Milwaukee police officer Kurt D. Kezeske has been fired for engaging in an improper high-speed chase and lying about it, according to Fire and Police Commission records.
Kezeske tried to pull over a speeding motorcycle around 4:45 p.m. Aug. 17 near the intersection of S. 1st St. and W. Lincoln Ave., according to a complaint Chief Edward Flynn filed with the commission. The driver did not pull over and instead sped away.
"Officer Kezeske drove at speeds more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit through residential areas and in heavy traffic, at one point driving off the roadway," the complaint says.
The chase ended when the motorcycle collided with a car. The drivers of both vehicles were injured, the complaint says.
The Police Department updated its policy on high-speed chases in 2010, after two chases resulted in crashes, causing the deaths of three people. The new policy requires officers to have probable cause that someone in the car is committing a violent felony or is "a clear and immediate threat to the safety of others." The policy clearly states that such pursuits are not allowed "solely for traffic infractions" or simply because a vehicle refuses to stop.
Kezeske told internal investigators the motorcyclist had tried to run him over, the chief's complaint says. His squad car's video system proved that was not true, the complaint says. Faced with the discrepancy, Kezeske again changed his story and said he had never claimed the motorcyclist tried to strike him. However, several detectives had documented those statements in their reports, the complaint says.
Because Kezeske lied during the investigation, he can no longer be used as a prosecution witness against people he arrests, the complaint says.
Kezeske has been on the force since 1995. He was reprimanded for leaving a prisoner unattended in 2002 and suspended for two days for failure to properly search a prisoner in 2005, according to his personnel record. He has received six commendations.
Kezeske has appealed the termination with the commission. A hearing date has not yet been set.
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