Weis Strikes Back

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 13, 2010 2:20PM

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis has apparently had his fill of criticisms and is now lashing out at those who've knocked him. With the odds of him keeping his job growing even dimmer by the day now that Mayor Daley won't seek reelection - not that they were good to begin with - and with thousands of officers planning to protest his leadership on Wednesday, Weis is lashing out at those who have taken shots at him. Weis has taken the Drew Peterson route, writing a lengthy letter to the Sun-Times in which he defends the job he's done - "I have worked hard to repair that trust." - and takes a shot at the CPD union:

Despite the scandals, Fraternal Order of Police leaders "believe that the way 'the department is supposed to be run' was to continue 'business as usual,'" Weis wrote.

The issue of morale in the CPD under Weis has been at odds for a long time; this won't be the first time police have protested Weis. Not helping matters for Weis? That recent pow-wow with gang leaders, a fluctuating murder rate, and the deaths of eight police officers since he took over. Weis made the unusual offer of taking a pay cut to help keep his position, but it's very likely he'll be without a job with a new mayor coming in and a number of high-profile violent crimes, such as incidents at the Taste of Chicago, the triple murder of Jennifer Hudson's family, and the violent beating death of Darrion Albert (indicative of a spread of violence among Chicago Public School students) tarnishing Weis' image.