Chicago Cop Investigated For Fake 911 Call
NILES, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) -- A Chicago Police officer reportedly is under investigation for allegedly making a fake 911 call.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports, Niles police Chief Dean Strzelecki said one of his officers pulled over an off-duty Chicago Police officer on Nov. 5 of last year for speeding.
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The Niles officer smelled alcohol on the Chicago officer, and the Chicago officer admitted he'd had a "couple of drinks," Strzelecki said.
But the Niles officer did not administer a field sobriety test when he pulled over the Chicago officer shortly after 2 a.m. that morning. He instead gave the Chicago officer a warning, and told him to park his car and either walk home or catch a cab.
But the Chicago officer did not accept his lucky break, authorities said. Instead, he allegedly made a bogus 911 call about a fight at a nearby bar.
The Niles officer left the scene to investigate, but when he got there, he realized the call was phony, Strzelecki said.
The Niles officer — whose in-car video camera recorded the incident — is not in trouble for giving the off-duty cop a break, Strzelecki said.
"We don't just do this for cops," he said. "I tell my coppers 'use your discretion.' ... I am sure if he (the off-duty officer) was falling all over himself, there would have been a different outcome ... Sometimes my cops even drive people home."
A source confirmed the Chicago Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into the allegations against the off-duty cop, who is a tactical officer in the Jefferson Park District on the Northwest Side. The officer has remained on active duty during the investigation, the source said.
The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire
