Police detective blasted for offensive Halloween costume

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A veteran police detective was under attack Wednesday after posing in a Halloween photo that appeared to make light of domestic violence,

Detective Bill Ledger, who has worked for the Fond du Lac Police Department for 21 years, said he and his wife were dressed as "rednecks" and the costumes were harmless. The pictures were placed on a personal Facebook page and not meant for public viewing.

Yet someone who had access shared them with The (Fond du Lac, Wis.) Reporter. And domestic violence experts said the images send a demoralizing message to victims.

Fond du Lac police officials said they are reviewing the photos.

"We have been made aware of a social media post involving a member of the department and concerns that it depicts insensitivity to domestic violence," according to a statement from Assistant Police Chief Steve Klein. "The department considers domestic violence to be amongst the most serious problems facing our society, and we obviously do not condone anything that minimizes it."

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Ledger’s wife posted the photos Oct. 30 on her personal Facebook page showing the two of them dressed in Halloween costumes. She was wearing a pig-tailed wig, a sweatshirt that made her appear pregnant and black-and-blue makeup around her eyes and mouth.

Ledger is posed holding his fist up to her face, wearing a long-haired wig, a flannel shirt and jean shorts rolled up. The couple is smiling and holding cans of what appears to be beer.

Text above the photo read: “Don’t talk back to the boss!”

A second photo shows a close-up of the couple, and Ledger is making a gesture that symbolizes performing oral sex on a woman.

“They were (pictures) of my wife and I at our home,” the detective said. “Police officers are being ambushed and murdered across the country, and I think you guys have better things to write about.”

Lisa Krenke, executive director of Friends of Abused Families in West Bend, Wis., said the photos send a bad message. Domestic violence is not a joking matter.

Pregnant women living with an abuser are 60 times more likely to be victims of homicide, she said.

“A victim who has not come forward could look at this and think it is normal," Krenke said. "They may think if it is OK for a Halloween costume then what I am living through must be normal."

Someone in the community is trying to cause trouble for him, Ledger said.

“If I dress up as a priest, am I promoting sexual abuse of a child? If I dress up as Hitler, so I am condoning the mass extermination of Jews? This is not newsworthy,” Ledger said.

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Fond du Lac police handle domestic violence as part of their law-enforcement role and aid victims of domestic abuse in the community.

The department created a team in June 2013 to reduce domestic violence through education and communication.

The recent Halloween photos speak volumes about the character of the people depicted, Krenke said. Her organization serves 3,000 victims of domestic violence each year.

“I want to emphasize that it is never the victim’s fault, and there are places to go in every county where help is available,” she said.

Teresa Nienow, executive director of People Against a Violent Environment in Beaver Dam, Wis., said her organization has aided victims of domestic violence and sexual assault for 30 years.

“This is something we run into," Nienow said after seeing the photos. "While it appears to be culturally insensitive, it also appears to be making a joke out of abuse and violence.”

Her organization’s goal is not to shame anyone but rather to teach people about the serious societal costs of domestic violence, she said. One in four women and one in seven men will be victims of a physical assault from an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This kind of violence is something that touches all our communities, and I would definitely be open to speaking to the people in this photo if they would like more education on this serious issue,” she said.

Krenke thinks that law enforcement should not tolerate actions like this within their ranks.

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It isn’t the first time Ledger's postings on social media have raised concerns. In September 2012, Ledger posted disparaging Facebook comments aimed at the newly elected district attorney of Fond du Lac County, Eric Toney; the sheriff’s office and a private citizen.

Ledger’s Facebook postings, which were visible to the public, accused county Sheriff Mick Fink of driving the outcome of the district attorney’s race, targeted Toney for what Ledger called a lack of experience and offered Ledger's condolences to crime victims under Toney’s administration.

Ledger ran for Fond du Lac County Sheriff in 2014 but lost the election to incumbent Fink.

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Though the department spells out guidelines regarding employee use of social media, including Facebook and Twitter, Ledger was not disciplined in 2012. Assistant Police Chief Steve Klein said at the time that the detective’s comments were protected by the First Amendment.

“We met with Ledger after we became aware of the complaints and re-emphasized the policies and procedures we have in place,” Klein said in 2012.

In answer to those posts, Ledger said that he's not a politician and has been politically incorrect at times. But he also said he has the best interests of the county at heart.

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"I haven't been correct with the things that I've said in the past — I'm human. I'm one of those guys who unfortunately wears my emotions on my sleeve, that sometimes opens my mouth before I think," Ledger said in 2012. "But I want people to know that I've been a hard-working cop for 20 years.”

Ledger joined the Fond du Lac Police Department in 1995 as a patrol officer and moved up through the ranks as a police dog handler, drug investigator and most recently, a detective.

Follow Sharon Roznik on Twitter: @SharonRoznik