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"Law enforcement officials at all levels, from the detectives who investigate cases to the superintendent, as well as the state's attorney's office, have failed to properly police the police." Wow. The Trib goes all out today with a massive story about police shootings, and it's extremely critical of the CPD. According to the story, "More than 100 people have been killed in the last decade; 250 others have been injured. But only a tiny fraction of shootings are ruled unjustified — less than 1 percent, police records and court testimony indicate." The story looks at the shortcomings of the investigation process, from its lack of transparency to its "hasty," not recorded roundtable sessions.
Addressing the problems isn't easy for a lot of reasons, one of which is that " [p]olice and prosecutors are 'on the same team,'" so not only do police officers not want to investigate each other, but prosecutors don't want to bring charges against them. Prosecutors do bring charges against the civilians who've been shot, though, and sometimes those charges are bogus. What the story doesn't mention is that some people shot by the police probably were committing crimes at the time they were shot — isn't that why the police were interacting with them in the first place? At least sometimes? While getting shot and getting arrested all in one night does mean you're having the worst day ever, it doesn't necessarily mean the police have done something wrong or vindictive.
Not that there aren't times when the police do things wrong. There are cases of police officers destroying evidence in officer shootings (that's when evidence is collected in the first place). Trib reporters uncovered "examples ranging from investigators misrepresenting witness statements to inaccurately reporting autopsy results to delaying for several hours Breathalyzer tests for officers suspected of being drunk," even a car being destroyed.
Are you listening, Jody Weis? We know you're not official yet, but pretty soon you're going to have to earn that $300K paycheck.
Photo by Caribb.
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hey spook
Only 1% of police shooting are unjustified that has to make you feel better. See I shouldnt have to defend the police they are doing an excellant job.
Fed: I agree--most cops are not bad apples.
That said, I know this is true: The CPD and the mayor's office go out of their way to protect those bad apples. Little accountability, little transparency.
And, based on the lack of public trust and confidence in the police in many neighborhoods, including good ones on the North Side--a situation that's gotten worse--I am not ready to say the police are doing an excellent job. See, I believe that even in a city that is extremely difficult to police--Chicago, for instance--one job of the police is to gain public trust and confidence, if only to have community help when it comes to fighting crime. It's like the free market: The customers (who pay for the police, after all) are fed up, and the customers usually are right.
No, I am not a gangbanger or bullshit artist posting as a minister nor a fan of Jackson, Sharpton, et al or even a shaggy-haired leftist. I am a law-abiding professional who has no trust nor respect for the Chicago cops.
Fed, yes most cops are good and I'm exceptionally proud of my district the 14th. Its called being able to be fair and objective, which you seem to be unable to do with the police, and check out Mary Mitchell's column today about the "married fat ugly CPD Sergeant with a Hitler mustache" who rapped a crack head while being on the clock. his DNA was on his baton and on the condom he left, so he changed history to it was consensual sex at an abandoned building. And after she pressed charges, other cops arrested her! And they kept that suck on payroll for years!
matilda and spook,
My above post was ment in jest. I am sorry I did such a poor job. To say over a 10 year period that less than 1% was not correct of anything is suspect. As a rule I dont read the sun times. Was it hard to call someone else ugly and write check out Mary Mitchell or were you laughing when you wrote that.
Fed, I skim both the suntimes and the Tribe, but more rely on the NY Times. Just check out the article that I quoted from and you will get it, or course you will probably side with the cop