Fired officer had history of misconduct allegations

A recently fired Milwaukee police officer under federal investigation after a woman said he raped her on duty in July has been accused of breaking the law five times before, according to department records obtained by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Gina Barton. Three of the previous allegations involved sexual misconduct — two with female prisoners and one with a 16-year-old girl. The incidents involving Ladmarald Cates date to 2000, three years after he was hired by the department, according to internal affairs documents and officials. Cates' record shows how a police officer can rack up serious misconduct allegations for more than a decade before facing significant consequences.