An ear, nose and throat specialist testifying as an expert witness for the village suggested Thursday night that a police officer with a hearing disability was hired by mistake by 9 years ago.
Dr. Arthur W. Curtis said a hearing examination conducted in 1988 indicated Michael Tucker had subnormal hearing. Curtis said the examining doctor “probably wasn’t aware, probably had not thought through, everything that’s required of a police officer.”
Curtis said another exam in 1988 showed Tucker was either not hearing or was misinterpreting 28 percent of the words spoken to him. A person with normal hearing misses no more than 10 percent of the words, Curtis testified before the village’s Police and Fire Commission.
The village is seeking to remove Tucker, a 9-year veteran, from the department for safety reasons. The hearing is expected to continue into next week.
Tucker has used a hearing aid for most of his life and contends his disability has not been a problem in conducting his duties.
Village officials say Tucker has missed radio calls and other types of communications.