were also found to have committed conduct unbecoming an officer. The chief wrote Rucker and Kruszynski failed to take the action needed to prevent the conduct from occurring in the first place.

All six were suspended without pay for five days. All six will also have to go to remedial ethics training.

Sgt. Baskins, Sgt. Ballard, Sgt. Thayer and Lt. Snyder will all have to face monthly evaluations for the next six months.

Chipman told WSBT News the officers do have the right to take these suspensions to the Board of Public Safety, but he did say this would likely be the extent of the punishments from the department.

Information gathered could be turned over to the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office.

Criminal charges could be filed, but that has not happened yet.