Results tagged “chicagopolicedepartment”

Remember a few weeks back when the Cook County States Attorney's office denied a leaked rumor that Anita Alvarez would be letting the embattled, allegedly anti-gay, undeniably fishy Richard Fiorito off the hook? Turns out the rumor held some truth: As of Monday evening, Alvarez' office has ended its "nearly-year-long" investigation into the allegations facing Fiorito and, perhaps unsurprisingly, has decided not to press criminal charges, ABC7 reports. more ›

When we were alerted to a tip, earlier this week, from the Gay Liberation Network (GLN) that the Cook County States Attorney's office was planning to let the embattled Chicago police officer Richard Fiorito off the hook, we were a bit unnerved. The officer is currently the subject of 37 civil lawsuits alleging the police veteran repeatedly singled out gay, lesbian and other drivers for false DUI charges. In some cases, he is said to have used anti-gay slurs toward motorists. But the States Attorney's office claims the tip is untrue as the investigation continues. more ›

With the question of why a missing person alert for 12-year-old Jahmeshia Conner wasn't issued to the media hanging over its head, the Chicago Police Department is making changes to its alert system. The Tribune reports that 11 alerts have been issued in the last five days. Detectives investigating Jahmeshia's November 15th disappearance filed a report for an alert two days after she went missing but authorities are still looking into why the alert was never issued to the media; Jahmeshia was found dead in an alley early last week. Cindy Rudometkin of the Polly Klaas Foundation, though, expressed concern to the Tribune and called for discretion in issuing the alerts and the media's coverage of them: "If you put out an alert for every child, the alerts are not going to work anymore. People will become desensitized." more ›

The president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents CTA bus drivers and maintenance workers, is claiming that Chicago police harassed a bus driver days before his arrest. more ›

Pantera, a 16-month-old black Labrador, recently joined the Chicago Police Department's organized crime division, as part of a new effort to recruit police dogs from shelters instead of expensive breeders. Pantera was adopted in May for only $98 by Officer Steve Martinez, who visited the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League close to half a dozen times before picking Pantera because of the dog's "high degree of maturity and strong drive," Martinez told the Chicago Tribune. Since completing his training in different drug detection techniques, Pantera is now the youngest certified narcotics detection dog in Chicago's history. Pantera has already helped police recover evidence and assisted in search warrant operations with the narcotics team, the department said. more ›

In his 2010 budget presented last week, Daley included 24 unpaid days (12 holidays, 12 furlough days) for all non-union and many union city employees. One group he can't force these unpaid days upon are the Police and Fire Departments. But that's not stopping Daley from making overtones suggesting that those departments should take one for the team and join the unpaid train. Said the Mayor, “Everyone has to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And that’s why I’m taking 24 days without pay, and I got other people to take that, because you have to show that government understands the suffering that is going on throughout your communities.” more ›

In a haunting story detailing the backlog of DNA evidence overwhelming the Chicago Police Department, the Tribune reports police had DNA evidence to arrest an alleged serial rapist a year before he was finally apprehended. more ›

The Chicago Police Department is touting figures that show an 11 percent decrease in homicides through the first nine months of 2009 over the same period of 2008, 348 total compared to last year's nine-month total of 393. Homicides of "youth" - categorized as being between the ages of 6 and 18 years old - were down by a total of 14.5 percent. The announcement comes at a time when the city is receiving particular close scrutiny due to the highly-publicized murder of 16-year-old Derrion Albert, a visceral crime caught on tape and replayed on news programs around the world. more ›

Bear, the 74-pound German Shepherd police dog, was found Sunday morning thanks to a citizen tipoff. The CPD K9 ran away Wednesday evening after hearing clap of thunder during a potty and feeding break in his handler’s backyard. A press conference was held at noon today, we’ll keep you updated on the details of Bear’s return. more ›

As hundreds of Chicago Police officers marched around City Hall in protest of the lack of progress in contract negotiations with the City, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis addressed reporters on the protest and accusations of low morale within the department. Well, sort of. Weis said he supported the police union's right to protest but expressed disappointment with the timing: the protest happened on the same day members of the International Olympic Committee arrived to begin their on-site evaluation of Chicago as a potential host for the 2016 Olympics. more ›

Carnell Pitts, 18, was shot and killed at a house party on the South Side late Friday night, just two weeks after his younger brother, Kendrick Pitts, 17, was shot and killed along with two others. Carnell Pitts had allegedly been arguing with someone and was shot in the back. He later died at Advocate Trinity Hospital of multiple gunshot wounds. The death was ruled a homicide, and the police do not have any suspects in custody at this time. more ›

Vincent Richardson, the 14-year-old who got into a world of trouble and exposed some gaping security holes in the Chicago Police Department when he imitated an officer, has been released from juvenile detention. Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Berman ruled Richardson could be released but he'll be put on home monitoring. Berman said, "You're an intelligent person...If you violate, you paint me in a corner where I have to take you into custody." Richardson had been in custody for a month and has another court date on March 27. more ›

Did a Chicago police officer go a bit too far when ousting a man from a CTA bus? Chicago Cop Watch thinks so, saying that "the officer neglected to follow CPD protocol during the encounter, which led to a violent altercation. The code requires officers to wait for back-up before engaging in a physical struggle with a citizen during non-emergency situations." And they've got video they believe backs up their statements (language NSFW): more ›

For what feels like the millionth time, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis was called before the City Council. Today's topic? The 14-year old who impersonated a police officer. The only new substantial detail that came out of the questioning was that the teen had tried to enter another station before he successfully infiltrated the district station where he was eventually caught. According to the Trib:

A considerable amount of time was spent discussing whether the back door to the station that the boy entered was broken or not. After much back and forth, aldermen determined the door wasn't broken, but that officers kept it open or unlocked so that officers could come and go freely. The city actually changed the door's lock yesterday, and gave the new keys to only select staff.

Weis also reportedly told the council that another police impersonator had been caught this morning, but no details were available on that. more ›

Coming off the city's most violent year in over a decade, embattled Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis will finally get his wish when the CPD begins receiving the first of its 2,000 new Chevy Tahoes by early spring. In November, Weis inked the deal with Advantage Chevrolet to provide the CPD with up to 2,000 new SUVs over the next three years at a total cost of around $59 million. more ›

He's been in place less than a week but new Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman is already going back to his old haunt, the Chicago Police Department, for some help. It was announced today that The Ron is bringing on CPD spokeswoman Monique Bond for a "a top advisory role" for his new administration. Bond, who's been CPD spokeswoman for four years, previously worked with The Ron in a spokeswoman capacity during his tenure as director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. more ›

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis's decision to hold a press conference on the security breach (stemming from the Vincent Richardson case) just before the media turned its focus to the Blagojevich impeachment proceedings was just coincidence, right? Anyway, Weis addressed the matter for reporters this morning, saying, "We were fortunate this young man had no evil in his heart...We dodged a bullet on this one." more ›

The story of the 14-year-old teen who was caught impersonating a cop keeps getting crazier and crazier. We already know he went out on calls and even went on calls with another officer; now it's coming out that this wasn't even the first time the kid has done this. Turns out the kid is still on probation from a December 2007 incident in which he was caught impersonating an officer and, according to his pastor, just last month officers caught the kid at Ford City Mall wearing a uniform. The big story here, obviously, is how bad this makes the Chicago Police Department look. Second City Cops says:

Station security is a joke and has been for years. Doors that don't open. Doors that stay open. Sally-ports that don't function. Lockup doors that don't lock. Civilians with no ID running around. Homeless encampments racked with how many strains of TB, Hepatitis and all manner of virus, germ and EPA Biohazard Superfund potential. more ›

The Chicago Police Board has fired two veteran officers. The first was Karen Oaks, a 12-year-veteran. Oaks was fired after the Board discovered she had carried on a relationship with a convicted felon from 2002 to 2005. Oaks' attorney claimed that while the officer knew the felon, the relationship was not inappropriate. The other was 14-year-veteran Larry Guy Jr. Guy beat a handcuffed shoplifting suspect in 2005; the suspect claim he had no merchandise hidden on his body but Guy cut his hand on a razor when searching the suspect's pockets and then beat the suspect. more ›

Perhaps with some experience from Election Night's Obamapalooza under their belt, the Chicago Police Department is joining 100 other forces from around the nation to add some extra security to this week's inauguration festivities in Washington D.C. The CPD is sending 48 officers to assist and CPD superintendent Jody Weis says they've been selected based on expertise. He also added that their absence would not affect the day-to-day operations of the CPD. more ›

The centralization will also lead to a more "efficient sharing of information" between officers investigating gang crimes, as well as being able to help "anticipate and prevent" them. [Trib, S-T, Photo by Pam Morgan] more ›

Pena testified that he had opened one bag and thought it was so good he wanted a third. But he said that as he walked to the front of the store to pay, he became concerned that he couldn't hear his radio. He said he forgot about the extra bag when he went outside.

Pena blames his bout of forgetfulness on a stroke he had in 2005, which he says "occasionally left him 'unfocused'." If what Pena says is true, and he appeared distracted or rushed, we're surprised a clerk didn't casually "remind" him that he hadn't paid. Maybe it has something to do with two similar incidents involving Pena the city's attorney alluded to that happened at the same Walgreens. Pena also was in hot water for not reporting to a dispatcher that he was leaving a crime scene to go on his little snack run. But that seems like a minor infraction, and since Pena was acquitted of the misdemeanor theft and the other two are unsubstantiated reports, does he really deserve to lose his badge? Seems like there's another layer to this story that has yet to be reported. [Trib, Photo by bastique]
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It's been a rough year for new Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis. First was the Taste debacle, which led to his grilling by the City Council. Then came news last week that as crime has risen, arrests are down. But that's not the only number down, according to a report in today's Trib. It seems that Weis has been unable to deliver on a promise to hire more officers. In fact, due to "retirements, firings and resignations," the total number of officers on the force is down by 250. According to Mark Donahue, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, the department has lost approximately 375 officers while only hiring 125 new ones since the beginning of the year. And that total number could increase to a -400 difference by the end of the year. The force had somewhere in the neighborhood of 13,4000 sworn officers as of December 2007. more ›

Break out the OFF! Two more cases of West Nile have been reported in Cook County. more ›

Chicago police officers are making fewer arrested and taking fewer guns off the street this year, and some say it's because officers are afraid of being investigated—and don't feel supported—by the Jody Weis regime. more ›

An off-duty Chicago police officer appears to have shot his two young children and then killed himself this morning. The 9-year-old boy is currently in critical condition, but the 7-year-old girl died from her injuries. (Earlier reports put the children at 6 and 8, then at 8 and 12, but the most current says 7 and 9.) [S-T, Trib]
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An off-duty Chicago Police officer involved in an early Wednesday morning shooting has died from injuries sustained in the shooting. Robert Soto, 49, and a 23-year veteran of the force, was pronounced dead at 3:05 a.m. this morning at Mount Sinai Hospital. Soto is the second CPD officer killed this year. Kathryn Romberg (pictured right), 45, was also killed in the shooting, having been pronounced dead at the scene. more ›

The CPD is considering changing how its cars and SUVs look. And lo, the options are fug. more ›

The Chicago police board released records today that cover officers who've been suspended or fired. In the report: more ›

In today's "No Shit" story, Chicago's 2008 murder rate is up 18 percent compared to the first seven months of 2007, including a particularly bloody July that saw 62 people killed. From January to July this year, 291 people were murdered while the same time period in 2007 saw 246 murders. While the July tally seems high, it's still below the 66 murders from July 2006, though 2008's year-to-date tally is still higher than 2006's 266 murders. more ›