Two Cops Sue Weis For Defamation

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 27, 2010 2:30PM

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis must be counting down the days until his contract is up, so he can get the hell out of Dodge. Two of the cops he suspended in connection to an alleged police brutality incident earlier this month are now suing Weis for defamation of character.

Although they weren't mentioned by name, officers Lynn Meuris and Jason Vanna are claiming that Weis slandered them by having them escorted from the Gresham District, where they're tactical unit members, to Police Headquarters, "escorted past a group of reporters and news cameras through the front entrance and to the Internal Affairs Division where they were officially stripped of their police powers.” The two, through their attorney, also claim that Weis's comments that keeping the suspended officers on the streets would be a risk to both themselves and the Department were defamatory. The attorney claims that even though Meuris and Vanna were not mentioned by name, Weis's mention during the Oct. 18 press conference of the district they worked at could have outed their identities to the tight-knit police community and even the public.

Both Meuris and Vanna have had their badges restored; a GPS device in their squad car showed they were not at 79th and Vincennes when the beating occurred Oct. 11.