Results tagged “jodyweis”

With questions still lingering around the circumstances of the death of Michael Scott, the Chicago Police is not rushing to issue its ruling. Still, in light of recent discoveries in the investigation, it seems that they may be inclined to issue a ruling in line with the one the Cook County Medical Examiner's office issued earlier this week and has been forced to defend. Among other discoveries:

Despite yesterday's ruling from the Cook County Medical Examiner's office that CPS Board of Education president Michael Scott's death was a suicide, Chicago Police are still going forward with their investigation, including reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing residents who lived near where Scott's body was found. According to Fox 32:

• A pair of area deaths related to H1N1 have been reported. In related news, a truck with 900 H1N1 vaccine doses was stolen in Milwaukee though police have apprehended a suspect.
• As the search continues for a hit & run driver responsible for the death of 25-year-old Rachel Gilliam, a surveillance tape is making the rounds that shows the alleged car that moments later hit Gilliam and her family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the driver.
• With 1,000 officers eligible to retire, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis admits he's "nervous" about retirements cutting into the CPD's already thinned ranks.

Over a dozen Chicago police officers on loan to Pittsburgh for last month's G-20 Summit are being accused of forcing a handcuffed suspect to kneel on the ground in front of them while they took a group photograph, reports Chicago Breaking News.

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis has asked the public for help in identifying more of the teens involved in last week's violent brawl that left four teens injured and one, 16-year-old Derrion Albert, dead. At a press conference yesterday, Weis said, "Almost all of the offenders in this case were students, or were former students from [Fenger]. You kids know who they are. Please call in. You've got three people who probably need to be arrested because they had contact and struck Derrion." Weis added that he's asked for help from the U.S. Secret Service to aid in enhancing the available video of the brawl with hopes that it will make identification easier.

• The Tribune catches up with the elderly man who was involved in yesterday's shooting incident in the Loop.
• CPD Supt. Jody Weis wants the city to fight lawsuits brought against the police department rather than simply settle each one.
• Gov. Quinn has ordered the closing of Tinley Park's Howe Developmental Center.

     

The man shot dead by police during the incident in the Loop yesterday afternoon has been identified as 45-year-old Jacob Paul Stolarz. After yesterday's flurry of unconfirmed reports, here's what we now know:

A man arrested in connection with a string of Lincoln Park robberies has been released without charges being filed against him. The man, who was arrested earlier this week, had been picked up after a member of the public reported seeing a man resembling a police sketch of one of the suspects. While police said one victim had positively identified the man in a lineup, a Cook County assistant state's attorney cited a lack of evidence as why the man was not charged. Yesterday, Chicago Police superintendent Jody Weis said, "Hopefully, that will lead us somewhere. I am encouraged we have someone that is of interest, and he is speaking with us." [Sun-Times, Tribune]

It seems Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis got a bit ahead of himself with the new rule that would allow officers to shoot at the drivers and passengers of cars as they flee police. Yesterday, Michael Sneed reported a police department spokesman as saying the new rule would go into effect Monday. One problem: no one cleared this past the City Council which is, as the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman put it, "a no-no for any Chicago police superintendent." Instead, at yesterday's Council meeting Ald. Isaac Carothers, introduced an ordinance that would require the police department to get City Council approval before enacting any new policy related to deadly force, citing two cases that occurred in 1999 in which innocent civilians were shot by police: "Let's not forget what happened in the LaTanya Haggerty case, which cost the city a lot of money [$18 million], and the [Robert] Russ case, which cost an awful lot of money [$9.6 million] with police officers firing their weapons." The move was also announced without the approval of the police union, according to union president Mark Donahue. Mayor Daley himself later said nothing had changed yet and, They're just looking at it. If you have general orders that conflict with one another, you should look at it." [NBC 5, Sun-Times]

The Sun-Times resident City Gossip Queen is reporting this morning that Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis is enacting a new policy this weekend that allows police to shoot at the drivers and passengers of cars as they flee police. A police source told Sneed, "Officers were allowed to use deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person, but it didn't allow them to use force to apprehend a fleeing forcible felon. If confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers were simply told to get out of the way, unless they were put in great danger."

A year ago, the City was reeling from two jarring violent acts: the death of Chicago Police officer Richard Francis, killed in the line of duty, and a shoot-out in the Loop following the Taste of Chicago. And while there have certainly been outbreaks of violence this year, City officials are touting new numbers that show crime is down in 2009. The first six months of the year have seen a 10.4 percent decrease in crime and a 12.7 decrease in homicides (199 versus 229 last year). Embattled police superintendent Jody Weis said, "While our ultimate goal is to see the number zero for murders in Chicago, the 12.7 percent drop in homicides through June is a positive sign that our efforts to curb violence are having an impact."

At the end of this year, Chicago could be short 800 cops compared to last year the police union told the Sun-Times. The shortage is attributed to vacancies, attrition rates, and Mayor Daley’s 2009 budget which has significantly slowed down hiring. Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis told the Sun-Times last week that the CPD hopes to use federal grant money to hire 150 new officers this year. In the short term Weis will manage the officer shortage by shifting officers from desk jobs, or pay officers overtime with federal grants to cover the streets this summer.

After last year's shoot-out at the OK Corral in the Loop following the fireworks at the Taste of Chicago, and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis being raked over the coals for it, police aren't taking any chances this year and are upping security. According to Chicago Breaking News, some of the measures will include:

The city and the Chicago Police Department are still reeling from the shooting death of Chicago Police Officer Alejandro Valadez, the third officer killed in the line of duty in less than a year. Valadez was shot twice early Monday morning when responding with his partner to a report of shots fired in the Englewood neighborhood; he was in plain clothes and the shots were apparently fired from a passing car. Sources have reported that the car used in the shooting has already been found and police confirm they have been questioning two men in custody, though no charges have been filed.

Chicago Police reported Friday that there have been 108 murders in Chicago between January and April, a 19.4 percent drop from last year, which saw 134 murders during the same time frame. They have also recovered 421 more firearms and 49 more assault weapons than during this period last year. Total violent crime is down 2.8 percent overall, and property crime is down 9.6 percent. Police Superintendent Jody Weis attributes the decline to new crime reduction strategies. "With the summer fast approaching," Weis said in a press release from the police department, "we will look closely at the tactics which have made the streets safer and engage the community to help us continue in this direction."

After three officers were found not guilty of criminal charges on Tuesday, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis reinstated the jobs of five officers involved in a taped December 2006 bar fight at Jefferson Tap and Grille in the West Loop on Friday. Weis returned badges to the three officers who were defendants in the trial - Sgt. Jefferey Planey and Officers Paul Powers and Gregory Barnes - as well as two other officers who did not stand trial.

Deputy Police Supt. Dan Dugan wants the committee to be patient, as Weis is researching how realignment has taken place in other major cities and that it's a process that "can't be rushed." Police Committee Chairman Isaac Carothers (29th) wants Weis to act more quickly on the matter, otherwise Carothers says he will push a motion through City Council to force Weis to realign the beats by a certain date. Given that Weis has no problem ignoring orders from a federal judge, good luck with that, Alderman. [S-T, Trib]

The Chicago Police Department is busy making plans to step up curfew enforcement and to build its Mobile Strike Force. Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis boasted of a small drop in curfew violations in the first quarter of 2009 (4,569 as compared to 4,937 in the same time frame last year) and said a third unit of 50 officers would be added to the rotation of the Mobile Strike Force, with the officers being taken from each of the city's 25 districts. The plan isn't without its detractors as some officers complain that the specialized units actually have a negative effect on manpower, a claim Weis denies, pointing to a 36 percent drop in homicides in districts where the Mobile Strike Force has been operating. Weis also hopes to expand the Txt2Tip program, which allows students to anonymously text tips of possible crimes to police, though he admitted that of the 70 tips received in the programs early stages, none have panned out. [Tribune]

     

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.

A controversial proposal by South Side aldermen Anthony Beale (9th) and John Pope (10th), which would give security guards who patrol three commercial strips the right to write tickets for minor violations such as parking, loitering, littering and graffiti, has caught the ear of both Mayor Daley and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis. As Mayor Daley continues to tussle with the Fraternal Order of Police over contract negotiations and pay raises, he's expressing interest in the idea.

After last night's vote of no-confidence from 160 members of Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police, Mayor Daley today publicly defended Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis. Said the Mayor, "I supported Supt. Weis. He's done a tremendous job. He's a very good, honest superintendent. He has a difficult job. All superintendents have. He has great experience, great judgment." When asked if he still has the mayor's confidence, Daley responded, "Yes, he does, definitely." Daley went on to add, "When you're an outsider, people look at you as an outsider. He understands that. But he's out there, he's out there tremendously at night, working with the men and women in the police department. ... So he's very aware of his responsibility, and he takes it seriously."

While it will have no immediate effect on his tenure as Chicago Police Superintendent, the no-confidence vote that chief Jody Weis received from the "rank-and-file" officers yesterday is a sign of plummeting morale plaguing the Chicago Police Department. The 160 officers present unanimously supported the vote. At the meeting, Greg Bella, third vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, described the department as in a "complete meltdown" and added, "The current superintendent has neither [the respect of officers and better knowledge of the Police Department], and the citizens of Chicago are forced to suffer along with us." F.O.P President Mark Donahue said the vote was mainly due to concern from officers of Weis's support of them, telling WGN, "That could have an impact on the people of Chicago, because, as you say, there are still men and women who are going to go out there and do their jobs everyday, but, from what we're hearing, the men and women are beginning to second guess themselves and second guess their activities." The Fraternal Order of Police represents around 8,000 of the 13,500 sworn-in officers.

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis has relented and given a judge a list of all Chicago Police officers who have had five complaints (or more) cited against them since 2000. A judge hearing a lawsuit against a CPD officer for excessive force had originally asked Weis for the list, but Weis refused to hand it over, claiming it would harm the department; Mayor Daley backed him up. Yesterday, though, a federal judge held Weis in contempt of court and ordered he hand over the list before the morning of Monday, March 9.

A few weeks ago, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis refused to hand over to a judge a list of Chicago Police officers who have had five or more citizen complaints filed against them since 2000. The judge demanded the list in connection to a lawsuit against a current officer for using excessive force. Mayor Daley publicly sided with Weis, saying of the officers on the list, "These are public servants. I believe [Weis] is doing the right thing.” But now a federal judge is holding Weis in contempt of court for his refusal and ordered Weis to release the list by 8:45 a.m. Monday morning. Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department, said, "It wasn't a surprise to us. We expected, based on the circumstances, this was a possible outcome. We are working with Supt. Weis and the police department to determine how we will respond to this.”

Days after the final report on The Vincent Richardson Affair was turned in, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis finally addressed the media. In all, seven officers are charged with rule violations as a result of 14-year-old Richardson successfully fooling everyone and masquerading as a cop for a few hours. The punishment for the seven could range from a verbal warning all the way up to a firing, but that won't be determined until after another investigation is completed. Said Weis, "That an individual was able to impersonate a police officer for an extended period of time is both angering and a deep cause for concern. This is an issue of safety, both for the officers as well as the public."

Mayor Daley has voiced his support for Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis' decision to rebuke an order from a judge to turn over a list of police officers who have had five or more citizen complaints filed against them since 2000. Weis was to turn the list over to the court as part of a lawsuit against the city accusing a police officer of using excessive force and making a false arrest. Weis refused, saying that handing the list over would, "compromise officers’ performance, threaten safety, reduce morale and improperly impugn many officers’ otherwise well-deserved good reputations.” Today, Mayor Daley said, “They have been thoroughly reviewed. Those people should not come under scrutiny of any lawyer…These are public servants. I believe [Weis] is doing the right thing.”

The Chicago Police Department's Internal Affairs division has completed its investigation into the Vincent Richardson affair, the case of the 14-year-old teen cop impersonator. Tina Skahill, chief of the Internal Affairs Division, said, “We did find evidence that department members — at least five — violated department rules and regulations." The full report won't be released to the public until CPD superintendent Jody Weis has a chance to review it himself. Investigators interviewed witnesses and examined surveillance footage as part of

Despite an order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis will not release a list of officers who have had five or more citizen complaints filed against them since 2000. Judge Valdez made the order due to a current lawsuit against the city accusing a police officer of using excessive force and making a false arrest.

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.

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."