Amid Sex Harassment Scandal, Poor Working Conditions Calumet Park Police Say They Are Fed Up
CALUMET PARK (CBS) -- Controlling, intimidating and a dictator.
Those just some of the words used by Calumet Park police officers to describe their own chief.
And they want him out, CBS 2's Charlie DeMar reports.
The colorful holiday decorations outside the Calumet Park police station apparently much different than morale inside. Police officers wrote a letter to the mayor on Friday, saying they don't have confidence in their police chief
Along Ashland avenue, the advertisements for slots blow in the wind and light up the windows at the Days Inn. It's where village leaders piled into a ballroom Friday night, joining Mayor Ronald Denson for a holiday party--food catered by Corkys.
But hours before the drinks flowed, sources say the mayor was handed a vote of no confidence letter, signed by the Calumet Park patrol officers and their union, taking aim at police chief Kenneth Mann.
The officers are calling into question his "integrity, character, knowledge, and lack of leadership skills."
The letter raises specific concerns with the department's training and resources saying, "Officers are forced to work more hours than required by law." The letter states the department has defective patrol vehicles, broken radios and outdated bulletproof vests.
Then there is the controversy behind this anonymous sexual misconduct complaint sent to Chief Mann.
It accuses his assistant chief Kurtissa Curtis of sexual misconduct with subordinates--and retaliatory behavior. She made more than $106,000 in 2017 as a sergeant, according to Better Government association data
She's on leave pending an internal investigation.
The village attorney was unaware of the no confidence vote letter this afternoon. The mayor was unavailable when we called his office.
The village attorney says he expects the internal investigation into the assistant chief of police to wrap up in the coming weeks and charges are possible.