Results tagged “chicagopolice”

In a sense, the chatter over the death of Chicago Public Schools Board of Education President Michael Scott seems to be almost deafening. But we have to realize it's been only a little over two days since his body was found on the water's edge of the Chicago River; to expect a full set of answers in such a short time span is completely unrealistic. But that hasn't kept the speculation from churning, even as friends and family still try to make sense of his shocking death. At the heart of all of this is what the Tribune has labeled "a rift" between the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. On Monday afternoon, as police continued their investigation, the ME's office declared Scott's death a suicide by a "contact-range, through-and-through gunshot wound to his head," according to CCME Nancy Lynne Jones at a press conference. The rare press conference from a Medical Examiner was a defensive move as police have urged patience while they continue to investigate the circumstances around his death. His untimely death has also shown a spotlight on a few other items, including a recent probe into his usage of his board credit card, though it's reported he had already begun paying off the rather small amount ($3,000) on it.

A police board held a hearing today to determine whether or not Anthony Abbate will remain an officer with the Chicago Police Department. While Abbate has been relieved of duties without pay, FOX 32 reports he's still technically a member of the police force. As part of the hearing, Abbate testified but pled the Fifth nearly 100 times.

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:

We'll admit, we're excited to see the new television show that follows Steven Seagal as he works with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department in Louisiana (the western suburbs of New Orleans). But what if a similar reality show featured our own Chicago Police Department? Would we watch? Yeah, we would. While no celebrity is involved, Chicago's resident gossip monger Michael Sneed is reporting this morning that the CPD is this close to reaching a deal with A&E to produce the show, Missing Persons: Chicago. CPD Superintendent Jody Weis has given the green light on his end but still needs approval from the City Council, including the Council's Police Committee, which will take up the issue in two weeks. The show is being put together by Chicago native Gary Sherman who has brought us such cinematic masterpieces as "Vice Squad."

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.

• A barricade situation on the city's West Side was peacefully resolved this afternoon.
• An off-duty Chicago Police officer was killed in an early morning car crash on the Kennedy Expressway.
• Kirk Dillard got an endorsement in his race for governor from former governor Jim Edgar.

An incident in South Lawndale ended with police shooting a man after he allegedly pointed a gun at them. Officers responded to a call of shots fired and saw a vehicle fleeing the scene. The car was stopped by police and that's when the man is alleged to have pointed a gun at officers who, in turn, shot the man, who was last reported in stable condition. No officers were hurt. The Independent Police Review Authority is reviewing the case. [CBS 2]

We mentioned last week that an off-duty police officer was accused of attacking a CTA bus driver. The bus driver, Ricardo Mendoza, has filed a lawsuit against the city and the officer, Sgt. Thomas O'Grady, for damages over $1 million. WBBM 780 has more information on the story and CBS 2 has the surveillance footage of the attack.

    

Come October 1, you'll notice fewer police cars near the Obama family's South Side home. the Chicago Police Department announced they would be ending their security details at the home after ongoing discussions with the Secret Service. However, spokesman Roderick Drew said the CPD will still have some sort of presence at the house. According to the Tribune, the CPD has spent $2.2 million (through July of this year) on the security detail at the house of which $1.5 million will be reimbursed.

A nurse at Illinois Masonic has filed a lawsuit against a police officer and the city of Chicago claiming the officer arrested her when she didn't collect a blood sample from a suspected drunken driver, according to Chicago Breaking News. The lawsuit states a city police officer named Rodriguez asked Lisa Hofstra, the head nurse in charge of the emergency room the morning of August 1st, to take a blood sample from a man to determine his blood-alcohol level. Apparently Hofstra asked Rodriguez to wait until she could consult with her supervisor because it was against hospital protocol to take a blood sample from someone who was not admitted as a patient. Before the supervisor could respond, the officer cuffed Hofstra and put her in the back of a squad car for about 45 minutes before she was released from custody.

To our friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah, L'shana tova!

A Chicago Police officer is in hot water for allegedly attacking a CTA bus driver over the weekend after an incident of "bike rage." According to a report, the officer - who was off-duty - was riding his bike in the Loop when he was cut off by a No.62 bus. The officer became angered by this and apparently boarded the bus near the intersection of State and Monroe and attacked the bus driver. The driver was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital while two police officers who happened to be on-board the bus arrested the off-duty officer for the attack. A spokesperson for the Independent Police Review Authority told WBBM 780 simply, “Its under investigation." [WBBM 780]

• Anne Lockett, the ex-girlfriend of Brown's Chicken Massacre defendant James Degorski, testified against Degorski at his trial today.
• WBEZ takes a look at the case of Devon Young, a 25-year-old man shot and killed by police in June 2008, and the seeming lack of a police investigation into the shooting.
• The Trib talks to Patti Blagojevich.

A new crosswalk sting kicks off tonight, aimed at ticketing drivers who risk pedestrian lives. The Chicago Police department has done similar stings in the past, but this one is different: it's during night-time hours. Officials told the Tribune the four main areas they're focusing on this go-around are River North, Austin, Wrigleyville and 79th Street from about Ashland to the Dan Ryan Expressway. Failure to yield to crossing pedestrians will get you a ticket that can range from $50 to $500, so beware and follow the law.

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]

• Two Chicago Police officers were shot today while trying to execute a warrant on the Southeast Side. Each officer was shot in a leg and both were reported in good condition.
• The police shooting followed last night's violent six hour window which saw four killed and eight wounded in shootings.
• Gov. Quinn has joined the fray over Burr Oak Cemetery, appointing a task force to look at cemetery operations state-wide.

The Saga of the Teen Cop Impersonator has finally come to a conclusion. We think. The 15-year-old teen that impersonated a police officer earlier this year has been sentenced to three years probation. The teen, who was 14 when he was arrested for the impersonation, appeared in juvenile court today where Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Berman handed down the sentence and offered this stern warning: "One of the things that you have done, and have been very candid about, is you like to manipulate other people and situations. That's going to stop right now. You are not going to manipulate me. If you mess up with this probation ... to say nothing of if you get arrested, that's it. Next stop is the Department of Corrections."

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."

It appears that Chicago Police Department's efforts to increase security at this year's Taste of Chicago is working: a man was arrested as he attempted to bring a loaded gun into the festival on Saturday. Police said they were "acting on a tip" when they found a "9mm handgun on Shrome D. George," according to the Tribune. The 25-year-old Michigan City, Ind. resident has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and other weapons charges; he has a bond hearing today.

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:

In 1989 Juan Johnson, then 19, was arrested for murdering a rival gang member with a two-by-four outside a nightclub in Humboldt Park. He was later convicted and sentenced to a 30-year prison term and served eleven and a half years before he was acquitted in 2004. On Monday, Johnson was awarded $21 million in compensatory damages which is the largest award for wrongful conviction in Chicago history according to Chicago Breaking News.

Chicago Police answered a call of a break-in at Whittier Elementary School early this morning and discovered a pair of boys, 13 and 14 years old, inside. The 14-year-old then allegedly pointed a gun at police who shot the boy in the leg. According to reports, the boy did not fire on police and the other teen did not have a weapon. Per the Sun-Times:

A man carrying, among other things, a loaded gun and a fake security badge was arrested yesterday by police at the Central/Lake Green line stop. The badge had a fake business and phone number listed on it. Police made the discovery after conducting an interview with the man and asking for proper identification that would allow him to carry the loaded weapon at the train stop. From NBC 5:

Over a thousand Chicago Police officers gathered at a funeral home in Oak Lawn yesterday to honor officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez, the 27-year-old officer who died this week after being shot while on duty. Officer Tom Delgado told the Sun-Times, "There was a lot of sorrow, but it was also a celebration of how the CPD family can come together to support one of its own." Valadez was shot early Monday morning when he and his partner answered a call of shots fired in the Englewood neighborhood where they are based. Shots were then fired from a nearby car, striking Valadez multiple times; he died Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, two men - Kevin Walker, 21, and Shawn Gaston, 20 - are each being held on charges of first-degree murder of a peace officer, one count of first-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder. The Tribune has pictures of yesterday's wake.

Yesterday afternoon, Chicago Police arrested two men in connection with the Monday shooting death of police officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez and charged each with one count of first-degree murder of a peace officer, one count of first-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder.

Before we continue with the post, we invite you to first re-watch the surveillance tape video that's been repeatedly shown across the country over the last 2+ years.

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.

A sad end to a story from earlier today: the Chicago Police officer who was shot responding to a call this morning has died as a result of his injuries. According to Police Supt. Jody Weis, Alejandro "Alex" Valadez, 27, died about 2:40 p.m. this afternoon. He had been with the department for about three years. The Sun-Times and Chicago Breaking News have more details.

The case of a Chicago Police officer who was caught on tape beating a Chicago bartender finally gets underway today. 12-year CPD vet Anthony Abbate stands accused in the February 2007 beating of Karolina Obrycka at Jesse's Short Stop Inn, a beating that was caught by the bar's surveillance camera. Abbate allegedly attacked Obrycka after she refused to continue serving him drinks. If this is the first you've heard of the case in a while, it's because the presiding judge, Circuit Judge John J. Fleming, issued a gag order in the case last May. Abbate faces 15 felony counts of aggravated battery in a public place, communication with a witness, intimidation, conspiracy and official misconduct which could add up to five years in jail if convicted

An on-duty Chicago police officer was critically injured this morning when he was shot in the head. The incident happened just after midnight in the West Englewood neighborhood. According to Supt. Weis, the officer and his partner were investigating a report of shots fired when they were shot at by gunmen in a car; the injured officer was hit once in the leg and once in the head. The officer was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County where at last report this morning, he was is critical condition. Weis wouldn't say much more other than that police had, "some very good investigative leads." Police found a vehicle they think may have been used in the shooting. Another officer was injured last week when he was involved in a multiple-car wreck on his way to investigate a burglary. [Tribune, Sun-Times]