Daley: Conduct Of Accused Officers Is 'Unacceptable'
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis did the right thing by stripping six officers and a sergeant of their police powers because one of them stands accused of punching a suspect in handcuffs as the others "watched," Mayor Daley said Tuesday.
"That's unacceptable conduct. That's unacceptable here or anyplace else. . . . I'm glad the superintendent did what is necessary," Daley told reporters after dedicating a $10 million campus park at Marshall Metro High School at 3250 W. Adams.
But the sergeant accused of beating the suspect doesn't appear to have done anything wrong, according to his attorney, Robert Kuzas, who spoke to him after he was stripped of his police powers Friday.
"This is the superintendent's office putting the cart before the horse without any investigation," Kuzas said.
Daley told reporters today that a "young person was handcuffed and . . . police officers watched it and someone went over and punched him in the jaw. The superintendent immediately suspended [them] — all . . . who watched it and the individual [who] punched the individual who was handcuffed."
A source close to the officers said Tuesday that the suspect had tried to spit on the sergeant, who "moved" the suspect's face to avoid getting hit with saliva.
Kuzas said the sergeant and officers have not been interviewed by police authorities or the Independent Police Review Authority, the civilian agency that investigates allegations of police misconduct. The other officers are accused of failing to report the alleged abuse and for failing to intervene.
The police superintendent held a news conference Friday to announce he had placed an officer on desk duty while authorities investigate allegations about a possible beating of a suspect while in custody. A police spokesman later Friday said the officer was a sergeant, but provided no details.
Weis said he learned of the incident Friday when he was notified by the independent authority.
The department announced Monday that six more officers were pulled off the street in connection with the investigation.
The department and Kuzas refused to identify the sergeant or the other six officers.
Kuzas said he didn't think the sergeant has been disciplined in the past. Kuzas declined to discuss specifics of the incident, except to say it happened at night on Oct. 11 near 79th and Vincennes after the sergeant responded to a disturbance call.
The department has been mum about what happened.
Daley might be pleased with the superintendent's swift action, but Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue isn't.
Donahue, who led a demonstration against Weis last month, accused the superintendent of a rush to judgment that stacks the deck against the accused officers.
"These people don't even have the allegations, and yet, they're detailed to the call-back'' center where officers are reassigned while awaiting pending disciplinary action, Donahue said.
"The actions of the superintendent are irresponsible. It's so early in the investigation to take these kinds of steps. If there are allegations, the officers involved are supposed to be notified and have an opportunity to respond before any action is taken. Instead, he took it upon himself to discipline these officers."
A career FBI agent, Weis took office in early 2008. He was hired by Daley to restore public confidence in the Chicago Police Department, which was severely shaken by allegations of barroom brawls and a scandal in the now-disbanded Special Operations Section.
Since then, allegations of police brutality have largely disappeared from the radar screen — until now. At his news conference Friday, Weis spoke out against the latest incident.
"This conduct, if true, is inexcusable and is completely out of the line of the standard of professionalism with which our members are expected to conduct themselves," Weis said.
"We will also determine whether any other Chicago Police Department members witnessed the incident and what actions, if any, they took. . . . If members are found to have neglected action or to have failed to report the incident, appropriate and swift actions will be taken."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
