Binding arbitration: two Iowa state troopers who handcuffed bunk mate to bed, pulled down his pants and applied powder to his butt have been reinstated

Harrelson (left) and Guhl

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It's always helpful to have a powerful union on your side when you misbehave.
     Andrew Harrelson, a gaming officer in Council Bluffs, was ordered reinstated today in a ruling that wasn't immediately made public. He denied involvement in the unusual training exercise of a fellow recruit in 2008. Trooper Joshua Guhl, who did admit involvement, was also reinstated because an arbitrator found that the state failed to discipline other hazers who took part in the attempt to get another recruit to quit. How the ruling in Guhl's case came to light is interesting:

The Department of Administrative Services said Wednesday that Nathan's ruling must be kept secret based on advice from the Iowa Attorney General's Office, which argues that such decisions are confidential personnel records. But another agency, the Public Employment Relations Board, released a copy to the AP, shedding light on a case that had been shrouded in secrecy.

Guhl served in Iraq, where he learned the powder hazing technique, known as bonding, in the United States Marine Corps.