Sex Assault Case Against Two Cops Now Hot Police Department Meme

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 25, 2011 2:00PM

The police report filed by a North side woman accusing 2 Town Hall District officers with sexually assaulting her last month has apparently taken on the life of a Penthouse Forum letter to other officers within the department, and it's attracted the attention of Internal Affairs officers. More than 1,000 police officers could face disciplinary action for using department computers to access the report.

A memo sent out by Internal Affairs last Wednesday throughout the department said that accessing the report for personal use or other reasons was prohibited and a misuse of department equipment. They also recommended that officers who accessed the report be given a written reprimand that would stay in their personnel files for a year. Guess a slap on the wrist was too harsh.

Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Maureen Biggane confirmed that IA was investigating who accessed the report. Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden countered that those who accessed the report did nothing wrong.

“Police officers use those computers on a daily basis, looking at various arrest reports,” he said. “It’s just a basic part of the job and it’s not misuse of department equipment.” Camden said the department could have blocked access to the reports, but didn’t.

Unless more than 1.000 officers are being assigned to this case, Camden is going above and beyond the call in defending his rank-and-file here.