Signs of abuse, stalking, and a side business: Could Steven Zelich have been stopped before he went too far?

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The police chief in West Allis says it seems like there were clear warning signs about a former police officer now suspected the deaths of two women whose bodies were found in suitcases dumped along a rural road about 50 miles away.

But Chief Charles Padgett says the signs of coming violence are only clear in hindsight.

Padgett was a detective when Steven Zelich was forced to resign following a 2001 internal investigation that determined Zelich has been stalking women while on duty.

Padgett says the violent end to Zelich's "very unique" story has saddened his department.

He says he and other officers keep thinking about the families of the women who died. He says he feels for them and the loss they are trying to deal with.

Police records show the suspect in the deaths of two women whose bodies were found in suitcases dumped on a rural Wisconsin road had abused his authority as a police officer by selling cellphone service while on duty.

Steven Zelich came under suspicion in 2001 after a struggle with a prostitute. An internal investigation by the West Allis Police Department determined he was stalking women while on duty. It also found Zelich tried to sell many of those women phone service as part of a side business he had with another officer.

Greg Peterson is president of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, which sets standards for police agencies. He says the Zelich case is unusual but shows what can happen if departments don't have clear policies on side jobs.