The Casper City Council has released a brief statement and a settlement agreement regarding the City of Casper and former Chief of Police Jim Wetzel.
According to Casper City Council, “All matters between Chief Wetzel and the City have been resolved. The settlement agreement lays out all terms and conditions of the agreement.”
According to a copy of the settlement agreement, made available to media by the City of Casper, former Casper Police Chief Jim Wetzel was allowed to make a service purchase into the Wyoming Retirement System, and as a result the city of Casper employed him as a Police Sergeant, for a 24-hour period between December 26th and December 27th of 2017. This allowed for the purchase.
The disclosure also says that Wetzel was paid $5 for his day of employment, but was not, at the time, the beneficiary of health benefits or time off.
Further payment and settlement of the claims in the case fell under a confidentiality and nondisclosure provision, saying that neither the parties nor the attorneys can release the details of the settlement, including terms, conditions, and provisions.
Wetzel ceased to serve in the role of Chief of Police, in May of 2017, after interim City Manager Liz Becher announced “the City of Casper has decided to go in a new direction in the leadership of the Casper Police Department and that Police Chief Jim Wetzel will no longer be serving in that role.”
The change came during heavy criticism of both Wetzel and the Casper Police Department, in early 2017. Including an anonymous survey conducted by the Fraternal Order of Police, raising concerns among former and current CPD employees over the management and morale at the department. The survey itself came amid a time when members of the public had voiced criticism of the department, alleging the department had mishandled sexual assault investigations.
Casper’s newest Police Chief, Keith McPheeters, assumed the role in December of 2017. Before that Casper Police Captain, Steve Schulz served in an interim capacity.
Liz Becher’s interim capacity as City manager was also concluded, in summer of 2017, with the hiring of Carter Napier for the permanent position.