On June 6, Mr. William “Bill” Bradle, a life-long Washingtonian, was the unfortunate victim of a domestic situation in his home at the hands of his son, Douglas Bradle. Douglas Bradle was arrested and charged by the Washington Police Department as a result of this incident. Needless to say, incidents of domestic violence are very painful and complicated for any family to deal with.
Unfortunately, 10 days later, June 16, Mr. Bradle was a victim once again. However, this time it was not a result of a domestic situation, it was because of an error, a mistake made by the Washington Police Department. Mr. Bradle was listed in the Washington Courier and the Washington Times-Reporter in the “Washington Police Arrest Report” section as an offender and being arrested for domestic battery.
This error occurred when one of our employees was entering the report data into our R.M.S. (Records Management System) report system. Our employee inadvertently struck the wrong key which listed Mr. Bradle as an offender, not a victim. The arrest log, which is shared with both local newspapers, listed Mr. Bradle erroneously. Subsequently, both newspapers listed Mr. Bradle in the police report section as being arrested.
I offer the aforementioned as an explanation as to how this occurred and not an excuse.
I am deeply sorry that the actions of the Washington Police Department have created undue stress to the Bradle family.
As Chief of Police, I accept total and absolute responsibility for this unfortunate error which undoubtedly caused embarrassment to Mr. Bradle and his family at a time when they are dealing with other, more significant family matters.
James W. Kuchenbecker
Washington Chief of Police
