Opinion ID: 200109
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Qualified to Perform

Text: 41 Next, the Town argues that Lapine is not qualified to resume the duties of a police officer. The VRRA requires that a returning veteran be qualified to perform the duties of such position or able to become requalified with reasonable efforts by the employer.... § 4301(a)(2)(B)(i). To be qualified to return to a prior position, the veteran must be both physically capable of performing the duties of the job and temperamentally able to work harmoniously with co-workers and supervisors. Trusteed Funds v. Dacey, 160 F.2d 413, 420-21 (1st Cir.1947); Preda v. Nissho Iwai Am. Corp., 128 F.3d 789, 792 (2d Cir.1997). The Town does not dispute that Lapine is physically qualified to perform his duties; rather the Town asserts that he is temperamentally unqualified to work as a police officer. 42 To support its position, the Town relied on several incidences of Lapine's improper conduct during his thirteen-year tenure as a police officer. The Town asserted that Lapine's pre-service conduct exhibited an inability to work harmoniously within the police department. Behavior occurring prior to entering upon active duty can be the basis for finding a veteran no longer qualified for reemployment. Doane v. Martin, 164 F.2d 537, 539 (1st Cir.1947). The Town presented evidence that Lapine was the subject of several disciplinary actions while in the Town's employ. The most egregious conduct, including a physical altercation with another officer, placing a chemical irritant on a superior's uniform, and failing to assist citizens calling the station for help, occurred in 1981 and 1983 — nearly a decade before his resignation. In each instance, Lapine was disciplined according to departmental policy but not fired. 43 The magistrate judge ruled that the conduct in question was too far removed from Lapine's date of resignation to deem Lapine unqualified for reemployment under the VRRA. The Town had disciplined Lapine after each incident and had chosen not to terminate him. Moreover, closer to Lapine's date of resignation, he received favorable employee evaluations in which he was described as definitely above average and conscientious, and was given several service commendations. In addition, Chief O'Loughlin, the current chief of police, testified that, upon review of Lapine's personnel file, he would have no basis to terminate him from the police force. 44 The magistrate judge's conclusion is supported by the few cases that have addressed this issue. Courts have held that a veteran is not qualified to return to his former position if he demonstrates extreme or dangerous behavior. See, e.g., Doane, 164 F.2d at 539; Dacey, 160 F.2d at 420; Preda, 128 F.3d at 792; Green v. Tho-Ro Prods., 232 F.2d 172, 173 (3d Cir. 1956); Winfree v. Morrison Inc., 762 F.Supp. 1310 (E.D.Tenn.1990). 45 In Dacey there was evidence that, upon his return from service, Dacey had threatened to rule or ruin the company and to mow down opposition. 160 F.2d at 421. In addition, he had made unsupported charges regarding the officers and directors. Id. Likewise, in Green, the returning veteran was deemed unqualified when he engaged in fraudulent behavior described as active and gross provocation and wrongdoing. 232 F.2d at 174 (citing McClayton v. W.B. Cassell Co., 66 F.Supp. 165 (D.Md.1946)). In Winfree, a veteran was found unqualified because he brought weapons to work, threatened to kill fellow employees and served liquor to underage patrons. 762 F.Supp. at 1313. 46 We find no error in the magistrate judge's conclusion that Lapine was not temperamentally disqualified from continuing his duties as a police officer. To be sure, Lapine's early conduct during his tenure with the Wellesley Police Department was at times questionable and the tenor of his letter of resignation suggests a short fuse and, quite possibly, an unprofessional manner of dealing with his employer. At the time of his resignation, however, Lapine was described by his superiors as an above average and conscientious police officer. Given these positive reviews, as well as the fact that the department did not terminate him after his egregious acts but allowed him to stay on for a number of years during which no similar incident occurred, we can see no adequate basis for overturning the magistrate judge's finding that he was qualified. Nor are we in a position, at this juncture, to sufficiently evaluate the factors surrounding his angry letter of resignation so as to conclude, from the letter alone, that he was temperamentally unsuited.