RESGISTER!

Former Chicago cop makes get-out-of-jail plea

December 9, 2008 – 8:32 am

By Chuck Goudie, ABC Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) — A former Chicago cop who secretly worked for the Chicago mob says enough is enough: he should be released from jail.

He is Anthony Doyle who was convicted of aiding and abetting the outfit in Operation Family Secrets.

One-time cop Anthony Doyle hasn’t even been sentenced yet, but according to a motion filed late on Monday by his lawyers, he’s been punished enough by waiting 15 months at the federal lockup for his court date. HA! Poor little thing.

When the Family Secrets mob trial started, Anthony “Twan” Doyle was portrayed as a poor city sanitation laborer who worked his way up to the Chicago Police Department.

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By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Criminality, Douchebaggery, Legal Issues, Police Misconduct | Tagged | Comments (0)

Chicago Cops Drug Protection Racket… Are You Really That Suprised?

December 8, 2008 – 6:47 pm

Although it sounds just like the script of a classic police movie, FBI agents tricked 15 Illinois law enforcement officers on Tuesday and caught them providing protection for drug traffickers in suburban Chicago. The FBI sting ended with the law enforcement officers being charged with numerous counts which included being remunerated for providing armed protection for drug dealing operations and for high-stakes gambling.

Two of the charged officers helped an undercover FBI agent unload and deliver duffel bags which contained drugs. The bags had been flown in on a private plane.
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By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Big Brother, Douchebaggery, Police Misconduct | Tagged | Comments (0)

Police Union to Pay Burge Attorneys

December 5, 2008 – 12:35 pm

The board of the Chicago police union is offering to help pay the legal bills for former police commander Jon Burge.

In a written statement released by the Fraternal Order of Police, Union President Mark Donahue says Jon Burge has been unfairly labelled the “poster child” for police misconduct in Chicago. The statement says the union doesn’t condone the actions that have been alleged but goes on to say there has never been solid evidence to convict Burge on torture allegations. Special prosecutors who looked into the matter found torture did occur in the 1970s and 80s but they didn’t bring charges because too much time had passed. More recently federal prosecutors did bring criminal charges against Burge for lying about the torture in court papers in 2003. Donahue says those charges are politically motivated. He says the case pits the word of convicted criminals against the word of a police officer. And the statement ends quote, “the FOP will stand with the Police Officer every time.”

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By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Douchebaggery, Lazy Politicians, Legal Issues, Police Torture | Tagged | Comments (0)

Fraternal Order of Police to pay for Jon Burge’s defense of federal perjury charges

December 5, 2008 – 12:18 pm

Lawyer bill for federal case could reach $1 million

By David Heinzmann and Steve Mills | Tribune reporters

December 5, 2008

The union representing Chicago’s police officers has decided to pay for the criminal defense of indicted former detective Cmdr. Jon Burge, who is facing federal prosecution, accused of lying about torturing suspects, Fraternal Order of Police officials confirmed Thursday.

Burge, 60, was indicted in October on perjury and obstruction charges that say he lied to federal authorities about the alleged torture of suspects in his custody during the 1980s and 1990s. He was fired in 1993 amid mounting allegations of torture, but had never charged criminally.

FOP President Mark Donahue confirmed that the union board voted Tuesday to provide funds for Burge’s defense. But Donahue declined to comment further Thursday, saying he would have a more complete statement on the issue Friday.

Referring to the FOP board’s decision, Burge, who lives in Florida, said, “I don’t have anything to do with what they vote.”

Burge was facing a potential million-dollar bill for his defense. While city lawyers have handled his defense in civil lawsuits, they would have no role in a criminal defense.

Lawsuits connected to the Burge scandal have cost the city $30 million in settlements.

Lawyer Flint Taylor, who has represented several men allegedly tortured by Burge, said, “It’s outrageous that [the FOP is] going to spend another million dollars to defend a known torturer after they defended him 15 years ago when he was fired.”

Burge was indicted two years after a lengthy and expensive investigation by a special Cook County prosecutor concluded that he and his officers coerced dozens of confessions by torturing criminal suspects. But the investigation also found that no one could be criminally charged for the torture because statutes of limitations for the abuse had long passed.

Federal authorities, however, charged Burge because he denied the torture in connection with federal lawsuits, not the decades-old torture itself.

That amounted to perjury and obstruction of justice, prosecutors contend.

dheinzmann@tribune.com

smmills@tribune.com

By Midnightlady | Posted in Civil Issues, Legal Issues, Police Misconduct | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Digital Warrants in Cook County Illinois Circuit Court Slashes Warrant Processing Expenditures by Up to 90 Percent

December 4, 2008 – 9:11 am

New electronic warrant process dramatically reduces time and costs in the world’s second largest unified court system

PRNewswire/ — DigitalBridge(SM), the leader in protected information sharing technologies and solutions for digital ecosystems, today announced that it is deploying its Digital Warrants(TM) solution in two additional Cook County, Illinois, suburban court districts, following the tremendous success in Cook County Circuit Court District One, Branch Court 29, serving Chicago, and Districts Five and Six. The technology solution promises to transform the judicial process, by allowing critical information to be shared between stakeholders, so justice is dispensed more rapidly, accurately, securely and at dramatically lower taxpayer expense.

Digital Warrants is a solution which makes the manual warrant process electronic. The process, which has typically taken several days and costs over $260 per warrant in Cook County, now takes less than 20 minutes and costs the court only $25 per warrant. In 2005, Cook County Circuit Court reportedly processed approximately 49,000 warrants, costing over $13 million. Through Digital Warrants, expenditures for processing those warrants would have cost merely $1.3 million, a 90 percent reduction in cost to taxpayers.

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By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Big Brother | Tagged | Comments (0)

Drowning lawsuit blames Chicago police

December 3, 2008 – 6:11 pm

Officer allegedly stopped bystanders from trying to save boy

Tribune staff report

A relative of a 5-year-old who drowned last summer after falling off a rock ledge at Jackson Park Harbor sued Chicago police, alleging that an officer prevented bystanders from trying to rescue the boy.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, contended that the officer threatened to arrest bystanders who were “suitably qualified” to attempt a rescue of Ronald Evans Jr. in July.

If the good Samaritans had been allowed to enter Lake Michigan, “they could and would have rescued” the boy, the suit said.

By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Police Misconduct | Comments (0)

Man is shot by police in Riverdale neighborhood

December 1, 2008 – 8:46 am

If you are a friend or family member of the victim or have any further details please email contact@chicagocopwatch.org.

Chicago Tribune

Chicago police shot and wounded a man in the 600 block of East 131st Street early Sunday, officials said. He was in stable condition at an area hospital.

The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the incident, but few details were released Sunday about the 1:10 a.m. shooting.

A police statement said officers “were confronted by an armed offender,” and that “an officer discharged his weapon and the offender was struck… A handgun was recovered at the scene.”

By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in police shooting | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Man with weapon shot by cops

November 30, 2008 – 10:46 am

Chicago police shot and wounded a man during a confrontation early this morning at the Altgeld Gardens housing complex on the city’s Far South Side.

The shooting occurred about 1:10 a.m. on the 600 block of East 131st Street (map / crime stats for this neighborhood), according to a Chicago Police Department news release.

Officers were confronted by a man armed with a weapon, and one officer shot and wounded the man, the release said. The man, who was not identified, was taken to an area hospital; the news release described him as being in stable condition.

A handgun was found at the scene, according to the release.

The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting, the release said.

For more concise news and information about the Altgeld Gardens public housing complex visit http://www.AltgeldGardens.net

By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Police Misconduct, police shooting | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Officer shot, killed man who refused to put down gun, cops say

November 28, 2008 – 3:43 pm

By David Heinzmann (Chicago Tribune)

A Chicago police tactical officer shot a man dead Tuesday morning when he responded to a domestic violence call on the South Side, police said.

The Grand Crossing District officer arrived about 11 a.m. to find the man wielding a gun in the middle of a dispute with a woman and another man, police said.

The man, identified as Sterling Oliver by the Cook County medical examiner’s office, is alleged to have refused to put down his weapon when confronted by the officer.

The officer shot the man in the gangway of the house in the 6800 block of South Langley Avenue.

Oliver, 25, of the 700 block of East 69th Street, was pronounced dead at the scene about 11:30 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

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By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in In The News, Police Misconduct | Tagged | Comments (0)

New police unit to target gang activity

November 24, 2008 – 9:59 am

Joel Hood, Tribune staff report

Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis on Saturday unveiled a citywide gang-enforcement strategy to root out crime in gang-infested neighborhoods and reduce the city’s soaring homicide rate.

Leo Schmitz, the Police Department’s acting commander of gang investigations, will lead a gang enforcement unit of about 400 officers who will target violent neighborhoods where gang activity occurs. Putting the gang-response units under a central command is a critical part of the restructuring because warfare often crosses jurisdictional lines, Weis said.

The new organization will allow for a quicker exchange of information and resources and enable officers to better target neighborhoods where gangs are prevalent, Weis said.

“All city gang teams will fall under one leader, creating a leaner, more agile operation,” he said, calling gang activity the most serious threat in Chicago.

Weis estimated there are 75,000 gang members in Chicago, a group responsible for more than 50 percent of all killings. There have been about 474 homicides in Chicago this year, a nearly 20 percent spike from 2007.

By Chicago Cop Watch | Posted in Big Brother, In The News, Lazy Politicians | Tagged | Comments (0)