By Cristina Kumka
Staff Writer
Published April 2, 2008

The city will have to shell out $211, 681 in legal bills this year to cover the cost of the legal battle that kept Police Chief David Bowman and Detective Sgt. Emma Jackson out of work.

Although officials from the state Attorney General’s Office prosecuted Bowman, Jackson and retired municipal Judge Joseph Clark, city taxpayers are on the hook for the money after the officials were all acquitted in a court of law last year.

The money will be used to pay the legal fees of the attorneys who represented Bowman and Jackson in the criminal case. Clark plans to sue the city for his legal bill.

A state law that protects public employees requires municipalities to pay the legal fees of officers found innocent of all criminal charges brought against them, according to Council President Ken Rosenzweig and police union President Fred Pulice.

If Bowman and Jackson were found guilty of any wrongdoing, criminal or administrative, by the state or city, they would be responsible for paying their own bills, the officials said.

The city agreed to pay the $211,000 and drop charges the city had against the officials in exchange for their departure by September of this year.

Bowman, Jackson and Clark were indicted by the state on charges they tampered with documents to release a convicted felon from county jail in 2003. All were acquitted by a jury last year.

Bowman and Jackson returned to work March 3 of this year. Clark retired shortly after the indictment.

Interim City Manager Robert Casey has recommended a budget of approximately $400,000 this year to cover legal bills. In 2007, the city spent a total of $450,000 in legal costs, according to Casey.

Ongoing legal cases include Dixon vs. the City of Englewood and attorneys from the Violet Cherry case suing the city for unpaid bills.