– Civil Service Commission upholds Nagel’s dismissal

Jamestown (CSi) On a 3-0 vote Friday, the Jamestown Civil Service Commission upheld the decision of the City of Jamestown to dismiss former Jamestown Police Departmen, Detective sergeant Thomas Nagel

Civil Service Commission chair, Jon Lillejord said after reviewing the interviews and testimony the commission heard during 9 hours of testimony taken on April 27, the one thing he came back to was the consistency of the investigation done by the Jamestown Police Department. He said he thought there were some things that could have been done differently during the investigation, but overall the investigation was consistent.

He added that “Even if you take away the whole Jet Ski incident, the behavior… of Nagel… since that November day has been detrimental to the city and very detrimental to the police department.”

Commission member, Kevin Gebhardt said he was concerned that if the Commission reinstated Nagel to his former position with the Jamestown Police Department, that Nagel would be a liability to the department.

Commission member Amie Aesoph said after reviewing all of the material presented at the April 27 hearing, she felt the conduct by Nagel was unbecoming as to what is expected of a police officer.

She added, “I think the city of Jamestown and… Jamestown Police Chief Scott Edinger… acted in good faith.”

Nagel’s attorney, Joe Larson of Jamestown says, he and Nagel will review Nagel’s options next week. Larson says he plans to see if the decision can be appealed to Southeast District Court.

Nagel was fired on March 9, 2016 after an investigation to find where a tip to the KVLY Valley News Live Whistleblower Hotline originated. The tip alleged that members of the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office were improperly using a county-owned Jet Ski for personal recreation. The tip was found to be false. Nagel was linked to the tip because an alias he used on Facebook was included in the tip. The investigation was ordered because the tip was believed to be an attempt to defame law enforcement officers and the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office.