Police Misconduct Complaints Down Under Weis
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The number of misconduct complaints filed against Chicago Police officers is down.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bob Conway reports, police Supt. Jody Weis was appointed in 2007, in the wake of scandals, most infamously the videotape that showed off-duty Officer Anthony Abbate brutally beating a female bartender.
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Weis said a crackdown on officer misconduct would be a top priority.
But according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Weis has filed only 62 disciplinary cases with the police Disciplinary Board since he officially took office in 2008, compared to 106 cases from 2005 to 2008.
The difference is nearly 42 percent.
Some observers wonder if Weis put the brakes on disciplinary cases to boost morale.
Rank-and-file officers have said morale dropped after Weis took office, particularly after he subjected Officer Bill Cozzi to a new federal prosecution and prison time after the officer had already been convicted and sentenced to probation for beating a man in a wheelchair.
In a scathing criticism of Weis in a blog posting last year, Lt. John Andrews said officers feared similar reprisals for doing their jobs, and thus "have reduced their proactive performance and now only contribute at minimum levels."
But a Weis spokesman insists the lower number of disciplinary cases simply shows officers have improved their behavior.
