The Chicago Police Department is investigating several of its officers accused of forcing a college student they arrested during last month's G-20 summit in Pittsburgh to pose for a group photo with them.
The department, which has been dogged by embarrassing allegations of misconduct in recent years, began investigating the Pittsburgh claims after video of the alleged incident was posted on YouTube.
The video apparently shows about 15 police officers in riot gear posing for a photo with a man they detained kneeling in front of them.
Kyle Kramer, the 21-year-old University of Pittsburgh student forced to pose with police, was returning to campus from a pizza parlor when he was detained by police who were rounding up protesters, his attorney Cristopher Hoel told The Associated Press on Friday.
"He was a college student arrested for walking on campus. That seems to me to make him a victim," Hoel said.
Kramer faced a preliminary hearing Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse and disorderly conduct. Hoel said his client is innocent of both charges.
The department issued a statement saying the officers were working in Pittsburgh on their own time, but that they were still representing the city of Chicago.
"The Chicago Police Department does not tolerate misconduct by any of its members, regardless of where it might occur."
It's possible the officers violated Kramer's constitutional rights, as well as internal departmental rules, said Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor who has studied the department and allegations of police brutality extensively.
If the officers were retaliating against Kramer for something he said that offended them, it is possible they could have violated Kramer's First Amendment right of free speech. The officers also might have violated Kramer's 4th Amendment right against unreasonable search or seizure, Futterman said.
Some fellow police officers declined to comment publicly about the investigation. But they pointed to a popular blog — Second City Cop — that blasted the officers for heaping more ridicule on a department dogged by several recent embarrassing incidents, including the beating of a female bartender by an off-duty officer.
"How do you even begin to defend something like this?" reads the blog. "You can't it's impossible... You are embarrassments."
Pat Camden, who spent more than 30 years with the department and was its spokesman for several years, harshly criticized the officers for damaging the reputation of a department that has been trying to rehabilitate its image that was hurt by several incidents, including one, captured on film and shown worldwide, of an off-duty officer beating up a female bartender.
"When you put on a police uniform you represent the Chicago Police Department and we've got these idiots with a prisoner right in front of them, and supervisors are standing right there," he said, incredulously. "That kind of childish behavior is totally unacceptable."
Some, though, wondered whether Kramer may have willingly posed for the photo with the officers.
Robert Weisskopf, a Chicago police lietenant, said he remembered an incident when a man insisted on being in a photograph along with several officers in riot gear.
And Daniel P. Smith, who wrote "On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department," had the same thought when he saw the video.
"I could see the guy, thinking, 'They handcuffed me, this would be a great photo for my frat house,'" he said. "That's what it looked like to me."
But Camden said it's hard to imagine how something like this could have occurred, with all of the efforts that have been made to get officers to understand they should always act in public as if their actions are being recorded.
"You continue to make people aware that everything you (police officers) do from the moment you walk out the door until you get home at night is on camera somewhere," said Camden, who said he stresses that in media relations classes he teaches to police supervisors at Northwestern University.
"If you're in the public way, it's more than likely being recorded."
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-pittsburgh-cop-controversyoct16,0,2609307.story
YouTube video of incident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v0RcFHTDWp2Y
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Former Officer Mike Shamahs Sentenced to 19 Years
A federal judge sentenced a former Chicago police officer to more than 19 years in prison Thursday for raiding a storage locker and stealing what he believed was $30,000 in drug cash.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said he believes there are two Mahmoud "Mike" Shamahs -- one the loving husband of a schoolteacher and father of a 4-year-old boy and the other a South Side tactical officer who thought he could brazenly steal on the job.
Some of the victims were drug dealers who had a few hundred dollars taken from them at a time, the judge noted.
"But the most direct victims are the people you love the most," Gettleman told Shamah before sentencing him to 19 years and 4 months in prison. "I'm sorry you didn't think about that before you did your first robbery."
A federal jury convicted Shamah in December of racketeering and conspiracy in a series of robberies while working in the Morgan Park District with partner Richard Doroniuk. They were snared in an FBI sting in 2006.
Doroniuk testified against his partner at the trial, saying officers routinely carried a little crack cocaine to plant on suspects when searches came up empty and stole cash from drug dealers during raids and traffic stops. He also said they routinely paid informants, falsified reports, lied in court and even kicked back cash to an undisclosed judge for pushing through a bogus warrant.
Gettleman said he thought federal guidelines that called for a minimum sentence of about 24 years in prison were too harsh, especially because Doroniuk was sentenced to less than 11 years earlier this week.
Shamah, dressed in a gray pinstriped suit, pulled a prepared statement from a jacket pocket and pleaded for mercy. He said he took responsibility for his actions, but he also blamed a system that stresses arrests over good policework for eroding how he thought of his duties.
"I lost respect for my job, your honor," Shamah said. "I lost the police officer I wanted to be."
Assistant U.S. Atty. Meghan Morrissey called for a stiffer sentence because Shamah used a weapon and body armor during the robberies.
Prosecutors said Shamah pocketed half of the $30,000 in the FBI sting and about $1,700 more from traffic stops and arrests.
Morrissey said Shamah contributed to the general distrust of the police.
___________________________
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/former-cop-gets-to-19-years-in-prison.html
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said he believes there are two Mahmoud "Mike" Shamahs -- one the loving husband of a schoolteacher and father of a 4-year-old boy and the other a South Side tactical officer who thought he could brazenly steal on the job.
Some of the victims were drug dealers who had a few hundred dollars taken from them at a time, the judge noted.
"But the most direct victims are the people you love the most," Gettleman told Shamah before sentencing him to 19 years and 4 months in prison. "I'm sorry you didn't think about that before you did your first robbery."
A federal jury convicted Shamah in December of racketeering and conspiracy in a series of robberies while working in the Morgan Park District with partner Richard Doroniuk. They were snared in an FBI sting in 2006.
Doroniuk testified against his partner at the trial, saying officers routinely carried a little crack cocaine to plant on suspects when searches came up empty and stole cash from drug dealers during raids and traffic stops. He also said they routinely paid informants, falsified reports, lied in court and even kicked back cash to an undisclosed judge for pushing through a bogus warrant.
Gettleman said he thought federal guidelines that called for a minimum sentence of about 24 years in prison were too harsh, especially because Doroniuk was sentenced to less than 11 years earlier this week.
Shamah, dressed in a gray pinstriped suit, pulled a prepared statement from a jacket pocket and pleaded for mercy. He said he took responsibility for his actions, but he also blamed a system that stresses arrests over good policework for eroding how he thought of his duties.
"I lost respect for my job, your honor," Shamah said. "I lost the police officer I wanted to be."
Assistant U.S. Atty. Meghan Morrissey called for a stiffer sentence because Shamah used a weapon and body armor during the robberies.
Prosecutors said Shamah pocketed half of the $30,000 in the FBI sting and about $1,700 more from traffic stops and arrests.
Morrissey said Shamah contributed to the general distrust of the police.
___________________________
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/former-cop-gets-to-19-years-in-prison.html
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Officer Craig Swistowicz Charged with Violating Civil Rights
A Chicago police officer has been indicted for allegedly using "unreasonable force" on a suspect, causing him injury, court documents said.
Officer Craig Swistowicz, 38, was charged with "depriving another individual of his civil rights in violation" of federal law. The indictment said the officer struck the alleged victim.
A statement from the Milwaukee U.S. attorney's office -- the Chicago office withdrew from the case to avoid a conflict of interest -- gave few details of the case. However, Swistowicz, a 12-year veteran, was a member of the federal-local High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force.
The alleged victim was identified in the indictment only as "J.P." and was said to have suffered an unspecified injury. Court documents did not identify the race of either the officer or the alleged victim.
The federal statement said since the arrested man allegedly suffered an injury from a blow by Swistowicz, if convicted the officer faces a fine of not more than $250,000, imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both.
Officer Craig Swistowicz, 38, was charged with "depriving another individual of his civil rights in violation" of federal law. The indictment said the officer struck the alleged victim.
A statement from the Milwaukee U.S. attorney's office -- the Chicago office withdrew from the case to avoid a conflict of interest -- gave few details of the case. However, Swistowicz, a 12-year veteran, was a member of the federal-local High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force.
The alleged victim was identified in the indictment only as "J.P." and was said to have suffered an unspecified injury. Court documents did not identify the race of either the officer or the alleged victim.
The federal statement said since the arrested man allegedly suffered an injury from a blow by Swistowicz, if convicted the officer faces a fine of not more than $250,000, imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Bail Set at 2 Million for Officer Richard Bolling Charged with Fatal Hit-and-Run
Bail was set at $2 million Sunday for a veteran Chicago police officer accused of being drunk behind the wheel while causing a fatal hit-and-run accident that killed a 13-year-old boy on the South Side.
Richard Bolling, 39, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident where a death or injury occurred and reckless homicide. Bolling, who has worked in the Chicago Police Department for 17 years, reportedly had been at a bar not long before the crash early Friday morning, said Sally Daly, a Cook County sheriff's office spokeswoman.
Bolling of the 8600 block of South Wolcott Avenue was arrested soon after his Dodge Charger allegedly drove through the intersection at 81st Street and Ashland Avenue about 1:28 a.m. and killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker, officials said.
Trenton had sneaked out of his home and was riding his bicycle with friends, his family said.
Trenton was riding with a friend on Ashland, traveling north in the southbound lane. Bolling was driving his car in the southbound lane and, according to witness accounts, raced through the intersection and hit Trenton, who ended up sprawled on the street, Daly said.
Bolling is alleged to have continued without stopping. He was arrested minutes later after two other Chicago police officers saw the car about five blocks away going the wrong way down a one-way street near 1900 W. 82nd St. They also noticed that the car had damage to the bumper and windshield, Daly said.
The officers saw an open bottle of beer in the car, and they conducted a field sobriety test on Bolling on the scene, she said. Daly did not have the results of the sobriety test available. Chicago police said in a statement that the officer was also cited for going the wrong way down a one-way street and transportation of alcohol.
Richard Bolling, 39, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident where a death or injury occurred and reckless homicide. Bolling, who has worked in the Chicago Police Department for 17 years, reportedly had been at a bar not long before the crash early Friday morning, said Sally Daly, a Cook County sheriff's office spokeswoman.
Bolling of the 8600 block of South Wolcott Avenue was arrested soon after his Dodge Charger allegedly drove through the intersection at 81st Street and Ashland Avenue about 1:28 a.m. and killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker, officials said.
Trenton had sneaked out of his home and was riding his bicycle with friends, his family said.
Trenton was riding with a friend on Ashland, traveling north in the southbound lane. Bolling was driving his car in the southbound lane and, according to witness accounts, raced through the intersection and hit Trenton, who ended up sprawled on the street, Daly said.
Bolling is alleged to have continued without stopping. He was arrested minutes later after two other Chicago police officers saw the car about five blocks away going the wrong way down a one-way street near 1900 W. 82nd St. They also noticed that the car had damage to the bumper and windshield, Daly said.
The officers saw an open bottle of beer in the car, and they conducted a field sobriety test on Bolling on the scene, she said. Daly did not have the results of the sobriety test available. Chicago police said in a statement that the officer was also cited for going the wrong way down a one-way street and transportation of alcohol.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Chicago Pays out $20 Million in Police Brutality Settlements
Last week former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge was in the news again, narrowly avoiding testifying in the case of a convicted murderer who says Burge’s underlings tortured him. Burge allegedly performed and oversaw the torture of dozens of individuals in Chicago police custody during the 1980’s and was arrested by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald last October for obstruction of justice and perjury. What’s all this cost the city of Chicago in settlements?
About $20 million, so far, to four of the more than 100 men who claim they were tortured.
Chicago Alderman approved settlements totaling $19.8 million in January of 2008 to four men who claimed they were tortured by Burge or his officers: Aaron Paterson received $5 million for being convicted of murder by a confession allegedly obtained by torture, Stanley Howard received $800,000 in restitution and another $1 million for attorney fees, Leroy Orange was paid $5.5 million for his 19 years in prison, and Madison Hobley received $1 million up front then another $6.5 million after being acquitted of his arson charge.
With this gesture, Mayor Daley and the City Council hoped to close a “tragic chapter” in Chicago’s history. And they did, as far as the Mayor is concerned. The $19.8 million settlement came with some strings attached: the plaintiffs would not name Mayor Richard Daley as a defendant in a civil rights, obstruction of justice, and racketeering conspiracy case; they wouldn’t pursue Daley’s deposition; they wouldn’t criticize Daley in any public statements made in connection with the settlement; and the above terms would remain secret and would not be put in the written agreement.
But this money has only been paid out to 5 of the dozens of alleged torture victims. The statute of limitations has expired on the most gruesome of Burge’s alleged crimes, making it increasingly unlikely that the remaining accusers will have their day in court.
Because Burge was never convicted, or even formally charged, in a criminal torture case, these alleged victims face what the Chicago Defender describes as an uphill legal battle in seeking their share of compensation from a civil suit. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office took on 25 cases of alleged torture in 2003. Since then, over 11 have been resolved. Most alleged torture cases have resulted in pardons.
About $20 million, so far, to four of the more than 100 men who claim they were tortured.
Chicago Alderman approved settlements totaling $19.8 million in January of 2008 to four men who claimed they were tortured by Burge or his officers: Aaron Paterson received $5 million for being convicted of murder by a confession allegedly obtained by torture, Stanley Howard received $800,000 in restitution and another $1 million for attorney fees, Leroy Orange was paid $5.5 million for his 19 years in prison, and Madison Hobley received $1 million up front then another $6.5 million after being acquitted of his arson charge.
With this gesture, Mayor Daley and the City Council hoped to close a “tragic chapter” in Chicago’s history. And they did, as far as the Mayor is concerned. The $19.8 million settlement came with some strings attached: the plaintiffs would not name Mayor Richard Daley as a defendant in a civil rights, obstruction of justice, and racketeering conspiracy case; they wouldn’t pursue Daley’s deposition; they wouldn’t criticize Daley in any public statements made in connection with the settlement; and the above terms would remain secret and would not be put in the written agreement.
But this money has only been paid out to 5 of the dozens of alleged torture victims. The statute of limitations has expired on the most gruesome of Burge’s alleged crimes, making it increasingly unlikely that the remaining accusers will have their day in court.
Because Burge was never convicted, or even formally charged, in a criminal torture case, these alleged victims face what the Chicago Defender describes as an uphill legal battle in seeking their share of compensation from a civil suit. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office took on 25 cases of alleged torture in 2003. Since then, over 11 have been resolved. Most alleged torture cases have resulted in pardons.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Officer Scott Crawford Accused of Brutality for 7th Time
A local police officer is accused of brutality for a seventh time. He's now racked up lawsuits in all of those cases, and has been caught on camera twice allegedly using excessive force. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini exposes an officer accused of "Abusing the Badge."
John Thompson, a champion pool player, was playing a game in a Round Lake Heights bar in March of 2008. That's when he says an out-of control police officer brutally beat him. It was caught on a bar security camera.
"He punched me full force," Thompson said. "It hurt enough to knock me down."
The 37-year-old truck driver says he accidentally bumped a female customer during a shot.
"I tried to apologize to her, but she didn't want to accept my apology," Thompson said.
Thompson continued to play pool. Meanwhile police officers start talking to his friend.
Then as he's about to take a shot, Round Lake Heights Police Officer Scott Crawford grabs the stick.
"It just happened so quick, I can't believe the officer punched me," Thompson said.
The punch threw Thompson to the ground, and two more officers from another department, Round Lake Beach, tried to hold him there.
"They were stepping on me, kneeing me in the back," Thompson said.
Even though they had three officers on top of Thompson, a fourth whips out a Taser gun and fires.
"I got hit in the chest here, right where my heart is, I got hit here," Thompson said.
Then, from a different camera, you can see a light flashing. That's yet another officer Tasering Thompson while he's on the ground.
"They hit me in the chest, they hit me in the leg," Thompson said.
Thompson showed CBS 2 his Taser wounds and his bruised face from Crawford's punch, but it's not the first time Crawford's been caught on camera punching someone.
In 2001, Crawford, as a Waukegan police officer, was caught on camera hitting a handcuffed man in the back of his squad car. That man sued, and the case settled.
Crawford next became a Marengo police officer, and again was accused of police brutality.
"He tackled me to the ground," said Marengo teen Nicole Surber.
Nicole Surber, and Brian and Kevin Gaughn, are among the five residents who are suing Marengo for police brutality; all the cases involve Scott Crawford.
"I had a cerebral concussion right here," Brian Gaughn said.
"I can't stop thinking about what happened, I was terrified," Kevin Gaughn said.
The 2 Investigators discovered that when Crawford applied for his Marengo job, he checked 'no' when asked if he had ever been involved in a lawsuit, despite being sued in Waukegan.
Back to Thompson's case: Crawford arrested him for aggravated battery of a police officer saying Thompson hit him with a pool stick.
But Thompson's lawyer Paul Oleksak says watch the video and you'll see Crawford lied about being struck. And a judge convicted Thompson on a reduced charge of disorderly conduct.
"How can somebody like Officer Crawford continue to maintain a job as a police officer?" Oleksak said. "It's absolutely incredulous that he can go from Waukegan to Marengo to Round Lake Heights, and still keep his job."
CBS 2 tried talking to Crawford, but he called the police on us.
"I refer all questions to my attorney," Crawford said.
"I don't think it's coincidental, I think he's he a hothead," Thompson said. "He's got a bad temper and he shouldn't be an officer."
John Thompson has filed a lawsuit against all of the officers and both police departments involved in his case.
In an e-mail, the attorney representing Round Lake Heights Police said Thompson became verbally and physically aggressive towards Crawford and that Crawford denies he acted unreasonably.
Round Lake Beach's attorney has not returned our call.
The Marengo cases are ongoing.
To send a tip to the 2 Investigators, click here.
John Thompson, a champion pool player, was playing a game in a Round Lake Heights bar in March of 2008. That's when he says an out-of control police officer brutally beat him. It was caught on a bar security camera.
"He punched me full force," Thompson said. "It hurt enough to knock me down."
The 37-year-old truck driver says he accidentally bumped a female customer during a shot.
"I tried to apologize to her, but she didn't want to accept my apology," Thompson said.
Thompson continued to play pool. Meanwhile police officers start talking to his friend.
Then as he's about to take a shot, Round Lake Heights Police Officer Scott Crawford grabs the stick.
"It just happened so quick, I can't believe the officer punched me," Thompson said.
The punch threw Thompson to the ground, and two more officers from another department, Round Lake Beach, tried to hold him there.
"They were stepping on me, kneeing me in the back," Thompson said.
Even though they had three officers on top of Thompson, a fourth whips out a Taser gun and fires.
"I got hit in the chest here, right where my heart is, I got hit here," Thompson said.
Then, from a different camera, you can see a light flashing. That's yet another officer Tasering Thompson while he's on the ground.
"They hit me in the chest, they hit me in the leg," Thompson said.
Thompson showed CBS 2 his Taser wounds and his bruised face from Crawford's punch, but it's not the first time Crawford's been caught on camera punching someone.
In 2001, Crawford, as a Waukegan police officer, was caught on camera hitting a handcuffed man in the back of his squad car. That man sued, and the case settled.
Crawford next became a Marengo police officer, and again was accused of police brutality.
"He tackled me to the ground," said Marengo teen Nicole Surber.
Nicole Surber, and Brian and Kevin Gaughn, are among the five residents who are suing Marengo for police brutality; all the cases involve Scott Crawford.
"I had a cerebral concussion right here," Brian Gaughn said.
"I can't stop thinking about what happened, I was terrified," Kevin Gaughn said.
The 2 Investigators discovered that when Crawford applied for his Marengo job, he checked 'no' when asked if he had ever been involved in a lawsuit, despite being sued in Waukegan.
Back to Thompson's case: Crawford arrested him for aggravated battery of a police officer saying Thompson hit him with a pool stick.
But Thompson's lawyer Paul Oleksak says watch the video and you'll see Crawford lied about being struck. And a judge convicted Thompson on a reduced charge of disorderly conduct.
"How can somebody like Officer Crawford continue to maintain a job as a police officer?" Oleksak said. "It's absolutely incredulous that he can go from Waukegan to Marengo to Round Lake Heights, and still keep his job."
CBS 2 tried talking to Crawford, but he called the police on us.
"I refer all questions to my attorney," Crawford said.
"I don't think it's coincidental, I think he's he a hothead," Thompson said. "He's got a bad temper and he shouldn't be an officer."
John Thompson has filed a lawsuit against all of the officers and both police departments involved in his case.
In an e-mail, the attorney representing Round Lake Heights Police said Thompson became verbally and physically aggressive towards Crawford and that Crawford denies he acted unreasonably.
Round Lake Beach's attorney has not returned our call.
The Marengo cases are ongoing.
To send a tip to the 2 Investigators, click here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
13 Chicago Officers Arrested Last Year for Drunk Driving
Thirteen Chicago police officers were arrested last year on drunken driving charges, and five of them were involved in car crashes, two with injuries, the department says.
The disclosure, in response to questions from the Tribune, comes days after a veteran Chicago police detective was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after two men in their early 20s died in a fiery wreck on the Dan Ryan Expressway. Authorities said his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
Police Supt. Jody Weis, who took office last year after officers had been arrested in two high-profile bar beatings, created a new bureau to evaluate officer conduct and training, pushed for more department-wide messages warning of excessive drinking and approved advanced training for department peer counselors to deal with alcohol abuse issues.
After Friday's crash involving detective Joseph Frugoli, Weis changed departmental policy to require that any officer who suspects another officer of being intoxicated to notify the on-duty watch commander, who must then go to the scene. Internal affairs will also be immediately notified.
"It is our hope that tragic incidents such as the one that occurred on April 10 will be eliminated through continued training, education, treatment, accountability and discipline for those members who violate the well-established rule against becoming intoxicated and getting behind the wheel," Weis said in an e-mail in response to questions.
Frugoli had been involved in two previous crashes in the last four years, but he was never administered a sobriety test after officers on the scene determined he did not appear to be intoxicated.
A department source said this week that top brass may also push for random alcohol testing of officers. That would require changes in the contract with the Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing the rank and file.
Last summer the city proposed in contract negotiations that officers be checked for alcohol abuse if their weapon had discharged. Police are already subject to random drug testing.
So far this year, three officers have been arrested for driving under the influence, police said.
This week, Weis said 15 officers were arrested for DUI in 2008 but later corrected that number to 13. Police declined to release the officers' names.
Consequences for the officers varied, but none arrested last year have yet lost their jobs. In eight of those cases, officers were suspended without pay from 20 to 45 days, police said. In the five cases that remain open, the officers were assigned to desk duties or placed on leave.
Four of the officers were arrested by Chicago police, three in the suburbs and six out of state, police said.
After their arrests, the officers were encouraged to seek help and counseling through the confidential employee assistance program. Police commanders have also been told to encourage officers at roll calls to seek help for substance-abuse problems, and the department is working on developing new "streaming video" to show at roll calls to educate officers about available help.
Weis earlier this week pointed out the small number of officers who have been accused of driving drunk compared to the department's 13,000 officers. Statistically speaking, about one in 1,000 Chicago officers were arrested for DUI last year. That pales by comparison to a national average of one drunk-driving arrest for every 155 drivers, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics.
Still, Weis acknowledged that officers have responsibilities that require them to be held to a higher standard than ordinary citizens.
"The residents of Chicago rightfully expect the police to protect them from drunk drivers, not to become part of the problem," Weis said in the e-mail. "While they are held to a higher standard, police officers are human beings, too, susceptible to the pressures of life and the job, and are not always perfect. When this occurs, it is our responsibility to take appropriate measures to address the problem."
The disclosure, in response to questions from the Tribune, comes days after a veteran Chicago police detective was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after two men in their early 20s died in a fiery wreck on the Dan Ryan Expressway. Authorities said his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
Police Supt. Jody Weis, who took office last year after officers had been arrested in two high-profile bar beatings, created a new bureau to evaluate officer conduct and training, pushed for more department-wide messages warning of excessive drinking and approved advanced training for department peer counselors to deal with alcohol abuse issues.
After Friday's crash involving detective Joseph Frugoli, Weis changed departmental policy to require that any officer who suspects another officer of being intoxicated to notify the on-duty watch commander, who must then go to the scene. Internal affairs will also be immediately notified.
"It is our hope that tragic incidents such as the one that occurred on April 10 will be eliminated through continued training, education, treatment, accountability and discipline for those members who violate the well-established rule against becoming intoxicated and getting behind the wheel," Weis said in an e-mail in response to questions.
Frugoli had been involved in two previous crashes in the last four years, but he was never administered a sobriety test after officers on the scene determined he did not appear to be intoxicated.
A department source said this week that top brass may also push for random alcohol testing of officers. That would require changes in the contract with the Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing the rank and file.
Last summer the city proposed in contract negotiations that officers be checked for alcohol abuse if their weapon had discharged. Police are already subject to random drug testing.
So far this year, three officers have been arrested for driving under the influence, police said.
This week, Weis said 15 officers were arrested for DUI in 2008 but later corrected that number to 13. Police declined to release the officers' names.
Consequences for the officers varied, but none arrested last year have yet lost their jobs. In eight of those cases, officers were suspended without pay from 20 to 45 days, police said. In the five cases that remain open, the officers were assigned to desk duties or placed on leave.
Four of the officers were arrested by Chicago police, three in the suburbs and six out of state, police said.
After their arrests, the officers were encouraged to seek help and counseling through the confidential employee assistance program. Police commanders have also been told to encourage officers at roll calls to seek help for substance-abuse problems, and the department is working on developing new "streaming video" to show at roll calls to educate officers about available help.
Weis earlier this week pointed out the small number of officers who have been accused of driving drunk compared to the department's 13,000 officers. Statistically speaking, about one in 1,000 Chicago officers were arrested for DUI last year. That pales by comparison to a national average of one drunk-driving arrest for every 155 drivers, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics.
Still, Weis acknowledged that officers have responsibilities that require them to be held to a higher standard than ordinary citizens.
"The residents of Chicago rightfully expect the police to protect them from drunk drivers, not to become part of the problem," Weis said in the e-mail. "While they are held to a higher standard, police officers are human beings, too, susceptible to the pressures of life and the job, and are not always perfect. When this occurs, it is our responsibility to take appropriate measures to address the problem."
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Officer Joseph Frugoli Charged with Reckless Homicide
A veteran Chicago police officer charged in the drunk driving deaths of two men has been released from the hospital into police custody.
Joseph Frugoli has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence. He also faces one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
The Chicago police detective is set to appear in bond court Sunday. Investigators say he caused the crash that claimed the lives of two promising young men: 21-year-old Fausto Manzera and Andrew Cazares, 23.
Detective Frugoli turned away from cameras Saturday as he was released from the hospital and into police custody, one day after investigators say he caused a fiery early morning crash that claimed the lives of the two men.
Frugoli's attorney. Greg Smith, accompanied by an unidentified man, left court Saturday afternoon after a bond hearing for his client was rescheduled from Saturday to Sunday because there was a delay in formally processing the 41-year-old veteran police officer.
Disappointed family and friends of one of the men killed also left court with little to say Saturday.
"We have no comments," said Manzera family spokesperson Michael Rihani said when asked if he was disappointed that justice had been delayed.
Relatives and friends continued to gather at the home of Manzera Saturday afternoon. The DePaul University marketing student was the passenger in the vehicle of his best friend when the accident happened.
Friend Patrick O'Malley has known Manzera since they graduated high school together in 2006.
"It was a shame what happened. He was a great kid. He was really artistic, outgoing, always happy and fun to be around," said O'Malley.
Investigators say Frugoli was off-duty and had a blood alcohol content three-times the legal limit when he slammed into the disabled Dodge intrepid driven by Andrew Cazares. Cazares's vehicle was stopped in the right lane on the outbound Dan Ryan expressway near 18th Street, possibly with a flat tire, when Frugoli's black Lexus SUV rear-ended the car, which then burst into flames.
Some who knew Cazares said, after some tough years as a teen, he was turning his life around.
"He told me he had been doing good for a whole year. He said he was picking himself up," said neighbor Sterling Pfizer.
While the two men died, officers say Frugoli fled, walking away from the crash. However, he was arrested a few blocks away.
Colleagues of the 18-year police officer describe him as a good cop who loved his job. Frugoli's neighbors remain shocked.
"He seems like a nice guy. His mom and dad just passed away. He's a good neighbor. I can't say anything bad about him," said one unidentified neighbor.
Published reports indicate the recent crash is the most serious traffic incident for Frugoli. The Chicago Tribune reports Frugoli was cited in at least three traffic incidents dating back to 1990, the most similar to Friday's crash being a January 2005 accident on the Ryan expressway. In that case, a civil court judge reportedly ordered Frugoli to pay $7,000 in damages, after he struck a 61-year-old man's car from behind and pushed it into a median wall.
In all the accidents, tickets issued to Frugoli were either dropped or thrown out.
Detective Frugoli has been stripped of his police powers.
Joseph Frugoli has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence. He also faces one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
The Chicago police detective is set to appear in bond court Sunday. Investigators say he caused the crash that claimed the lives of two promising young men: 21-year-old Fausto Manzera and Andrew Cazares, 23.
Detective Frugoli turned away from cameras Saturday as he was released from the hospital and into police custody, one day after investigators say he caused a fiery early morning crash that claimed the lives of the two men.
Frugoli's attorney. Greg Smith, accompanied by an unidentified man, left court Saturday afternoon after a bond hearing for his client was rescheduled from Saturday to Sunday because there was a delay in formally processing the 41-year-old veteran police officer.
Disappointed family and friends of one of the men killed also left court with little to say Saturday.
"We have no comments," said Manzera family spokesperson Michael Rihani said when asked if he was disappointed that justice had been delayed.
Relatives and friends continued to gather at the home of Manzera Saturday afternoon. The DePaul University marketing student was the passenger in the vehicle of his best friend when the accident happened.
Friend Patrick O'Malley has known Manzera since they graduated high school together in 2006.
"It was a shame what happened. He was a great kid. He was really artistic, outgoing, always happy and fun to be around," said O'Malley.
Investigators say Frugoli was off-duty and had a blood alcohol content three-times the legal limit when he slammed into the disabled Dodge intrepid driven by Andrew Cazares. Cazares's vehicle was stopped in the right lane on the outbound Dan Ryan expressway near 18th Street, possibly with a flat tire, when Frugoli's black Lexus SUV rear-ended the car, which then burst into flames.
Some who knew Cazares said, after some tough years as a teen, he was turning his life around.
"He told me he had been doing good for a whole year. He said he was picking himself up," said neighbor Sterling Pfizer.
While the two men died, officers say Frugoli fled, walking away from the crash. However, he was arrested a few blocks away.
Colleagues of the 18-year police officer describe him as a good cop who loved his job. Frugoli's neighbors remain shocked.
"He seems like a nice guy. His mom and dad just passed away. He's a good neighbor. I can't say anything bad about him," said one unidentified neighbor.
Published reports indicate the recent crash is the most serious traffic incident for Frugoli. The Chicago Tribune reports Frugoli was cited in at least three traffic incidents dating back to 1990, the most similar to Friday's crash being a January 2005 accident on the Ryan expressway. In that case, a civil court judge reportedly ordered Frugoli to pay $7,000 in damages, after he struck a 61-year-old man's car from behind and pushed it into a median wall.
In all the accidents, tickets issued to Frugoli were either dropped or thrown out.
Detective Frugoli has been stripped of his police powers.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Lawsuit Filed Against Officer Richard Fiorito
Chicago, IL
Four federal lawsuits were filed against a Chicago Police officer accused of targeting gay and lesbian drivers by falsifying DUI charges and other traffic violations, using excessive force and engaging in harassment of the arrested victims.
The suits also claim that Chicago police officer Richard Fiorito allegedly contrived the DUI charges against gays and lesbians to profit from overtime pay for court appearances and that other officers in Fiorito's district suspected the validity of the arrests.
Fiorito, 60, who is assigned to the 23rd District Town Hall police station at Addison and Halsted in the heart of "Boystown", was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making 313 DUI arrests in 2007 and early 2008.
The suits also claim that other officers in the district accused Fiorito of wanting more overtime, claiming it as the reason for Fiorito's issuance of numerous DUI tickets.
The suits ask for an undetermined amount of damages.
Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network, told CBS 2 Chicago, "This guy was operating in the heart of the gay entertainment district for years acting on his anti-gay animus and no one in an official [capacity] was calling him out on it."
No departmental action has currently been taken against Fiorito. Officials at the Independent Police Review Authority said complaints are under investigation
Three other people filed lawsuits earlier in February.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-harassment-lawsui,0,1763987.story
Four federal lawsuits were filed against a Chicago Police officer accused of targeting gay and lesbian drivers by falsifying DUI charges and other traffic violations, using excessive force and engaging in harassment of the arrested victims.
The suits also claim that Chicago police officer Richard Fiorito allegedly contrived the DUI charges against gays and lesbians to profit from overtime pay for court appearances and that other officers in Fiorito's district suspected the validity of the arrests.
Fiorito, 60, who is assigned to the 23rd District Town Hall police station at Addison and Halsted in the heart of "Boystown", was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making 313 DUI arrests in 2007 and early 2008.
The suits also claim that other officers in the district accused Fiorito of wanting more overtime, claiming it as the reason for Fiorito's issuance of numerous DUI tickets.
The suits ask for an undetermined amount of damages.
Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network, told CBS 2 Chicago, "This guy was operating in the heart of the gay entertainment district for years acting on his anti-gay animus and no one in an official [capacity] was calling him out on it."
No departmental action has currently been taken against Fiorito. Officials at the Independent Police Review Authority said complaints are under investigation
Three other people filed lawsuits earlier in February.
_____________________-
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-harassment-lawsui,0,1763987.story
Friday, March 13, 2009
Squad-Car Video Shows Different Story then What Officer Joe Parker tells
One night last summer Raymond Bell was pulled over by a Chicago cop and arrested for driving under the influence. Officer Joe D. Parker, a 23-year veteran, reported that upon getting out of his car, Bell was stinking of alcohol, lurching and unable to walk a straight line or stand on one foot.
An officer with his stellar record would normally prevail against a DUI suspect. But in this case, Bell had something on his side: a video camera mounted on the dashboard of Parker's squad car that told a radically different story.
Far from revealing a staggering drunk, reported the Chicago Sun-Times, the video "showed Bell appearing to be perfectly balanced," passing the sobriety tests that Parker administered—and being refused when he asked to take a Breathalyzer. Prosecutors watched the video and promptly dismissed the case. They are now considering charges against Parker.
That episode raises the question: Nine years into the 21st Century, why isn't every squad car in America equipped with a dashboard video camera? Why do we persist in relying on the slippery, self-interested, incomplete and unverified accounts of opposing participants when we have the means to see the truth with our own eyes?
In this instance, the innocent man was lucky to be stopped by a cop driving a video-armed vehicle. The odds are against it, since only 11 percent of the Chicago Police Department's cars have cameras for recording traffic stops. Though the department is planning to use federal stimulus money to double that number and the mayor has said he wants cameras installed in the remaining vehicles "as quickly as possible," no one is radiating a sense of haste.
Why not? The department says the main obstacle is money. Equipping another 300 cars, as the city plans, will require $2.1 million. So making them standard on the rest would cost about $13 million.
But that shouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle. The Illinois State Police, with a fleet of nearly 1,100 vehicles, have managed to install cameras in more than 900.
Spending $13 million looks extravagant only until you compare it to the cost of losing lawsuits over police misconduct. From 2005 through the middle of 2008, says the Chicago Reader, the city paid out $155 million in police cases. Dashboard cameras don't have to prevent many million-dollar judgments to be a bargain.
The cops—at least the good ones, who are presumably the majority—have as much reason to want these recordings as the accused. The best defense against a phony charge of police brutality is a video showing exactly what the officer said and did. A suspect who is visibly inebriated or violent will have a hard time refuting the camera's testimony in court.
Yet Chicago has dragged its feet, and it's not alone. After the 1991 Rodney King beating, a commission recommended that the Los Angeles Police Department mount cameras in its squad cars. It installed some but soon got rid of them.
A federal monitor proposed the idea again in 2005, but the police chief, The Los Angeles Times reported, "said he saw it as a long-term project." Last year—17 years later—the LAPD finally decided to equip some vehicles.
Contrast that with Mayor Richard Daley's enthusiasm for other types of video. Chicago now has some 2,250 surveillance cameras to detect criminal conduct in public places. By 2016, Daley promised last month, Chicago will have one on every corner.
The city has also installed red-light cameras at some 132 intersections, with another 330 planned.
So what exactly is different about those cameras? Well, they are trained on the citizenry, not on the police. What's sauce for the goose seems to be regarded as a dubious liquid substance when proposed for the gander. The city is less eager to capture video evidence if it may expose wrongdoing by its own law enforcement agents.
But the rest of us might want to keep unsleeping electronic eyes on the people with guns and badges. A city with a good police department can gain a lot from squad-car video cameras. A city with a bad one can gain even more.
An officer with his stellar record would normally prevail against a DUI suspect. But in this case, Bell had something on his side: a video camera mounted on the dashboard of Parker's squad car that told a radically different story.
Far from revealing a staggering drunk, reported the Chicago Sun-Times, the video "showed Bell appearing to be perfectly balanced," passing the sobriety tests that Parker administered—and being refused when he asked to take a Breathalyzer. Prosecutors watched the video and promptly dismissed the case. They are now considering charges against Parker.
That episode raises the question: Nine years into the 21st Century, why isn't every squad car in America equipped with a dashboard video camera? Why do we persist in relying on the slippery, self-interested, incomplete and unverified accounts of opposing participants when we have the means to see the truth with our own eyes?
In this instance, the innocent man was lucky to be stopped by a cop driving a video-armed vehicle. The odds are against it, since only 11 percent of the Chicago Police Department's cars have cameras for recording traffic stops. Though the department is planning to use federal stimulus money to double that number and the mayor has said he wants cameras installed in the remaining vehicles "as quickly as possible," no one is radiating a sense of haste.
Why not? The department says the main obstacle is money. Equipping another 300 cars, as the city plans, will require $2.1 million. So making them standard on the rest would cost about $13 million.
But that shouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle. The Illinois State Police, with a fleet of nearly 1,100 vehicles, have managed to install cameras in more than 900.
Spending $13 million looks extravagant only until you compare it to the cost of losing lawsuits over police misconduct. From 2005 through the middle of 2008, says the Chicago Reader, the city paid out $155 million in police cases. Dashboard cameras don't have to prevent many million-dollar judgments to be a bargain.
The cops—at least the good ones, who are presumably the majority—have as much reason to want these recordings as the accused. The best defense against a phony charge of police brutality is a video showing exactly what the officer said and did. A suspect who is visibly inebriated or violent will have a hard time refuting the camera's testimony in court.
Yet Chicago has dragged its feet, and it's not alone. After the 1991 Rodney King beating, a commission recommended that the Los Angeles Police Department mount cameras in its squad cars. It installed some but soon got rid of them.
A federal monitor proposed the idea again in 2005, but the police chief, The Los Angeles Times reported, "said he saw it as a long-term project." Last year—17 years later—the LAPD finally decided to equip some vehicles.
Contrast that with Mayor Richard Daley's enthusiasm for other types of video. Chicago now has some 2,250 surveillance cameras to detect criminal conduct in public places. By 2016, Daley promised last month, Chicago will have one on every corner.
The city has also installed red-light cameras at some 132 intersections, with another 330 planned.
So what exactly is different about those cameras? Well, they are trained on the citizenry, not on the police. What's sauce for the goose seems to be regarded as a dubious liquid substance when proposed for the gander. The city is less eager to capture video evidence if it may expose wrongdoing by its own law enforcement agents.
But the rest of us might want to keep unsleeping electronic eyes on the people with guns and badges. A city with a good police department can gain a lot from squad-car video cameras. A city with a bad one can gain even more.
Former Officer Anthony Doyle Recieves 12 Year Sentence for Racketeering
CHICAGO
A former police officer accused of providing information on gangland investigations to a reputed mob boss and being a "sleeper agent" for organized crime was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering.
"You picked the wrong people to try to help," U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel told Anthony Doyle, who was convicted in 2007 along with three mobsters and an alleged henchman in the landmark Operation Family Secrets trial.
Unlike three of his co-defendants, though, the 64-year-old former officer was not held responsible for any of 18 murders outlined in the indictment. But prosecutors said that even before he joined the force, Doyle collected debts for Frank Calabrese Sr., a convicted loan shark and one of the five men prosecuted in the city's biggest organized crime trial in decades.
The case had focused on an alleged conspiracy spanning decades that included gambling, loan sharking, extortion and a series of gangland murders as the mob brought down real or suspected witnesses.
During the trial, prosecutors showed tapes of Doyle briefing the imprisoned Calabrese on the progress of a homicide investigation. Calabrese was also heard in a recording saying that Doyle would remove evidence in the murder probe.
Doyle testified at the trial that what Calabrese said in their prison conversation struck him as "gibberish" but he pretended to understand and go along because "I don't want to be a chumbalone, an idiot."
Defense attorney Ralph E. Meczyk, in pleading for leniency, said his client "wasn't a chumbalone, but he was a chum." He said Doyle had foolishly befriended Calabrese but now realizes he blundered in helping a man who was "the epitome of evil."
Meczyk also pointed to times as a policeman that Doyle had disarmed dangerous criminals, arrested a cop killer and led six people out of a burning building.
"He was a truly heroic and stellar and exemplary police officer — he took guns off the street," Meczyk told the judge.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk told Zagel that such claims were "actually quite difficult to take seriously."
"This man is a disgrace, and to come here and say he was a stellar police officer, a man of good deeds, is an outrage," Funk said.
Only one Family Secrets defendant, Nicholas Calabrese, remains to be sentenced on March 26. Zagel has already sentenced Frank Calabrese to life and reputed mobster Paul Schiro to 20 years. Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo was sentenced to life for serving as the mob leader and for the murder of a government witness in a union pension fraud case.
________________
More Information:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/mob/1473629,w-family-secrets-mob-case-ex-cop-031209.article
A former police officer accused of providing information on gangland investigations to a reputed mob boss and being a "sleeper agent" for organized crime was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering.
"You picked the wrong people to try to help," U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel told Anthony Doyle, who was convicted in 2007 along with three mobsters and an alleged henchman in the landmark Operation Family Secrets trial.
Unlike three of his co-defendants, though, the 64-year-old former officer was not held responsible for any of 18 murders outlined in the indictment. But prosecutors said that even before he joined the force, Doyle collected debts for Frank Calabrese Sr., a convicted loan shark and one of the five men prosecuted in the city's biggest organized crime trial in decades.
The case had focused on an alleged conspiracy spanning decades that included gambling, loan sharking, extortion and a series of gangland murders as the mob brought down real or suspected witnesses.
During the trial, prosecutors showed tapes of Doyle briefing the imprisoned Calabrese on the progress of a homicide investigation. Calabrese was also heard in a recording saying that Doyle would remove evidence in the murder probe.
Doyle testified at the trial that what Calabrese said in their prison conversation struck him as "gibberish" but he pretended to understand and go along because "I don't want to be a chumbalone, an idiot."
Defense attorney Ralph E. Meczyk, in pleading for leniency, said his client "wasn't a chumbalone, but he was a chum." He said Doyle had foolishly befriended Calabrese but now realizes he blundered in helping a man who was "the epitome of evil."
Meczyk also pointed to times as a policeman that Doyle had disarmed dangerous criminals, arrested a cop killer and led six people out of a burning building.
"He was a truly heroic and stellar and exemplary police officer — he took guns off the street," Meczyk told the judge.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk told Zagel that such claims were "actually quite difficult to take seriously."
"This man is a disgrace, and to come here and say he was a stellar police officer, a man of good deeds, is an outrage," Funk said.
Only one Family Secrets defendant, Nicholas Calabrese, remains to be sentenced on March 26. Zagel has already sentenced Frank Calabrese to life and reputed mobster Paul Schiro to 20 years. Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo was sentenced to life for serving as the mob leader and for the murder of a government witness in a union pension fraud case.
________________
More Information:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/mob/1473629,w-family-secrets-mob-case-ex-cop-031209.article
Officer Scott Campbell Pleads Guilty to Filing False Income Tax Return
A Chicago police officer charged in a towing scandal pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false income tax return.
Grand Central District Officer Scott Campbell was accused of scheming to have his 1996 Volkswagen Passat towed so he could pretend it had been stolen. Campbell allegedly filed a false insurance claim and was paid about $4,000.
He pleaded guilty to failing to report the $4,000 payout on his 2007 federal income tax return. He faces up to 6 months in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 26.
Campbell has been relieved of his police powers and assigned to desk duty, said Chicago Police Sgt. Antoinette Ursitti.
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Grand Central District Officer Scott Campbell was accused of scheming to have his 1996 Volkswagen Passat towed so he could pretend it had been stolen. Campbell allegedly filed a false insurance claim and was paid about $4,000.
He pleaded guilty to failing to report the $4,000 payout on his 2007 federal income tax return. He faces up to 6 months in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 26.
Campbell has been relieved of his police powers and assigned to desk duty, said Chicago Police Sgt. Antoinette Ursitti.
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Monday, February 23, 2009
Officer Joe Parker Suspected of Framing Drivers
Another Chicago cop is suspected of framing drivers with false arrests for drunken driving, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Joe D. Parker, 59, an officer in the Chicago Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Unit, has been placed on desk duty pending an internal police investigation.
The Cook County state's attorney's office, which is also investigating Parker, has moved to dismiss dozens of DUI arrests he made, according to sources who said investigators began scrutinizing the 23-year police veteran's DUI arrests after video from his squad car did not appear to match an account he gave in an arrest report.
In another case, the city paid Vanessa Davis $100,000 to settle a lawsuit against Parker in which she claimed he wrongly arrested her for DUI in 2005. Davis, a well-known blues singer who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said her anxiety from the arrest caused severe medical complications.
"She was hospitalized for a few days because of a flare-up of her MS," said her attorney, Dan Hefter.
The city also paid $5,000 to settle another false-arrest claim against Parker, who could not be reached for comment.
And he faces a federal lawsuit by Wayne Jackson, who said that, while driving home from work on Lake Shore Drive in 2006, he was stopped by Parker and given a field-sobriety test, which he said he passed. Parker's arrest report said Jackson was swaying and that his speech was slurred.
Jackson said he passed a Breathalyzer test. Parker tried to explain that away, writing in his arrest report that Jackson "attempted to circumvent" the machine.
The scrutiny over Parker's DUI arrests comes almost a year after another Chicago cop, Officer John Haleas, was charged by Cook County prosecutors with perjury, official misconduct and obstructing justice, accused of failing to take important steps in making a DUI arrest in 2005. Prosecutors said Haleas failed to perform a field-sobriety test and lied in his reports. As a result, they dropped more than 50 cases stemming from DUI arrests made by Haleas.
The criminal case is still pending against Haleas, who was honored three times by the Schaumburg-based Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists as the cop with the most DUI busts in Illinois.
Parker also made the private organization's top DUI cop list when he made 153 drunken-driving arrests in 2006 -- fourth-highest among Chicago officers that year, according to the group.
In 2007, Parker was spotlighted in a Chicago Sun-Times investigation, headlined "Handi-cop parking," that revealed the Police Department was looking into a handful of police employees for suspected misuse of disabled-parking signs.
Parker was using a disabled spot in the 2700 block of West 86th Place even though he had been cleared for regular duty by the department, a police spokeswoman said at the time. He had been injured in a car crash three years earlier but was deemed "fit for duty" since then, the spokeswoman said.
Parker is still using the space, parking his Toyota Camry Solara in the spot -- which still has disabled-parking signs on both sides.
In 2007, Chicago Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey said she was going to ferret out disabled-parking cheaters. She did not respond to a request for comment on Parker's continued use of a disabled-parking spot.
Bill Bogdan, disability liaison to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, said Parker was given Illinois disability license plates in 2006, after a physician certified he was eligible. The plates must be renewed every four years, Bogdan said.
While it appears Parker received the plates legitimately, Bogdan questioned why the officer would be parking in a disabled spot if he had been deemed fit for police duty.
"If he is at work with no restrictions, you would want to question his use of a disability placard or sign in front of his house," Bogdan said.
___________________________
http://www.wbbm780.com/Another-DUI-Cop-Accused-Of-False-Arrests/3900435
Joe D. Parker, 59, an officer in the Chicago Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Unit, has been placed on desk duty pending an internal police investigation.
The Cook County state's attorney's office, which is also investigating Parker, has moved to dismiss dozens of DUI arrests he made, according to sources who said investigators began scrutinizing the 23-year police veteran's DUI arrests after video from his squad car did not appear to match an account he gave in an arrest report.
In another case, the city paid Vanessa Davis $100,000 to settle a lawsuit against Parker in which she claimed he wrongly arrested her for DUI in 2005. Davis, a well-known blues singer who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said her anxiety from the arrest caused severe medical complications.
"She was hospitalized for a few days because of a flare-up of her MS," said her attorney, Dan Hefter.
The city also paid $5,000 to settle another false-arrest claim against Parker, who could not be reached for comment.
And he faces a federal lawsuit by Wayne Jackson, who said that, while driving home from work on Lake Shore Drive in 2006, he was stopped by Parker and given a field-sobriety test, which he said he passed. Parker's arrest report said Jackson was swaying and that his speech was slurred.
Jackson said he passed a Breathalyzer test. Parker tried to explain that away, writing in his arrest report that Jackson "attempted to circumvent" the machine.
The scrutiny over Parker's DUI arrests comes almost a year after another Chicago cop, Officer John Haleas, was charged by Cook County prosecutors with perjury, official misconduct and obstructing justice, accused of failing to take important steps in making a DUI arrest in 2005. Prosecutors said Haleas failed to perform a field-sobriety test and lied in his reports. As a result, they dropped more than 50 cases stemming from DUI arrests made by Haleas.
The criminal case is still pending against Haleas, who was honored three times by the Schaumburg-based Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists as the cop with the most DUI busts in Illinois.
Parker also made the private organization's top DUI cop list when he made 153 drunken-driving arrests in 2006 -- fourth-highest among Chicago officers that year, according to the group.
In 2007, Parker was spotlighted in a Chicago Sun-Times investigation, headlined "Handi-cop parking," that revealed the Police Department was looking into a handful of police employees for suspected misuse of disabled-parking signs.
Parker was using a disabled spot in the 2700 block of West 86th Place even though he had been cleared for regular duty by the department, a police spokeswoman said at the time. He had been injured in a car crash three years earlier but was deemed "fit for duty" since then, the spokeswoman said.
Parker is still using the space, parking his Toyota Camry Solara in the spot -- which still has disabled-parking signs on both sides.
In 2007, Chicago Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey said she was going to ferret out disabled-parking cheaters. She did not respond to a request for comment on Parker's continued use of a disabled-parking spot.
Bill Bogdan, disability liaison to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, said Parker was given Illinois disability license plates in 2006, after a physician certified he was eligible. The plates must be renewed every four years, Bogdan said.
While it appears Parker received the plates legitimately, Bogdan questioned why the officer would be parking in a disabled spot if he had been deemed fit for police duty.
"If he is at work with no restrictions, you would want to question his use of a disability placard or sign in front of his house," Bogdan said.
___________________________
http://www.wbbm780.com/Another-DUI-Cop-Accused-Of-False-Arrests/3900435
Chicago Police Jody Weis Refuses Judge's Order to Turn over Officers Names
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis has refused a federal judge’s order to release the names of officers who have at least five citizen complaints filed against them since 2000.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez had given Weis until 4 p.m. Friday to do so.
The list was being sought, along with a list of excessive-force complaints, by attorneys suing the city over an allegation that an officer falsely arrested and used excessive force against two children.
In court papers, Weis said handing over the names would “compromise officers’ performance, threaten safety, reduce morale and improperly impugn many officers’ otherwise well-deserved good reputations.”
Flint Taylor, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, called Weis’ decision “an outrageous abuse by someone who is charged with enforcing the law and constitution.”
Taylor wants the names to show a pattern by the Chicago Police Department of covering up ’ misconduct. He said the names, if released, would be put under a court order limiting their use to the lawyers in the case.
The city also is fighting a judge’s order to release a similar list in another excessive-force lawsuit. That list names 662 officers who faced 10 or more citizen complaints between 2001 and 2006.
Twenty-eight Chicago aldermen want access to the list, too. The federal appeals court in Chicago is deciding whether the department should make it public.
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http://www.suntimes.com
U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez had given Weis until 4 p.m. Friday to do so.
The list was being sought, along with a list of excessive-force complaints, by attorneys suing the city over an allegation that an officer falsely arrested and used excessive force against two children.
In court papers, Weis said handing over the names would “compromise officers’ performance, threaten safety, reduce morale and improperly impugn many officers’ otherwise well-deserved good reputations.”
Flint Taylor, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, called Weis’ decision “an outrageous abuse by someone who is charged with enforcing the law and constitution.”
Taylor wants the names to show a pattern by the Chicago Police Department of covering up ’ misconduct. He said the names, if released, would be put under a court order limiting their use to the lawyers in the case.
The city also is fighting a judge’s order to release a similar list in another excessive-force lawsuit. That list names 662 officers who faced 10 or more citizen complaints between 2001 and 2006.
Twenty-eight Chicago aldermen want access to the list, too. The federal appeals court in Chicago is deciding whether the department should make it public.
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http://www.suntimes.com
Monday, December 08, 2008
Chicago Wants Police Department's Image to Change
CHICAGO
More than a year after he last wore a badge and months after his boss said he wanted him fired, a policeman videotaped beating a female bartender remains the best-known officer in the Chicago Police Department.
Footage of the 250-pound officer punching, kicking and throwing the 115-pound bartender has aired repeatedly after it surfaced the next month.
It would be embarrassing for any police department, but for Chicago — which already withstood the humiliation once — it means much more. Especially now.
As bright as the media spotlight has shone on the department in the past, it will only get brighter because Chicago is the hometown of the next president of the United States and the city is vying for the 2016 Olympics.
It's unclear whether Anthony Abbate, the officer charged in the beating, will stand trial — it was supposed to begin Tuesday but has been delayed — or if the case will end with a plea bargain. A judge's gag order has prevented anyone from talking publicly about the case.
"I have to think it is important to get past (the case) not only from a PR standpoint, but Abbate has for the last two years defined what the department is," said Daniel P. Smith, author of "On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department."
"So many officers do their job the right way but Abbate has defined who they are (and) I know for a fact many of them want it all erased."
Chicago officials already have set about to change the police department's image, starting 11 months ago, when they hired a new police superintendent, Jodi Weis, the former head of the FBI's Philadelphia office.
Police officers know that what they do is being watched like never before — starting on election night, when a quarter million people descended on Grant Park to be part of President-elect Barack Obama's historic victory.
"I talked to two sergeants who had their teams down there and one told his guys the eyes of the whole world are on (the park)," said Sgt. John Pallohusky, president of the police sergeants union.
It was the same message from the other sergeant. "He told his team, 'Do your part, show the world this is what we do,'" said Pallohusky.
Under the watchful eye of police, the scene at the park was peaceful. Department spokeswoman Monique Bond said that, despite the massive crowd, officers made fewer arrests than a typical Tuesday night.
That wasn't lost on observers, especially those who know the same park 40 years ago the world watched billy club-swinging police wading into crowds of protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
"It was a commercial for the city," said A.D. Frazier, the chief operating officer of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. "The fact that it went off flawlessly will stand out as a plus in everyone's mind who votes for an Olympic city."
Even so, Smith said, that scene will be hard-pressed to compete with the surveillance video from the night Abbate allegedly beat the bartender in February 2007 after she refused to serve him more drinks.
"All we see is the Abbate tape rolling over in our heads and we forget the absolute (great) job they did out there," he said.
It remains to be seen whether the Abbate case generates as much angst for the department as that of Jon Burge, the former commander of a unit that allegedly tortured black suspects decades ago.
Burge long has been a source of anger in Chicago, as politicians, community activists and others have complained that he remained free, living in retirement in Florida, while men they say were innocent and confessed only after being tortured remained in prison.
It was not until this year that Burge was charged by federal authorities with lying under oath when he denied participating in torture.
"Burge has haunted them for years," said Wesley Skogan, a Northwestern University political scientist who has studied the department extensively. "The Abbate case is difficult (and) because we've all seen the tape 10 times, it will linger longer in the public imagination."
Skogan said that how long Abbate casts a shadow on the department may depend on what attorneys are doing behind the scenes, and whether Abbate walks into court and pleads guilty or goes ahead with a trial.
"If there is a plea settlement as time gets really close, that might take the wind out of the sails," he said.
But, he added, even if that happens, "It could linger like O.J. (Simpson) or go away very quickly."
Bond, the police spokeswoman, would not specifically discuss the Abbate case. But Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor who has studied the department, said it's clear why Weis publicly denounced Abbate and recommended firing him.
"By making an example of him they're saying this is a new day, we don't tolerate this stuff in Chicago," he said.
But he wonders if the firing was little more than a public relations ploy.
"My fear is that the underlying issues that allowed Abbate to do what he did ... haven't been addressed," he said. "As much as they want to say, 'this is a new day' ... is this really true?"
More than a year after he last wore a badge and months after his boss said he wanted him fired, a policeman videotaped beating a female bartender remains the best-known officer in the Chicago Police Department.
Footage of the 250-pound officer punching, kicking and throwing the 115-pound bartender has aired repeatedly after it surfaced the next month.
It would be embarrassing for any police department, but for Chicago — which already withstood the humiliation once — it means much more. Especially now.
As bright as the media spotlight has shone on the department in the past, it will only get brighter because Chicago is the hometown of the next president of the United States and the city is vying for the 2016 Olympics.
It's unclear whether Anthony Abbate, the officer charged in the beating, will stand trial — it was supposed to begin Tuesday but has been delayed — or if the case will end with a plea bargain. A judge's gag order has prevented anyone from talking publicly about the case.
"I have to think it is important to get past (the case) not only from a PR standpoint, but Abbate has for the last two years defined what the department is," said Daniel P. Smith, author of "On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department."
"So many officers do their job the right way but Abbate has defined who they are (and) I know for a fact many of them want it all erased."
Chicago officials already have set about to change the police department's image, starting 11 months ago, when they hired a new police superintendent, Jodi Weis, the former head of the FBI's Philadelphia office.
Police officers know that what they do is being watched like never before — starting on election night, when a quarter million people descended on Grant Park to be part of President-elect Barack Obama's historic victory.
"I talked to two sergeants who had their teams down there and one told his guys the eyes of the whole world are on (the park)," said Sgt. John Pallohusky, president of the police sergeants union.
It was the same message from the other sergeant. "He told his team, 'Do your part, show the world this is what we do,'" said Pallohusky.
Under the watchful eye of police, the scene at the park was peaceful. Department spokeswoman Monique Bond said that, despite the massive crowd, officers made fewer arrests than a typical Tuesday night.
That wasn't lost on observers, especially those who know the same park 40 years ago the world watched billy club-swinging police wading into crowds of protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
"It was a commercial for the city," said A.D. Frazier, the chief operating officer of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. "The fact that it went off flawlessly will stand out as a plus in everyone's mind who votes for an Olympic city."
Even so, Smith said, that scene will be hard-pressed to compete with the surveillance video from the night Abbate allegedly beat the bartender in February 2007 after she refused to serve him more drinks.
"All we see is the Abbate tape rolling over in our heads and we forget the absolute (great) job they did out there," he said.
It remains to be seen whether the Abbate case generates as much angst for the department as that of Jon Burge, the former commander of a unit that allegedly tortured black suspects decades ago.
Burge long has been a source of anger in Chicago, as politicians, community activists and others have complained that he remained free, living in retirement in Florida, while men they say were innocent and confessed only after being tortured remained in prison.
It was not until this year that Burge was charged by federal authorities with lying under oath when he denied participating in torture.
"Burge has haunted them for years," said Wesley Skogan, a Northwestern University political scientist who has studied the department extensively. "The Abbate case is difficult (and) because we've all seen the tape 10 times, it will linger longer in the public imagination."
Skogan said that how long Abbate casts a shadow on the department may depend on what attorneys are doing behind the scenes, and whether Abbate walks into court and pleads guilty or goes ahead with a trial.
"If there is a plea settlement as time gets really close, that might take the wind out of the sails," he said.
But, he added, even if that happens, "It could linger like O.J. (Simpson) or go away very quickly."
Bond, the police spokeswoman, would not specifically discuss the Abbate case. But Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor who has studied the department, said it's clear why Weis publicly denounced Abbate and recommended firing him.
"By making an example of him they're saying this is a new day, we don't tolerate this stuff in Chicago," he said.
But he wonders if the firing was little more than a public relations ploy.
"My fear is that the underlying issues that allowed Abbate to do what he did ... haven't been addressed," he said. "As much as they want to say, 'this is a new day' ... is this really true?"
Friday, September 19, 2008
Three Chicago Officers Fired
Three Chicago police officers were fired last month by the Chicago Police Board, according to records made public Friday.
Officer Nathan Hicks ran away when a shoplifting suspect drew a gun, leaving another officer to confront the man alone, the records said. Hicks had finished his probationary period just a few months before the incident on June 3, 2006, at a Dominick's.
When the suspect, James King, pulled the gun, Hicks and two probationary officers ran toward the back of the store, according to testimony given to the board. The other officer fatally shot King, 47. Hicks and the two probationary officers returned with their weapons drawn after the shooting ended, the records showed. The probationary officers were fired earlier.
Hicks testified that he didn't realize King had a weapon but that he ran for cover when shots rang out. Police officials said officers are trained not to retreat when confronted with a deadly threat but to take nearby cover and protect civilians and other officers from harm by firing at the threat if necessary.
The board also agreed with the Chicago Police Department's recommendation to discharge Wentworth District Officer David Gonzalez for knocking down a Summit police officer in a fight with another bar patron while drinking off-duty in a suburban bar in September 2004, the records show.
The board also agreed to fire Officer Marisol Rodriguez, a Lincoln District officer accused of submitting false medical documents while on the medical roll.
http://www.chicagotribune.com
Officer Nathan Hicks ran away when a shoplifting suspect drew a gun, leaving another officer to confront the man alone, the records said. Hicks had finished his probationary period just a few months before the incident on June 3, 2006, at a Dominick's.
When the suspect, James King, pulled the gun, Hicks and two probationary officers ran toward the back of the store, according to testimony given to the board. The other officer fatally shot King, 47. Hicks and the two probationary officers returned with their weapons drawn after the shooting ended, the records showed. The probationary officers were fired earlier.
Hicks testified that he didn't realize King had a weapon but that he ran for cover when shots rang out. Police officials said officers are trained not to retreat when confronted with a deadly threat but to take nearby cover and protect civilians and other officers from harm by firing at the threat if necessary.
The board also agreed with the Chicago Police Department's recommendation to discharge Wentworth District Officer David Gonzalez for knocking down a Summit police officer in a fight with another bar patron while drinking off-duty in a suburban bar in September 2004, the records show.
The board also agreed to fire Officer Marisol Rodriguez, a Lincoln District officer accused of submitting false medical documents while on the medical roll.
http://www.chicagotribune.com
Monday, June 02, 2008
Officer Steps forth and admits he was encouraged to Lie
An indicted Chicago police officer said his supervisors in the Special Operations Section encouraged officers to lie on police reports to cover up illegal searches for guns and drugs, according to the CBS News program "60 Minutes."
Keith Herrera, who was interviewed by CBS anchor Katie Couric for a story set to air Sunday, said supervisors encouraged falsifying reports to make cases appear more solid in court.
" 'Creative writing' was a certain term that bosses used to make sure that the job got done," he said. "I didn't just pick up a pen and just learn how to [lie on reports]. Bosses, guys that I work with who were older than I was ... It's taught to you."
Herrera faces as many as 30 years in prison if convicted of armed violence, home invasion, robbery and other charges brought in 2006.
Herrera described lying as a means to get criminals off the street, even if officers did not have solid evidence.
"Do you want that guy ... that just shot somebody to not go to jail because he threw the gun?" Herrera said in the interview. "Or do you want him to go to jail because he never let the gun out of his hand? ... I know what I've got to do."
According to a partial transcript released Friday by CBS, Herrera acknowledged he stole money.
Herrera, 30, is the first of seven indicted officers to speak publicly about the investigation since they were charged in September 2006.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said that the charges against Herrera were partly the result of a police internal investigation and that accountability measures instituted under new Supt. Jody Weis "have been enhanced and implemented to ensure the highest level of professional conduct and moral integrity."
In the interview, Herrera said he was the FBI informant who secretly recorded indicted officer Jerry Finnigan planning to hire a hit man to kill a fellow officer.
Keith Herrera, who was interviewed by CBS anchor Katie Couric for a story set to air Sunday, said supervisors encouraged falsifying reports to make cases appear more solid in court.
" 'Creative writing' was a certain term that bosses used to make sure that the job got done," he said. "I didn't just pick up a pen and just learn how to [lie on reports]. Bosses, guys that I work with who were older than I was ... It's taught to you."
Herrera faces as many as 30 years in prison if convicted of armed violence, home invasion, robbery and other charges brought in 2006.
Herrera described lying as a means to get criminals off the street, even if officers did not have solid evidence.
"Do you want that guy ... that just shot somebody to not go to jail because he threw the gun?" Herrera said in the interview. "Or do you want him to go to jail because he never let the gun out of his hand? ... I know what I've got to do."
According to a partial transcript released Friday by CBS, Herrera acknowledged he stole money.
Herrera, 30, is the first of seven indicted officers to speak publicly about the investigation since they were charged in September 2006.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said that the charges against Herrera were partly the result of a police internal investigation and that accountability measures instituted under new Supt. Jody Weis "have been enhanced and implemented to ensure the highest level of professional conduct and moral integrity."
In the interview, Herrera said he was the FBI informant who secretly recorded indicted officer Jerry Finnigan planning to hire a hit man to kill a fellow officer.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Officer Carie Hooker Accused of Shoplifting
An off-duty Chicago Police officer was arrested on suspicion of stealing more than $100 in women's clothing at a Kohl's store in Chicago Ridge, village police said.
Officer Carie Hooker, 39, was charged Monday with retail theft.
The store's security officers stopped Hooker as she left about 5 p.m. from the store at 9700 Ridgeland Ave. She was released after posting bail.
Chicago Police late Tuesday didn't provide any details on Hooker's assignment, but records show she started work in Chicago in March 1997.
The arrest comes after another Chicago officer was arrested for allegedly battering a couple in Niles Saturday.
Officer Carie Hooker, 39, was charged Monday with retail theft.
The store's security officers stopped Hooker as she left about 5 p.m. from the store at 9700 Ridgeland Ave. She was released after posting bail.
Chicago Police late Tuesday didn't provide any details on Hooker's assignment, but records show she started work in Chicago in March 1997.
The arrest comes after another Chicago officer was arrested for allegedly battering a couple in Niles Saturday.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Chicago Cop Accused of Attacking Bar Patrons
Only a day after ABC’s 20/20’s “Are Cops Above the Law?” exposé, where Chicago police were highlighted for their recent rash of drunken cop beaters, another cop is on the beat, so to speak. Gerald Callahan, an off-duty Chicago cop, was arrested for allegedly attacking two patrons at Chambers Seafood Grill & Chop in Niles. Niles police were called to the lounge about 1:50 a.m. Saturday morning, but Callahan had fled. At 2:30 a.m., he was found a few blocks away, passed out in bushes. He was arrested and charged with two counts of battery.
The Chicago Police Department was notified, and they announced Saturday that Callahan had been relieved of his duties pending an investigation. According to the Sun-Times, Callahan has a history:
Callahan has a history of alleged erratic behavior -- keeping his job only after the Police Board rejected former Police Supt. Phil Cline's move to dismiss him in 2006 for threatening his fellow officers.
Callahan was released on bond, and will appear in court on June 17.
The Chicago Police Department was notified, and they announced Saturday that Callahan had been relieved of his duties pending an investigation. According to the Sun-Times, Callahan has a history:
Callahan has a history of alleged erratic behavior -- keeping his job only after the Police Board rejected former Police Supt. Phil Cline's move to dismiss him in 2006 for threatening his fellow officers.
Callahan was released on bond, and will appear in court on June 17.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Chicago cop faces charges in beating
A Chicago Police officer has been relieved of his duties after allegedly severely beating two patrons at a north suburban lounge early Saturday morning.
The off-duty officer, Gerald Callahan, 42, was charged with two counts of battery after fleeing the scene of the alleged attack at Chambers Seafood Grill & Chop, at 6881 N. Milwaukee. in Niles.
Callahan has a history of alleged erratic behavior -- keeping his job only after the Police Board rejected former Police Supt. Phil Cline's move to dismiss him in 2006 for threatening his fellow officers.
Niles police were called to the restaurant at about 1:50 a.m. Callahan had fled, police there said. But he was arrested a few blocks away at 2:30 a.m. Sources told WLS-Channel 7 he was found by Niles police passed out in bushes.
Niles police said Saturday night that Callahan had attacked a 61-year-old Morton Grove man and a 50-year-old Niles woman.
"According to ... witnesses, Callahan attacked the two victims for no apparent reason," Niles police Sgt. Tom Davis said.
The man suffered lacerations and bruises to his head and face, while the woman suffered lacerations on her arm and lip, Niles police said.
The incident raises the specter of several incidents in the last year in which Chicago Police officers have been accused in alleged bar brawls or of beating people -- including the infamous February 2007 videotaped beating of a female bartender by a brawny officer.
Police Supt. Jody Weis had looked forward to closure on the bar beating saga, which he called "a very, very sad chapter" for the department.
After Callahan was arrested, the suburban department learned he was a Chicago Police officer.
"The Chicago Police Department was notified," Davis said.
Chicago Police officials said late Saturday night that Callahan was relieved of his police powers and the incident is under investigation.
In 2006, Cline had sought Callahan's dismissal for a 2004 incident in which he allegedly threatened several other officers, allegedly saying he would dump them in a garbage can, and swearing he would rip one officer's "f---ing head off."
Released on bond after the Niles incident, Callahan is due in court at 9 a.m. on June 17.
The off-duty officer, Gerald Callahan, 42, was charged with two counts of battery after fleeing the scene of the alleged attack at Chambers Seafood Grill & Chop, at 6881 N. Milwaukee. in Niles.
Callahan has a history of alleged erratic behavior -- keeping his job only after the Police Board rejected former Police Supt. Phil Cline's move to dismiss him in 2006 for threatening his fellow officers.
Niles police were called to the restaurant at about 1:50 a.m. Callahan had fled, police there said. But he was arrested a few blocks away at 2:30 a.m. Sources told WLS-Channel 7 he was found by Niles police passed out in bushes.
Niles police said Saturday night that Callahan had attacked a 61-year-old Morton Grove man and a 50-year-old Niles woman.
"According to ... witnesses, Callahan attacked the two victims for no apparent reason," Niles police Sgt. Tom Davis said.
The man suffered lacerations and bruises to his head and face, while the woman suffered lacerations on her arm and lip, Niles police said.
The incident raises the specter of several incidents in the last year in which Chicago Police officers have been accused in alleged bar brawls or of beating people -- including the infamous February 2007 videotaped beating of a female bartender by a brawny officer.
Police Supt. Jody Weis had looked forward to closure on the bar beating saga, which he called "a very, very sad chapter" for the department.
After Callahan was arrested, the suburban department learned he was a Chicago Police officer.
"The Chicago Police Department was notified," Davis said.
Chicago Police officials said late Saturday night that Callahan was relieved of his police powers and the incident is under investigation.
In 2006, Cline had sought Callahan's dismissal for a 2004 incident in which he allegedly threatened several other officers, allegedly saying he would dump them in a garbage can, and swearing he would rip one officer's "f---ing head off."
Released on bond after the Niles incident, Callahan is due in court at 9 a.m. on June 17.
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