A former Caldwell officer sued the city and its police chief, claiming wrongful termination for raising concerns about alleged corruption.
BOISE, Idaho — A former Caldwell police officer has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and its police chief, claiming he was wrongfully terminated after raising concerns about alleged corruption and misuse of public funds.
Benjamin Heinrich filed the lawsuit on Friday, Oct. 3. He joined the Caldwell Police Department in 2015 and was promoted to lieutenant in December 2023. The suit alleges he was retaliated against for posting flyers in February calling for the removal of Police Chief Rex Ingram.
Following the flyers, Heinrich was served a "Recommendation for Termination-Notice of Voluntary Pre-Disciplinary Hearing," which informed him that he was under investigation and cited violations of multiple Caldwell Police Department policies.
His employment was then terminated on April 28.
The claim alleges that Heinrich "exhausted all avenues to remedy the Chief's misconduct" before posting the flyers to bring the matter to public attention and "trigger an investigation" into Ingram and his staff.
The complaint alleges Heinrich and other officers grew concerned about Ingram's management practices after he became chief in July 2022. Heinrich claims officers who questioned Ingram's conduct or the department's use of funds faced internal investigations and potential termination.
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