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The city's LGBT community (in addition to, ya know, people who don't dig police misconduct) received good news Thursday when it was announced Officer Richard Fiorito has been placed on desk duty pending the resolution of 20-some federal lawsuits alleging his misconduct.
As we previously reported here last month, Fiorito has been accused of framing lesbian and gay motorists for DUI charges, in addition to physically assaulting and verbally harassing them. His continued service on the streets of the oh-so-gay 23rd District amid the charges had been met with outcries from the community. A subcommittee of LGBT residents passed a resolution urging discipline toward the officer in late August.
The CPD had not made much action on the charges, first filed in March, until a press conference Tuesday. There, attorneys representing the plaintiffs released a video, shot from Fiorito's squad car, showing Fiorito giving a field sobriety test to an alleged drunk driver. According to the Windy City Times, though the man in the video, Michael Vaughn, appears to have passed the test, he was arrested anyway.
While the Gay Liberation Network (GLN), the LGBT activist org behind the campaign to remove Fiorito from the streets, recognized the CPD's move as a success, they noted their work on the case was unfinished. In a press release, GLN co-founder Andy Thayer said:
"While we savor this victory, it's important to note that removing Fiorito's policing powers is only a first step -- he is still getting full pay, still is employed by the City, and still is not under arrest despite plenty of probable cause evidence of criminal wrongdoing."
The demand for continued action against Fiorito will be the subject of a community march in Boystown on Sat., Oct. 17, beginning at 7 p.m. at the 7-11, 3407 N. Halsted.
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The evidence against Fiorito still seems a bit thin. Was that driver on the video--the video that alledgly shows no problem with the driver--slurring his speech? There is no way for us to tell.
Also, if Fiorito is such a menace, why is there only ONE case with video evidence against Fiorito? Please note that the other DUI arrestees might not be the most honest of citizens.
DUI offenders can lie, you know.
I have not read the related coverage to know whether this is mentioned anywhere, but when did ignorance ever stop any of us?
Do any of these offenders have breathalyzers on file, or were they charged solely on the basis of field sobriety tests? This should not be something we have to debate.
Innocent until proven guilty, obviously...
But *20* some Federal Lawsuits for misconduct? That doesn't happen without *something* being wrong, be it actual misconduct or a very poor relationship with the people on your beat.
Where there's smoke, there may not be fire... but there's something making the smoke.
Ok so why if he hate "the gay"--is he working in 23? He can easily transfer to another area? Hmmm....shady.
Ward Up, there *is* a way for us to tell... here's the dashboard video:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/station/as-seen-on/Fiorito_Dash_Cam_Video_Chicago.html
It has audio. It doesn't sound to me like he's slurring his speech. He's not wobbly at all. He walks a line pretty well. He stands on one leg well, too. The guy looks pretty damn sober to me.
But that isn't the only issue. The other issue is that allegedly, the description in the Officer's *written* report doesn't match what's on the video. That's a big problem.
Dave, point well made. I now think that this cop needs to be looked at very closely.