Page 19 - October 2015

IPRA nonsense
According to the Independent Police Review Author- I reached out to our attorney Dan Herbert with our concerns, and he
THOMAS MCDONAGH
ity’s website, IPRA is charged with the mission of main- taining the highest level of integrity while conducting objective, thorough investigations that strive to reach a sound and just conclusion.
IPRA has recommended that a detective be fired for an off-duty incident in which he was attacked. This detective went from being a victim to an offender virtu- ally overnight. If being attacked was not brutal enough, the detective was later subjected to an arduous, biased trial. Thankfully, the truth prevailed and he was later acquitted in a Cook County courtroom.
What I found most appalling about this incident was that the crux of IPRA’s decision was based on whether the detective violated Department policy by discharging a weapon into a crowd, failing to qualify with the weapon he fired and making inconsistent statements. In my 20 years on this job, I have never heard of anyone being fired for these types of vio- lations. This incident has all the makings of an opinion-driven crusade and lacks the objectivity that IPRA is striving to achieve.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office made the decision to charge in this case and looked foolish after the judge’s ruling. I think this was a political witch-hunt that did not go as planned, and should be laid to rest. I know the detective in question to be a hard-working individual. He was subjected to a brutal investigation, and his name is forever tarnished. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Our very own superintendent publicly dis- agreed that criminal charges were not warranted and now has to decide whether to confirm the recommendation of IPRA.
Stay tuned.
FTO application
I recently had a conversation with Officer Matt Augle (12th District Unit Representative), regarding the medical statement the city is asking officers to fill out while applying for the Field Training Officer application. Our question was this: Why does the city need a questionnaire such as this? Isn’t requesting this information a violation of some part of the Americans with Disability Act? We discussed that if you are an able-bod- ied full-duty officer, you should be allowed to fill out the application for FTO. A 30-question medical statement should have no bearing on this process whatsoever.
recommended we challenge the city on this issue. In the case of FTOs, members applying for the position are essentially applying for the same job as they are currently holding. That being said, the city will have to explain the justification of this medical statement.
Leadership nightmare
I have recently become privy to some disturbing information con- cerning the leadership ability in a south side district. I was informed that several officers were issued SPARs after a homicide occurred in their dis- trict of assignment. The homicide occurred on the First Watch and offi- cers from the Third Watch were being disciplined for not taking enough police action. I would love to know what this particular commander would have done differently. Perhaps he memorialized his thoughts so Research and Development can make a new special order titled, “SPE- CIAL ORDER S15-01 HOW TO PREVENT HOMICIDES.” To say I was shocked after hearing about this incident is an understatement.
That being said, the Lodge will do everything possible to help these officers navigate the fight against this. I do not think the SPAR process was designed as an outlet for grown men to take out their frustrations on subordinates, yet over and over again this is what occurs.
When a SPAR is initiated against an officer, the officer logs into the Automated Spar System and indicates a response by accepting the penalty, refusing to accept the penalty or requesting an appeal. If an appeal is requested, the officer will prepare a To-From-Subject report by the end of the next tour of duty or within 96 hours, whichever period is shorter.
The To-From-Subject report is reviewed by the initiating supervisor and then reviewed by the officer’s exempt unit commanding officer. The exempt commanding officer will inform the affected officer of the deci- sion. The affected officer has one more level of appeal with the Deputy Chief of the Education and Training Division.
I realize for many, this is not the quick solution you are looking for, but due to the hierarchical restrictions of the police department, this process can be slow moving.
Please call me at the Lodge or email me, tmcdonagh@chicagofop.org ifyouhaveanyissues. d
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20 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2015