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Chicago Police Department

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Chicago Police Department



 
 
The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement
Police

Police are agents or agencies, usually of the executive , empowered to enforce the law and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force....
 agency
Law enforcement agency

Law enforcement agency is a term used to describe either an organisation that enforces the laws of one or more governing bodies, or an organization that actively and directly assists in the enforcement of laws....
 of the City of Chicago, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
, in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, under the jurisdiction of the city mayor. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 after the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department , established in 1844, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Borough of New York City....
 with over 13,400 sworn officers and over 1,850 other employees. Dating back to 1837, the Chicago Police Department is one of the oldest modern police forces in the world.

Superintendent of Police leads the Chicago Police Department.






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Encyclopedia


The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement
Police

Police are agents or agencies, usually of the executive , empowered to enforce the law and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force....
 agency
Law enforcement agency

Law enforcement agency is a term used to describe either an organisation that enforces the laws of one or more governing bodies, or an organization that actively and directly assists in the enforcement of laws....
 of the City of Chicago, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
, in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, under the jurisdiction of the city mayor. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 after the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department , established in 1844, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Borough of New York City....
 with over 13,400 sworn officers and over 1,850 other employees. Dating back to 1837, the Chicago Police Department is one of the oldest modern police forces in the world.

Structure

The Superintendent of Police leads the Chicago Police Department. The Superintendent manages five bureaus, each commanded by a Deputy Superintendent. The First Deputy Superintendent manages day-to-day operations, reporting directly to the superintendent. The current First Deputy Superintendent is James Jackson.

Jody "J.P." Weis
Jody "J.P." Weis

Jody Peter "J.P." Weis currently serves as the Superintendent of Police of the Chicago Police Department. Weis was selected to serve as the 54th Superintendent of Police by Mayor Richard M....
 was sworn in as Superintendent of Police on February 1 2008. Weis has become only the second Chicago police chief to come from outside the city. He replaced Philip J. Cline, who officially retired on August 3, 2007.

Under Cline's leadership, the Department underwent many structural changes.

As of March 2008, the five Bureaus of the Department are:
  • Bureau of Administrative Services - Deputy Superintendent Theodore F. O'Keefe
  • Bureau of Investigative Services - Deputy Superintendent Steve Peterson
  • Bureau of Patrol - Deputy Superintendent Beatrice Cuello
  • Bureau of Professional Standards - Deputy Superintendent Pete Brust
  • Bureau of Strategic Deployment - Deputy Superintendent Michael Shields


There are twenty-five police districts, each led by a Commander who oversees their district. Commanders report to Area Deputy Chiefs who report to the Deputy Superintendent of Patrol who reports to the Superintendent of Police who in turn is subject to the authority of the Mayor of Chicago.

Bureau of Investigative Services

Investigative functions are under the Bureau of Investigative Services (BIS). The Bureau of Investigative Services is composed of the Detective Division and the Organized Crime Division. The Detective Division includes the Bomb and Arson Unit, Cold Case Unit, Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Major Accidents Investigation Section and the Forensic Services Section which includes the Mobile Crime Lab of Forensic Investigators, ET-North and ET-South - which are the two Evidence Technician Units. The Organized Crime Division includes the Narcotics Section,Gang Investigations Section and the Vice Control Section.

The chief of detectives heads the detective division, the chief of organized crime heads that division--both reporting to the deputy superintendent BIS. OCD has one deputy chief, as does the Detective Division. Each Chief is assisted by Deputy Chiefs. Three Deputy Chiefs assist the Chief of Detectives while one Deputy Chief assiste the Chief of OCD.

The city is covered by five detective areas each lead by a commander: Area 1 (Wentworth) and Area 2 (Calumet) covers the south and southwest sides, while Area 3 (Belmont), Area 4 (Harrison) and Area 5 (Grand Central) covers the north, west and northwest sides of the city.

Bureau of Patrol

The Bureau of Patrol includes the airport law enforcement section, public transportation section, and the public housing section. Also included in the Bureau of Patrol are the Traffic Unit, Bicycle Unit, and various tactical units.

Bureau of Strategic Deployment

Following the disbanding of the Special Operations Section in 2007 after much negative publicity and controversies, the Special Functions Group was formed to absorb the specialized units that were not associated with the controversial plain-clothes unit known informally as SOS. The Special Functions Group includes a full-time SWAT team, organized in 2005, with 70 members. It also includes the marine, K-9, animal abuse, critical response, mounted patrol, helicopter, and dignitary protection units. The dignitary protection unit, based out of O'Hare International Airport, is the only unit that utilizes two-wheeled motorcycles. The Bureau of Strategic Deployment also includes the Targeted Response Unit. The Mounted Unit maintains 30 horses as of December 2006. The marine unit maintains 9 boats.

Ranks


Insignia


Chicago's five-pointed star-shaped badge (referred to as "star" vice "badge" in the vernacular of the department) also changes to reflect the different castes of officers. The stars of most Chicago Police officers (patrolmen through captain) are of silver-colored metal, with broad points. Command ranks have gold-colored stars with sharp points. A ring surrounding the full-color City seal in the star's center changes color for each rank within these two classifications. Like most American police forces, the officer's rank is written in an arc above the center element.

The Chicago Police Department's shoulder sleeve insignia, worn on the top of the left sleeve, is unusual in two regards.

  • Its shape is octagonal instead of one of the more typical shapes used by most other American police forces.


  • The embroidery colors vary depending upon the wearer's rank. In all cases, the patch is a white octagon with a full-color rendering of the city seal, ringed in gold, with "Chicago" written in an arc above the seal, and "Police" written in an arc below the seal. For patrolmen and detectives (detectives are occasionally uniformed for ceremonies and details), the octagon's outer edge is finished in dark blue thread, and the text is embroidered in dark blue thread. For sergeants, lieutenants and captains, the octagon's outer edge is finished in gold-colored thread, and the text is embroidered in dark blue thread. For "command ranks" (commander through superintendent), the octagon's outer edge is finished in gold-colored thread, and the text is embroidered in gold-colored thread.


Service longevity is reflected just above the left cuff on long-sleeved uniforms. Five years of service are indicated by a horizontal bar, embroidered in gold-colored thread; ten years by two bars; fifteen by three bars; twenty by a five-pointed star, embroidered in gold colored thread; twenty-five by one star and one bar and so-forth.

An embroidered rendering of the Flag of Chicago, its borders finished in gold-colored thread, is worn on the right shoulder sleeve.

A two-part nameplate in gold-colored metal is worn above the right pocket. The upper portion bears the officer's name; the lower portion indicates the command to which the officer is assigned.

Pay

Starting salary for Chicago police officers is $43,104, increased to $55,723 after one year and an additional increase to $58,896 after 18 months. Promotions to specialized or command positions also increases an officer's base pay. Salaries are supplemented with a $2,920 annual duty availability bonus and an $1,800 annual uniform allowance.

Demographics

  • Male: 79%
  • Female: 21%


  • White: 60%
  • African-American/Black: 26%
  • Hispanic: 13%
  • Asian: 1%


Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (C.A.P.S.)

Chicago Police Car Horiz
The Chicago Police Department is often credited for advancing community policing through the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy

Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy was started in 1993 as a pilot program in five diverse neighborhoods. A year later, CAPS was implemented across Chicago....
 program. Popularly known by its acronym C.A.P.S., it was established in 1992 and implemented in 1993 by then-Chicago Police Superintendent Matt L. Rodriguez. CAPS is an ongoing effort to bring communities, police, and other city agencies together to prevent crimes rather than react to crimes after they happen. The program entails increasing police presence in individual communities with a force of neighborhood-based beat officers. Beat Community Meetings are held regularly for community members and police officials to discuss potential problems and strategies.

Under CAPS, eight or nine beat officers are assigned to each of Chicago's 279 police beats. The officers patrol the same beat for over a year, allowing them to get to know community members, residents, and business owners and to become familiar with community attitudes and trends. The system also allows for those same community members to get to know their respective officers and learn to be comfortable in approaching them for help when needed. Beat officers are fully equipped and patrol their neighborhoods in a variety of methods: by bike, by car, or by foot.

Early years

In 1825, prior to the creation of Cook County
Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the List of the most populous counties in the United States county in the United States after Los Angeles County, California....
, what is now Chicago was in Peoria County. Archibald Clybourn was appointed to be Constable of the area the area between the DuPage River and Lake Michigan. Clybourn went on to become an important citizen of the City, and the diagonal Clybourn Avenue is named after him. When the town of Chicago was incorporated to become a city in 1837, provisions were made to elect an officer called the High Constable. He in turn would appoint a Common Constable from each of the six city wards. In 1855, the newly elected city council passed ordinances to formally establish the Chicago Police Department. Chicago was divided into three police precincts, each served by a station house. Station No. 1 was located in a building on State Street between Lake and Randolph streets. Station No. 2 was on West Randolph Street near Des Plaines Street. Station No. 3 was on Michigan Avenue near Clark Street. In 1860, the detective forces were established to investigate and solve crimes.

In 1861, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law creating a police board to become an executive department of Chicago autonomous of the mayor. The mayor was effectively stripped of his power to control the Chicago Police Department. Authority was given to three police commissioners. The commissioners created the office of superintendent to be the chief of police. The title is again in use today.

In 1875, the Illinois General Assembly found that the police commissioners were unable to control rampant corruption within the Chicago Police Department. The legislature passed a new law returning power over the police to the mayor. The mayor was allowed to appoint a single police commissioner with the advice and consent of the city council.

Despite centralized policies and practices, the captains who ran the precincts or districts were relatively independent of headquarters, owing their jobs to neighborhood politicians. Decentralization meant that police could respond to local concerns, but graft often determined which concerns got most attention.

Political connections were important to joining the force; formal requirements were few until 1895. After 1856, the department hired many foreign-born recruits, especially unskilled but English-speaking Irish immigrants. The first African American officer was appointed in 1872, but black police were assigned to duty in plain clothes only, mainly in largely black neighborhoods. Women entered the force in 1885 as matrons, caring for female prisoners. “Policewomen” were formally appointed beginning in 1913, to work with women and children. In 1895, Chicago adopted civil service procedures, and written tests became the basis for hiring and promotion. Standards for recruits rose, though policing remained political.

Controversies & Brutality

Over the years, the Chicago police department has been the subject of a number of scandals and other controversies:

Alvin Weems


Innocent bystander Michael Pleasance was shot and killed by an ununiformed CPD officer Alvin Weems. Both the city and Police Officer Alvin Weems admitted the March 8, 2003, shooting of Michael Pleasance at the CTA Red Line's 95th Street station was unjustified. The department originally said Pleasance struggled with Weems for his gun. But after the family sued and a judge ordered release of the video, the department revised its story. Later, in a deposition, Weems also admitted, "It wasn't justified." Weems was later promoted to detective.

Summerdale scandals

The Chicago Police Department did not face large-scale reorganization efforts until 1960 under Mayor Richard J. Daley. That year, Chicago was hounded by the Summerdale scandals. Eight officers from the Summerdale police district on Chicago's Northwest Side were accused of operating a large-scale burglary ring. News of the scandal was splashed across the city's newspapers and was the biggest police-related scandal the city had ever seen at the time. Mayor Daley appointed a committee to make recommendations for improvements to the police system. The action resulted in the creation of a five-member police board charged with nominating a superintendent to be the chief authority over police officers, drafting and adopting rules and regulations governing the police system, submitting budget requests to the city council, and hearing and deciding disciplinary cases involving police officers. Criminologist
Criminology

Criminology is the social science approach to the study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. Criminological research areas include the incidence and forms of crime as well as its causes and consequences....
 O.W. Wilson was brought on as Superintendent of Police, and served until 1967 when he retired.

1968 Democratic National Convention

The Chicago Police Department faced a great deal of criticism for its actions during the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention

The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the USA Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, from August 26 to August 29, 1968....
, which was held in Chicago from August 26 to August 29, 1968.

The convention was site of a series of protests, mainly over the war in Vietnam
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
. Despite the poor behavior of some protesters, there was widespread criticism that the Chicago Police and National Guard
United States National Guard

The National Guard of the United States is a Military reserve force composed of U.S. state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive Military of the United States service for the United States ....
 used excessive force
Police brutality

Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
. Time published an article stating that "...With billy clubs, tear gas and Mace, the blue-shirted, blue-helmeted cops violated the civil rights of countless innocent citizens and contravened every accepted code of professional police discipline ... No one could accuse the Chicago cops of discrimination. They savagely attacked hippie
Hippie

The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster , and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district....
s, yippies, New Leftists, revolutionaries, dissident Democrats, newsmen, photographers, passers-by, clergymen and at least one handicapped. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
's journalist grandson got roughed up. Even Dan Rather
Dan Rather

Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is a journalist and former news presenter for the CBS Evening News and is now managing editor and anchor of a television news magazine, Dan Rather Reports, on the cable channel HDNet....
 (the future CBS news anchor) who was on the floor doing a report during the convention got roughed up by the Chicago Police Department. Playboy's Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner

File:Hefner 1973 .jpgHugh Marston Hefner , sometimes known simply as Hef, is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises....
 took a whack on the backside. The police even victimized a member of the British Parliament, Mrs. Anne Kerr
Anne Kerr

Anne Patricia Kerr was a United Kingdom Labour Party politician who was elected for two successive terms as a Member of Parliament. Before entering politics she was an actress and television interviewer....
, a vacationing Laborite who was Maced outside the Conrad Hilton and hustled off to the lockup.

Subsequently, the Walker Report to the U.S. National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence
U.S. National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence

The National [Advisory] Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence was formed, in 1968, by United States Lyndon B. Johnson. It was chaired by Milton S....
 called the police response a "police riot
Police riot

The term police riot is an emotionally loaded term used to categorize a confrontation between a group of police and a group of civilians, implying that the police used wrongful, disproportionate, law, and/or legitimacy force against the civilians....
," assigning blame for the mayhem in the streets to the Chicago Police.

The Black Panther Raid

On December 4, 1969, Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party was an African-American organization established to promote Black Power and Right of self-defense through acts of social agitation....
 leaders Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton was an African-Americanactivist and deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party . He was killed in his apartment by a tactical unit of the Cook County, Illinois State's Attorney's Office , in conjunction with the Chicago Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ....
 and Mark Clark
Mark Clark

Mark Clark or Clarke may refer to:*Mark A. Clark , Arizona state legislator*Mark Wayne Clark , United States World War II general*Mark Clark , Major League Baseball player...
 were shot and killed by officers working for the Cook County state's attorney. Though the police claimed they had been attacked by heavily armed Panthers, subsequent investigation showed that most bullets fired came from police weapons. Relatives of the two dead men eventually won a multimillion-dollar judgment against the city. For many African Americans, the incident symbolized prejudice and lack of restraint among the largely white police. The incident led to growing black voter disaffection with the Democratic machine.

Ryan Harris murder

On July 28, 1998, 11-year-old Ryan Harris was found raped and murdered in a vacant lot in the city's Englewood neighborhood. The homicide
Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
 caught the nation's attention when, 12 days after Ryan's body was found, authorities, with the blessing of police command, charged a 7-year-old boy and 8-year-old boy with the murder, making them the youngest murder suspects in the nation at the time.

Semen
Semen

Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoon....
 found at the scene and subsequent DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
 tests cleared the boys of the crime and pointed to convicted sex offender Floyd Durr. The boys each filed lawsuits against the city, which were eventually settled for millions of dollars and Durr pleaded guilty to the rape of Harris but never admitted to the girl's murder.

Russ/Haggerty shootings

Tensions between black residents and police simmered in the summer of 1999 after the fatal shootings of two unarmed black motorists, Robert Russ and LaTanya Haggerty. In one incident, Russ, a football player for Northwestern University
Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a non-sectarian private university research university located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States....
, was shot inside of his car after a high-speed chase followed by a struggle with a police officer. In the second, Haggarty, a computer analyst, was shot by a female officer. Charges of racism
Racism

Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that Race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race....
 against the CPD persisted, despite the fact that officers in both incidences were also black
Black

Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflection light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light....
.

Both shootings resulted in lawsuits, each costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Haggerty's family, for example, reached a record $18 million settlement.

Burge abuse allegations

Perhaps no other incident exemplifies abuse concerns by Chicago Police officers more than the allegations against former Cmdr. Jon Burge
Jon Burge

Jon Graham Burge is a decorated United States Army veteran and a former Chicago Police Department Police detective and commander who gained notoriety for allegedly torture more than 200 criminal suspects between 1972 and 1991, in order to force confessions....
. Burge, a life-long South Side resident, has been accused of abusing more than 200 mostly African American men from 1972 to 1991 in order to coerce confessions to crimes. Alleged victims claimed Burge and his crew of detectives working the midnight shift had them beaten, suffocated with a plastic bag, burned (by cigarette and radiator) and treated with electric shock. In 1993, Burge was fired from the department, and is currently collecting his police pension. In summer 2006, special prosecutors assigned to probe the allegations determined that they had enough evidence to prove crimes against Burge and others, but "regrettably" could not bring charges because the statute of limitations had passed. In January 2008, the City Council approved a $19.8 million settlement with four men who claimed abuse against Burge and his men.

West Loop Bar Attack


Four businessmen who claim they were beaten by six off-duty Chicago police officers filed a lawsuit in federal court.

The employees said one of the off-duty officers approached a pool table where the men were playing, pushed aside the balls and said, "Game over," according to statements to the police department's Office of Professional Standards.

When the businessmen protested, the officers started to beat them, according to the filings. The officers were stripped of their police powers in March but have not been charged.

The confrontation was caught on tape but police have not released any footage. The businessmen claim they suffered injuries including broken ribs, a broken nose, bruises and chipped bones.

The "off duty" Chicago police officers, that were involved in the fight walked outside to the street, in front of the bar. On duty police officers responded to the 911 call, and arrived on the scene. The off duty officers flashed their badges, and told the responding officers to leave. This was caught on tape, along with one officer punching one of the business men.

Bar attack


Recently, the image of the Chicago Police Department had suffered when video of an intoxicated off-duty police officer kicking and beating a female bartender surfaced. Officer Anthony Abbate was shown on the footage beating and kicking Karolina Obrycka at Jesse's Shortstop Inn on February 19, 2007 after Obrycka refused to serve him any more alcohol. Abbate was later arrested and charged with felony battery and stripped of his police powers after the television station WFLD showed the footage. The Chicago Police have since moved to terminate Abbate from the force, but questions remain over the city's handling of the case.

Further controversy arose when Abbate was allowed to enter the courtroom for a hearing through a side door in order to shield himself from the media. This was apparently with the assistance of the Grand Central District officers who were on duty at the time, and acting on the orders of a CPD Captain. Allegations also surfaced that the police ticketed the vehicles of news organizations and threatened reporters with arrest. In the wake of this, Superintendent Cline announced that he would demote the Captain who gave the orders, and would launch investigations into the actions of the other officers involved. On April 27, 2007 14 additional charges against Abbate were announced. These included official misconduct, conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)

In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between natural persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement....
, intimidation
Intimidation

Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened....
, and speaking with a witness. Abbate pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges during a brief hearing on May 16, 2007.

Referring to Anthony Abbate, Superintendent Phil Cline has stated, "He's tarnished our image worse than anybody else in the history of the department." The video of the attack has been viewed worldwide on 24-hour news channels and has garnered more than 100,000 views on YouTube. In the wake of this scandal and another similar scandal involving another videotaped beating at a bar, Cline announced his retirement on April 2, 2007. While both men have denied it, some believe that Cline retired under pressure from Mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley

Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party and current Mayor of Chicago of Chicago, Illinois....
. Mayor Daley has since announced a plan to create an independent police review board to replace the current Office of Professional Standards, which is under the jurisdiction of the police department.

On April 30, 2007 a lawsuit was filed in Federal Court
United States district court

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both Civil law and Criminal law cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, Equity , and admiralty....
 against the city of Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, Abbate, and several other individuals by attorneys representing Ms. Obrycka.

Jerome Finnigan


Jerome Finnigan, Keith Herrera, Carl Suchocki, and Thomas Sherry were indicted in September 2007 for robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, kidnapping
Kidnapping

In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or asportation of a person against the person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority....
, home invasion
Home invasion

Home invasion is the crime of entering a private and occupied dwelling, with the intent of committing a crime, often while threatening the resident of the dwelling....
, and other charges. They were alleged to have robbed drug dealers and ordinary citizens of money
Money

Money is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts. The main uses of money are as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value....
, drugs, and guns. The officers were all part of Special Operations Sections or SOS. The officers had allegedly victimized citizens for years, however it was not until 2004 that allegations of misconduct were investigated. According to the State's Attorney
State's Attorney

In the United States, the State's Attorney is an appointed or elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit....
, the tip off was that the officers repeatedly missed court dates and allowed alleged drug dealers to go free. Several lawsuits alleging misconduct on behalf of Finnigan and his team have been filed in federal court
Federal court

The term "federal court", when used by itself, can refer to:* Any court of the national government in a country that has a Federation system such as that of the United States or Mexico or to a particular federal court, such as the United States district courts....
. Since the original indictments, Jerome Finnigan has also been charged with attempting to have several fellow officers killed. Since the scandal involving Finnigan, SOS has since been disbanded.

On February 11, 2009, Charges against Chicago Police Officers Tom Sherry and Carl Suchocki, were dropped. A Cook County judge dismissed all criminal charges accusing them of robbery and home invasion after evidence was proven to be false.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1424681,dropped-charges-officers-chicago-021109.article


Appearances in popular culture


  • In the movie, I, Robot
    I, Robot

    I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies....
    , Detective Spooner works for a future version of the Chicago Police Department.


  • In the 1948 film Call Northside 777
    Call Northside 777

    Call Northside 777 is a Documentary film-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man who has been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before....
    , James Stewart
    James Stewart (actor)

    James Maitland Stewart , popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an United States film and stage actor best known for his self-effacing persona....
     played the role of a skeptical newspaper reporter, who initially didn't believe the story from a cleaning woman that her son, young Frank Wiechek was innocent in the case of murdering a Chicago policeman. The film is based on the true story of a 1932 crime.


  • In Alfred Hitchcock
    Alfred Hitchcock

    Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, Order of the British Empire was a British filmmaker and film producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres....
    's 1959 North by Northwest
    North by Northwest

    North by Northwest is an Cinema of the United States Thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G....
    , the Chicago Police arrest the protagonist, Roger Thornhill, only to later have to release him.


  • The 1957-1960 television series M Squad
    M Squad

    M Squad is an United States Police procedural television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC....
     centered around a squad of Chicago Police detectives. The episode "The Jumper" featured an officer taking bribes. It was reportedly this depiction that prompted then-Mayor Richard J. Daley to thereafter discourage motion picture and television location filming in the city for the rest of his administration and its aftermath. John Landis
    John Landis

    John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and Film producer. He is widely known for his influential Comedy film and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many Horror film projects....
    ' highly successful 1980 musical comedy motion picture The Blues Brothers
    The Blues Brothers (film)

    The Blues Brothers is a 1980 in film musical film comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a "Saturday Night Live" musical sketch....
     (see more below), marked the reversal of that policy by Mayor Jane Byrne
    Jane Byrne

    Jane Margaret Byrne was the first and to date only female mayor of Chicago of Chicago. She served from April 16, 1979, to April 29, 1983. Chicago is to date the largest city in the United States to have had a female mayor as of 2009....
    .


  • A notable exception to Daley's ban was made in for the 1975 John Wayne
    John Wayne

    John Wayne was an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning United States film actor. He epitomized rugged masculinity and has become an enduring American icon....
     film, Brannigan
    Brannigan (film)

    Brannigan is a 1975 in film UK action film set in London starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough, directed by Douglas Hickox. It tells the story of a Chicago detective sent to United Kingdom to organize the extradition of an American mobster ....
    , in which he portrays Chicago Police Lieutenant Jim Brannigan. Although the bulk of the motion picture was set and filmed in London
    London

    London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
    , the opening credit sequence and first few scenes were filmed on location in Chicago and showed Chicago Police vehicles, officers and facilities. This was despite the depictions of Brannigan's warrantless entry and illegally abusive interrogation techniques.


  • The Chicago Police Department (as well as the Illinois State Police
    Illinois State Police

    The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts....
    ) are featured in the climactic car chase in 1980's The Blues Brothers in which a Chicago Police dispatcher matter-of-factly advises responding officers that, "The use of unnecessary violence in the apprehention of the Blues brothers has been approved." Reportedly in response to their portrayal in The Blues Brothers, the Chicago Police Department banned the use of the "Chicago Police" name and insignia in films until the early 2000s, resulting in several films and television shows replacing "Chicago Police" with "Metro Police" and other faux names, even if the films received technical assistance from the department, such as The Fugitive and The Negotiator.


  • The television series Hill Street Blues
    Hill Street Blues

    Hill Street Blues is a serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. It is currently being aired on AmericanLife TV Network on Sunday nights in the United States, and on weekday afternoons on digital network More 4 in the United Kingdom....
     (1981-1987) never explicitly stated the name of the city in which it was set, although many exterior views (lacking the principal actors) were filmed in the city and used for establishing and transition shots. The livery and markings of the police cars were nearly identical to Chicago's at the time, although they used the false "Metro Police" text on the doors and the United States flag on the quarter pannels vice "Chicago Police" and the Chicago flag, respectively. The cars were equipped with red bar lights, presumably to distinguish them from actual Chicago police cars that are equipped with blue lights. The exterior establishing shots of the precinct house, including the main title card's view of a police car exiting the building's garage, were filmed at the old Maxwell Street
    7th District Police Station

    The 7th District Police Station, or Maxwell Street Station in Chicago was built in 1888 in response to the need for increased police presence in "Bloody Maxwell", known colloquially as "the Wickedest Police District in the World." The neighborhood, a changing melting pot of Irish, German, Italian and European Jewish immigrants, grew mi...
     police station. See main article
    Hill Street Blues

    Hill Street Blues is a serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. It is currently being aired on AmericanLife TV Network on Sunday nights in the United States, and on weekday afternoons on digital network More 4 in the United Kingdom....
     for expanded discussion on the setting.


  • A Chicago Police officer was a regular character on the 1984-1985 series, E/R
    E/R

    E/R is an United States television sitcom that aired in 1984 in television and 1985 in television. The series was produced by Embassy Television and lasted a single season....
    .


  • Many of the same off-duty and retired Chicago Police officers (among other common Chicago-based actors) were cast as police officers in both 1985's Code of Silence starring Chuck Norris
    Chuck Norris

    Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an United States Martial arts, action film and television and film actor who is known for action roles such as Cordell Walker on Walker, Texas Ranger and for his iconically tough image and roundhouse kick....
     as detective Eddie Cusack, and 1988's Above the Law
    Above the Law (film)

    Above the Law is a 1988 in film action film directed by Andrew Davis , probably best-known for being the film debut of Steven Seagal. This came about after a successful screen test, financed by Michael Ovitz, led to Seagal being offered a contract by Warner Bros....
     starring Steven Seagal
    Steven Seagal

    Steven F. Seagal is an United States action movie actor, Film producer, writer, Film director, martial artist and singer-songwriter. He belongs to a generation of movie action hero actors who were featured in many of the Hollywood blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and 1990s....
     as detective Nico Toscani. Among those was Det. Joseph F. Kosala, who subsequently appeared as a Chicago police officer in The Fugitive (see below), as well as in Chain Reaction
    Chain Reaction (film)

    Chain Reaction is a 1996 in film Cinema of the United States starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Dunn and Fred Ward. It presents a fictional account of the invention of bubble fusion using sonoluminescence and the attempts by certain rogue elements within the Federal government of the United States to prevent the sp...
     and on an episode of Early Edition
    Early Edition

    Early Edition is a television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it followed the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this knowledge to prevent terrible events each day....
    .


  • Gregory Hines
    Gregory Hines

    Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer....
     and Billy Crystal
    Billy Crystal

    'William Edward' "'Billy'" 'Crystal' is an United States actor, writer, film producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the American Broadcasting Company sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes Wh...
     portray Chicago Police detectives in the 1986 film Running Scared
    Running Scared (film)

    Running Scared is a 1986 in film action/comedy film directed by Peter Hyams, and starring Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal....
    .


  • James Belushi
    James Belushi

    James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an United States actor, comedian and musician, best known for being the younger brother of late comedian John Belushi....
     portrayed Det. Sgt. Art Ridzik, a CPD detective, in the 1988 film Red Heat
    Red Heat

    Red Heat is a 1988 in film buddy cop film directed by Walter Hill . The film stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Moscow Narc Ivan Danko; James Belushi, as Chicago detective Art Rid?ic....
    .


  • John Candy
    John Candy

    John Franklin Candy was a Canadian comedian and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto, Ontario branch of The Second City. Candy died of a heart attack in 1994....
     and James Belushi portrayed Officers Danny Muldoon and Salvatore Buonarte, respectively, in the 1991 film Only the Lonely
    Only the Lonely (film)

    Only the Lonely is a 1991 in film romance film comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Columbus . It starred John Candy, Ally Sheedy, Maureen O'Hara and Anthony Quinn....
    .


  • The patriarch of the television series Family Matters
    Family Matters (TV series)

    Family Matters is an Emmy Award nominated American situation comedy about a middle-class family living in Chicago, Illinois. The series aired from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, on American Broadcasting Company, and moved to CBS from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998....
     (1989-1998), portrayed by Reginald VelJohnson
    Reginald VelJohnson

    Reginald VelJohnson is an United States actor of film, stage and television, best known for his role as Carl Winslow on the Situation comedy Family Matters , and as Los Angeles Police Department Sgt....
    , was a Chicago Police officer, achieving the rank of lieutenant.


  • In the 1991-1993 series, Reasonable Doubts
    Reasonable Doubts

    Reasonable Doubts is a police drama broadcast in the United States by NBC from 1991 to 1993....
    , Mark Harmon
    Mark Harmon

    Mark Harmon is an United States actor who has been starring in U.S. television programs and films since the mid-1970s. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS ....
     portrayed Chicago Police Det. Dicky Cobb, detailed to the office of the Cook County State's Attorney (referred to as "district attorney" in the series).


  • The Police Department played a major role in 1993's The Fugitive.


  • The television series Due South
    Due South

    Due South is an award-winning Canada television police comedy-drama created by Paul Haggis and produced by Alliance Communications , first aired in 1994....
     (1994-1999) followed the adventure of Benton Fraser
    Benton Fraser

    Constable Benton Fraser is a fictional character in the television series Due South. He is a constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who works in the American city of Chicago, Illinois as Deputy Liaison Officer....
    , a member of Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the federal police, national police, and paramilitary police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world....
     who is partnered with Ray Vecchio, a detective of the Chicago Police Department.


  • In the 1998 film The Negotiator, the Chicago Police played a major role within the film. The real Chicago Police Department provided technical support for the movie's SWAT teams. The actors' shoulder patches were similar to the Chicago Police Department's octagonal shoulder patches, albeit with "Chicago" replaced with "Metropolitan".


  • The Chicago Police Department is used in The Watcher
    The Watcher (film)

    The Watcher is a 2000 in film United States thriller directed by Joe Charbanic and starring James Spader, Keanu Reeves and Marisa Tomei. Set in modern urban Chicago, the film is about a retired FBI agent who is stalked and taunted by a serial killer ....
    , a 2000 film about a police officer in Los Angeles who comes to Chicago to find a murderer who strangles young women with a piano cord. Several police pursuits were involved in the film between the Chicago Police Department and the character Keanu Reeves
    Keanu Reeves

    Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian-American actor best known for his portrayals of Neo in the action film trilogy The Matrix, Ted Logan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, and Officer Jack Traven in Speed ....
     plays. The Chicago cop is portrayed by James Spader
    James Spader

    James Todd Spader is a three time Emmy Award-winning and Satellite Award-winning American actor. He is perhaps best known for his eccentric roles in film such as Pretty in Pink; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; Crash ; Stargate ; and Secretary ; as well as his portrayal of the colorful attorney Alan Shore on the television serie...
    .


  • The Chicago Police Department is used in 2001's Angel Eyes
    Angel Eyes (film)

    Angel Eyes is a 2001 drama film/romance film, film director by Luis Mandoki....
     wherein a Chicago cop, played by Jennifer Lopez
    Jennifer Lopez

    Jennifer Lynn Lopez , popularly nicknamed J.Lo, is an American Golden Globe-nominated actor, Grammy Award-nominated singer, record producer, dancer, fashion designer and television producer....
    , had struggles with someone whom she saved from a fire and her mother and father renewing their vows. Her partner was portrayed by Terrence Howard
    Terrence Howard

    'Terrence Dashon Howard' is an Academy Award-nominated actor, singer and rapper. Having appeared in film and on television since the late 1980s, Howard had his first major role in the 1995 film Mr....
    .


  • The Chicago Police Department was used in the 2002 film, John Q
    John Q

    John Q is a 2002 in film film starring Denzel Washington as John Quincy Archibald, a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a Organ transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it....
    , during the climatic hostage situation.


  • In the 2006 South Park
    South Park

    South Park is an United Statesn animation situation comedy, notorious for its toilet humour, surrealism, and often black comedy, which satirizes Subject matter in South Park including religion, politics, violence, abuse, sexuality, and mental disorder....
     episode A Million Little Fibers
    A Million Little Fibers

    "A Million Little Fibers" is episode 144 of South Park and was broadcast on April 19, 2006. The episode focuses on Towelie and features none of the main characters....
    , an officer of the Chicago Police was gunned down by Oprah Winfrey
    Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Gail Winfrey is an United Statesn television presenter, Media proprietor and philanthropist. Her television syndication talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, has earned her multiple Emmy Awards and is the highest-rated talk show in the history of television....
    's vagina
    Vagina

    The vagina is a fibromuscular cylinder tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles....
    . This appearance was notable only because the uniform of the police officers and the livery of the police cars were fairly accurate to those of the department.


  • CPD officers and vehicles were represented in The Things About Heroes, an episode of CSI: NY
    CSI: NY

    CSI: NY is an United States police procedural television series, which premiered on September 22, 2004. The series was the second Spinoff , indirectly, from the popular CBS show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and directly from CSI: Miami, during an episode of which several of the CSI: NY characters made their first appearan...
     which originally aired on November 28, 2007.


  • Chicago police officers are routinely depicted on the television series, ER
    ER (TV series)

    ER is an Emmy Award-winning Television in the United States medical drama television series created by the late novelist Michael Crichton and airing on NBC....
    .


  • Members of Chicago police officers served as extras with the cast members on The Dark Knight
    The Dark Knight (film)

    The Dark Knight is a superhero film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Batman #Nolan_series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins....
     as members of Gotham PD officers. Some of the officers performed Balmoral during the shooting of the funeral of Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb


Notable former officers

  • Don Cornelius
    Don Cornelius

    Donald Cortez "Don" Cornelius is an African-American television show host and producer who is best known as the host of the nationally syndicated dance/music program, Soul Train from 1971-1993....
    , creator, producer, and former host of Soul Train
    Soul Train

    Soul Train was a syndicated, music-related television program. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by rhythm and blues, soul music, and Hip hop music artists, although jazz musicians and gospel music singers have also appeared....
  • Dennis Farina
    Dennis Farina

    Dennis Farina is an United States film and television actor. He is a character actor, often typecasting as a mobster or police officer....
    , actor
  • Allan Pinkerton
    Allan Pinkerton

    Allan Pinkerton was a Scotland detective and espionage, best known for creating the Pinkerton Agency, the first detective agency of the United States....
    , first detective in department history; founder of both the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the Union Intelligence Service (predecessor of the United States Secret Service
    United States Secret Service

    The United States Secret Service is a United States Federal government of the United States law enforcement agency that falls under the United States Department of Homeland Security....
    )
  • Renault Robinson
    Renault Robinson

    Renault Robinson is a former Chicago police officer and chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority under the leadership of former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington....
    , co-founder of the CPD's Afro-American Patrolman's League.
  • Steve Wilkos
    Steve Wilkos

    Steven John Wilkos is an United Statesn television personality and former United States Marine Corps and Chicago police officer. He currently hosts his own talk show, The Steve Wilkos Show....
    , talk show host and former head of the Jerry Springer Show security team
  • Pete Kelly (police officer), Head of the Jerry Springer Show security team, with occasional appearances on the Steve Wilkos Show as security.


Miscellaneous


  • Saint Jude
    Saint Jude

    Saint Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus , Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus....
     is the patron saint of the Chicago Police Department.


  • Chicago police wear hats with chequered bands, popularly known as the 'Sillitoe Tartan
    City of Glasgow Police

    The City of Glasgow Police is the first professional police force in modern history. In the 17th century, Scotland cities used to hire watchmen to guard the streets at night, augmenting a force of unpaid citizen constables....
    ' and named after its originator, Percy J. Sillitoe
    Percy Sillitoe

    Sir Percy Joseph Sillitoe Order of the British Empire was Director General of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, from 1946 to 1953....
    , Chief Constable of Glasgow
    Glasgow

    Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's Scottish Lowlands....
    , Scotland in the 1930s. While the checkered band is a common police symbol in the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    , other European countries, and Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    , the only police forces in the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     to have adopted it as part of their police officer uniforms are believed to be the Chicago Police, Cook County Sheriff's Police, and the Pittsburgh Police
    Pittsburgh Police

    The Pittsburgh Police, or officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania, not second as some people would think, due to Pittsburgh's low crime rate....
    . The three American departments' chequered band have two rows of larger squares, whereas those in other countries have three rows of smaller squares.


  • In the late 1960s, the Department chose to convert its telephone
    Telephone

    The telephone is a telecommunications device that is used to transmitter and receive electronically or digitally encoded sound between two or more people conversing....
     system over from an Illinois Bell
    Illinois Bell

    Illinois Bell is the name of the Bell Operating Company serving Illinois. It is wholly owned by AT&T.Their headquarters are at 225 West Randolph St., Chicago, IL....
    -owned centrex
    Centrex

    Centrex is a contraction of central exchange, a kind of telephone exchange....
     system as well as other private lines, to its own PBX
    Private branch exchange

    A private branch exchange is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public....
     system. As a result of the change, it was necessary for the department to change their phone number in order to consolidate all of their phone lines into one prefix. It was never identified exactly who did so, but the new prefix assigned to the Department in then area code 312 was 744. The main switchboard's new terminating number became 744-1000. It was well known as a result of this, that the main number for the Chicago Police was "312-PIG-1000." It should be noted, however, that the 744 prefix is used by departments throughout the City government, along with the less common 742 prefix.


See also



Bibliography


  • Burke, Edward M.
    Ed Burke

    Edward M. Burke is alderman of the 14th Ward in Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party , he was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1969, is the longest-serving Chicago alderman, and represents part of the city's Southwest Side....
     and O'Gorman, Thomas J. (2006). End of Watch: Chicago Police Killed in the Line of Duty, 1853–2006. Chicago's Books Press, ISBN 978-0978866334.


  • Bingham, Dennis and Schultz, Russell A. (2005). A Proud Tradition: A Pictorial History of the Chicago Police Department. Chicago Police Department, ASIN B000W060OS.


External links

  • Independent project documents alleged civil liberties violations targeting anti-war activists
  • Flying Officer Leonard Baldy
    Leonard Baldy

    Leonard Frank Baldy was a Chicago Police Department officer who became the city's first helicopter traffic reporter. His sometimes comical look at Chicago's traffic problems made him a household name....