October 8, 2012
Bloomington Police Chief Randy McKinley said he continues to review the crash involving assistant chief Bob Wall to determine whether there should be any disciplinary action. (Photo by Laura Ewan/WJBC)
By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON - Bloomington Police Chief Randy McKinley said assistant chief Bob Wall didn't get any preferential treatment when he was ticketed for leaving the scene of a crash last week.
McKinley said on WJBC on Monday the only difference in this case was that he reviewed it himself.
"You would have been issued a citation for leaving the scene of accident, assistant chief Wall was not. What I directed my sergeants to do, complete this accident report. I want to see it on my desk, I want to review it. That's why everybody was hearing about this on Friday rather than on Wednesday night or Thursday morning," McKinley said.
Wall was charged on Friday with leaving the scene of an accident after he crashed his car near his home on Wednesday night. McKinley said Wall wasn't given a breathalyzer test even though he had admitted to having a few alcohol drinks that night because officers didn't have probable cause to arrest him after he passed a field sobriety test. McKinley said that test was conducted within one hour of the crash.
McKinley said he's still studying the case to determine whether the department should take disciplinary action against Wall.
"What Wall told me, what he told the officers was I live less than a mile from here, I decided to go home and call the police. That's just not thinking it through in my opinion and he says 'I wish I had stayed there, it would have made everything better but he didn't," McKinley said.
Wall has been with the Bloomington Police Department for nearly 20 years. He was named assistant chief in 2008.
You can listen to Scott and Colleen's interview with McKinley on the podcast page at WJBC.com.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
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