WBEZ | CPD

Police Board fires cops for conduct captured on gang video

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:00:00 -0500

The Chicago Police Board has fired two officers for conduct captured on a 2011 gang video (above) discovered by WBEZ.

The board found patrol officers Susana La Casa, 49, and Luis Contreras, 44, guilty of numerous administrative charges and decided the fitting punishment was dismissal, according to James P. Lynch, the attorney who represented the police department in the case.

The guilty charges, Lynch said, included unlawfully restraining a youth, transporting him without a valid police purpose to the turf of a gang that would threaten him, and making a false statement about the incident to an Internal Affairs detective.

La Casa and Contreras arrived March 19, 2011, on a Logan Square block to assist two officers who had handcuffed a gang member named Miguel “Mikey” Castillo. The youth ended up in the backseat of the SUV that La Casa and Contreras were driving. They drove him to a block of nearby Humboldt Park that a rival gang claimed as its territory.

A 90-second amateur video shot there shows La Casa and Contreras outside the SUV, a Chevrolet Tahoe with standard police markings. Three of the doors are open as onlookers converge, peer in on Castillo, taunt him and flash their gang’s hand signal. As Castillo tries to cover his face, La Casa tells him, “Put your fucking hand down.”

The video appeared briefly on YouTube, where WBEZ spotted it. The department quickly stripped La Casa and Contreras of their police powers and began an investigation. Interim police Supt. Terry Hillard called the incident “not professional” and said “scared straight” tactics were always inappropriate.

Supt. Garry McCarthy, Hillard’s successor, recommended last September that the board dismiss the officers. At the board’s evidentiary hearing, which lasted two days in February, La Casa and Contreras insisted they were just trying to give the young man a ride home and he never faced danger.

La Casa declined to comment about the dismissal. Contreras and attorney William N. Fahy, who represented the officers, did not return calls.

Neighborhood reactions varied. Eric Hudson, a homeowner who worked with La Casa and Contreras against Logan Square gang activity, said the dismissal stemmed from a police department culture “weighted to Irish male cops.”

Hudson called La Casa, an Illinois-licensed clinical counselor, a hard worker who did not deserve to be branded as abusive. “This woman is a social worker, not Jon Burge,” Hudson said, referring to the notorious Chicago detective imprisoned in connection to police torture cases.

But Rev. Kenny Ruiz, the former head of a gang-intervention program at the McCormick Tribune YMCA, hopes the dismissal sends a message to other officers. “Do what the side of the police car says: ‘Serve and Protect.’ That means everyone,” Ruiz said. “They can be the conduit for something positive for the young people and the challenges that they face.”

The board, a nine-member panel appointed by the mayor, does not usually dismiss officers recommended for that punishment. During this year’s first three months, the board fired just three of 13 officers that either the police department or the Independent Police Review Authority had recommended for discharge. In eight of those cases, the board ruled that the fitting punishment was a suspension or reprimand. In another case, the respondent resigned. In another, the department withdrew the charges.

Under Illinois law, officers can appeal their dismissals to Cook County Circuit Court.

Castillo, who did not suffer physical harm, received $33,000 from the city as part of a settlement in a civil suit over the incident, according to an attorney representing him. The suit, filed in federal court, alleged false arrest and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office reviewed the incident but declined to bring a criminal case.

Chip Mitchell is WBEZ’s West Side bureau reporter. Follow him on Twitter @ChipMitchell1 and @WBEZoutloud, and connect with him through Facebook and LinkedIn.

Chicago police official: Congress Theater 'untruthful' on night of underage drinking

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:15:00 -0500

A Chicago Police Department official has accused the Congress Theater of failing to cooperate with officers during an investigation into underage drinking at the venue.

Sgt. Joseph Giambrone testified that Congress staffers lied about serving alcohol when his unit arrived to investigate suspicions of underage drinking during a DJ Rusko set in the early hours of May 6, 2012.

Giambrone’s testimony came during a disciplinary hearing at City Hall Tuesday morning, the second conducted by Chicago’s Liquor Control Commission looking into alleged illegal activities at the Congress.

During his testimony, Giambrone described a call from the emergency room of Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in Wicker Park that reported several concertgoers “of various ages” arriving from the Congress Theater via private ambulance with symptoms of extreme intoxication, many of them “barely breathing.”

Giambrone said that when officers arrived on the scene, Congress managers Atieh Abdelhadi and Ahmad Mahidi met him outside the venue and denied serving alcohol during the show.

Next, Giambrone said he observed Mahidi talking on his radio in “a language that wasn’t English,” and then witnessed Abdelhadi running ahead to unscrew taps in the lobby bar and place cups upside down over the spigots as officers entered the venue.

Once inside, Giambrone claimed to see employees “activating tap devices” and serving “amber-hued” liquid to patrons by the stage.

Giambrone said he was also present at the Congress on the night of April 13, 2012, when his unit responded to a large fight during a Chief Keef show. The venue did not call 911 to report this incident; defense attorney Harlan C. Powell hypothesized that venue staffers may have tried to call out to police officers already on the scene.

Powell questioned the credibility of the city’s investigation, calling the allegations against his client “grossly prejudicial.”

To support his claim, Powell brought up a meeting that took place between Giambrone and the Congress Theater following these incidents. Powell said that during the meeting, venue personnel said they understood that any calls made to the police by the Congress would not be brought up in disciplinary actions.

However, Deputy Hearings Commissioner Robert Nolan rejected Powell’s argument, stating that the events at issue occurred before any alleged conversations took place.

Tuesday’s hearing was originally scheduled for March 6. But Powell – the third attorney to represent venue owner Erineo “Eddie” Carranza since his troubles with city agencies began in March of 2012 – requested more time to review the case from Deputy Commissioner Nolan.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 30.

Prior reporting by Jim DeRogatis. Research assistance by Jennifer Grandy.

Earlier reports about Carranza, the Congress and the Portage, from Jim DeRogatis:

March 8: The fate of the Portage remains a messy mystery

March 6: Congress Theater hearing rescheduled

Feb. 22: Congress Theater restoration underway, but it’s got a long way to go

Jan. 16: Congress Theater liquor hearings begin with undercover cop’s testimony

Dec. 3, 2012: A rally to save the Portage Theater ‘as we know it’

Nov. 28, 2012: The Portage Theater uses Graham Elliot’s name in vain

Nov. 2, 2012: Congress Theater’s new security chief: An ex-cop with a troubled past

Oct. 31, 2012: Congress Theater police calls rank with Soldier Field, United Center

Sept. 23, 2012: How did things turn so bad so fast at the Portage Theater?

Sept. 22, 2012: New Owner of the Portage Theater moves to evict current operators

Sept. 16, 2012: Congress Theater splits with development partner

Sept. 11, 2012: The Portage Theater: What’s Eddie up to?

July 26, 2012: Congress Theater partners up… and looks to expand

April 14, 2012: More trouble at the Congress Theater

March 28, 2012: Critical of Congress security, headliner brings his own

March 25, 2012: Congress Theater responds to complaints

March 22, 2012: City to Congress Theater: Clean up your act!

Leah Pickett blogs about pop culture for WBEZ. Follow her on Twitter @leahkpickett.

Police on overtime target 'hot zones'

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:30:00 -0600

In a press conference Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said the historically low crime rate in February, was due in part to a new strategy that places additional police in “hot zones” across the city.

McCarthy would not share the exact location of the areas. He did say the areas only compose 2 percent of Chicago’s geography, but contain about 10 percent of the cities crime.

The idea of deploying officer to “hot spots” has been used in the past. McCarthy actually shut down the mobile task force, who responded to hot spots, shortly after Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office.

But McCarthy says tactic is better because of it’s use of historical data. The area’s were chosen based on three years of violent crime data, with a focus on the most recent year.

Each zone will have an additional 20 police officers, for a total of 200 additional officers on the street.

“The idea is you can’t walk around the area without seeing a police officer,” said McCarthy.

McCarthy is accomplishing the increased staffing using overtime.

Some Chicago residents and community leaders, as well as the Fraternal order of Police, have critiqued McCarthy for not growing the number of police. He said they are hiring more police. But in the meantime, overtime was cheaper than additional staff and could be implemented more quickly.

Chicago police chief wants officers caught on gang video fired

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:09:00 -0600

An amateur video shows Chicago officers Susana La Casa and Luis Contreras after bringing a young gang member to the 1600 block of North Spaulding Avenue on March 19, 2011. (WBEZ on Vimeo.)

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy is recommending the dismissal of two city cops based on charges they unlawfully restrained a young man in the Logan Square neighborhood and let suspected gang members threaten him.

The charges, kept quiet since filed with the Chicago Police Board in September, accuse officers Susana La Casa and Luis Contreras of holding the youth, Miguel “Mikey” Castillo, against his will on the 3500 block of West McLean Avenue and driving him about six blocks south “without a valid police purpose.”

The incident took place March 19, 2011. The officers brought Castillo, a gang member, to the 1600 block of North Spaulding Avenue — the turf of a rival gang. The incident came to light when WBEZ posted a 90-second amateur video that showed the cops standing outside their marked SUV and leaving the doors open as onlookers converged on the vehicle, taunted the young man inside and flashed gang symbols.

La Casa and Contreras, according to the charges, “allowed suspected Latin King gang members to threaten” Castillo and brought “discredit upon the department.”

The officers later each “made a false oral statement” about the incident to an Internal Affairs detective, according to the charges.

The board, a nine-member panel, has the final word about the charges and the punishment. The department must show “a preponderance of the evidence,” a standard less rigorous than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt measure used in criminal courtrooms. Max Caproni, the board’s executive director, says he expects the case’s evidentiary hearing no sooner than January.

La Casa and Contreras, both suspended without pay, did not return WBEZ messages seeking comment about the charges.

A Fraternal Order of Police spokesman says the union has no comment about the case because the officers have chosen to defend themselves privately. That counsel could not be reached for comment.

The officers have not spoken about the incident publicly but, after WBEZ posted the video, some Logan Square homeowners rallied behind them and praised their efforts against gangs.

Castillo this summer reached a settlement in a federal civil suit he brought against the city of Chicago over the incident. The suit, which alleged false arrest and intentional infliction of emotional distress, will net the youth $33,000, according to the law firm representing him.

State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office reviewed the case last year but declined to bring criminal charges.

Chief wants NATO lessons to translate to street corner policing

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:07:00 -0500

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says hosting NATO this past weekend is going to have some long-term benefits for his department.

McCarthy has talked a lot about how officers working the NATO protests started out wearing just their regular uniforms.

“If we just came out in the riot gear from day one, we would have had an entirely different dynamic going on in this city. The confrontational appearance would have resulted in confrontation,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said the officers saw this weekend that you can either escalate a situation or de-escalate it.

“It's not gonna be a big shift to get them to understand that instead of cursing at somebody and telling them to get off the corner, you explain to them, somebody just got shot down the block and maybe this isn't a good place to stand. It's two totally different dynamics,” he said.

McCarthy said when officers treat people with respect, the police are viewed as legitimate and citizens become more concerned about not violating the law.

Emanuel, McCarthy tout Chicago gang busts

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:42:00 -0500

With Chicago’s annual homicide tally running its highest in years, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police Supt. Garry McCarthy are talking up two big busts of alleged gang members on the city’s West Side.

In one, they say, city cops and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents targeted a gang called the Four Corner Hustlers and arrested 28 people. In the other, the police went after the Traveling Vice Lords and charged 17 people with drug offenses.

Flanked by Emanuel at a West Humboldt Park news conference, McCarthy said these “takedowns” were just the beginning of police efforts in the territories where the drug rings operated. “If we allow these locations to regress to their previous conditions — if we allow people to buy those narcotics and fuel that narcotics market, which fosters the violence in our neighborhoods — we’re doomed to failure,” McCarthy said.

Emanuel called the police operations part of a comprehensive city approach to violence. He said the approach included increased funding for after-school programs and summer jobs for youths.

The question now is whether neighborhood residents will step up, Emanuel said. “Does the community come outside the church, outside the family room, and reclaim these street corners?”

Politicians, pastors and law-enforcement officials crowded behind Emanuel and McCarthy and applauded them at several points. But the event didn’t satisfy some neighborhood residents who observed.

Annette Britton, a volunteer at John Marshall Metropolitan High School, praised the idea of keeping teenagers occupied this summer but said city officials should do more to provide training and employment for the young-adult population behind most of the violence.

“They talk about gang bangers like they’re foreign invaders,” Britton said. “And the reality [is] they aren’t. They’re somebody’s children. They have become hardened criminals because of a lack of other kinds of opportunities.”

More than 100 homicides have taken place in the city this year, police spokeswoman Melissa Stratton said in a statement Monday. That’s 30 more than the homicide count during the same period last year, she said. The department is blaming most of this year’s violence on gangs.

Social media becoming important tool for policing

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:53:00 -0600

For those who thought the future of crime fighting would look like RoboCop, think again. The future is here and it is social media. A recent incident where a 17-year-old Chicago Public School student was beaten in Bridgeport by a group of individuals shone a spotlight on law enforcement tactics. Specifically, the focus has been a sharp turn towards utilizing Facebook and Twitter to catch bad guys.

Eight Forty-Eight wondered how the Chicago Police Department has been using social media--and how other cities have been using Twitter and Facebook?

Eight Forty-Eight was joined in studio by Chicago Police Superintendent . Toronto Police Social Media liaison Scott Mills and Evanston Police Commander Jay Parrot and WBEZ's criminal and legal affairs reporter Robert Wildeboer joined the conversation.

Judge: Daley can still be sued over alleged police torture

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:14:00 -0500

Former Mayor Richard M. Daley is one step closer to being deposed in connection with alleged torture by Chicago police. On Wednesday a Federal judge ruled for the second time that Daley can be sued over alleged police torture.

The former mayor was the Cook County state's attorney back in the 1980s. That's when Michael Tillman was arrested for murder. Tillman says police under former commander Jon Burge tortured him into confessing. He says they put a gun to his head, poured soda in his nose and choked him with a plastic bag.

Last year Tillman was exonerated after two decades in jail, and then sued several people he says were connected to the torture, ranging from individual officers to Daley.

In July, Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer ruled that Daley can be included in Tillman's lawsuit in his capacity as mayor.

Daley's lawyers appealed, but Wednesday the judge shot them down again. Tillman's lawyers reportedly hope to question the former mayor as soon as next month.

Jury clears cops in schizophrenic man’s death

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:50:00 -0500

A federal jury Thursday afternoon cleared two Chicago police officers in the fatal shooting of a schizophrenic man in his Northwest Side bedroom.

Raúl Barriera, 21, died the day after Sgt. Don Jerome struck him in the chest with a Taser electrode and Patrol Officer Andrew Hurman hit him twice with gunfire.

Barriera lived with his mother, Lynette Wilson, at 1630 N. Tripp Ave. Wilson brought a lawsuit alleging that the officers used excessive force and that the death was wrongful.

The shooting took place February 28, 2007, after Wilson called 911 for help with Barriera, who was refusing to leave his bedroom. In that call, Wilson said her son was a schizophrenic on medication. Paramedics and police officers arrived but Barriera remained in his room.

The officers said they used their weapons after Barriera lunged at them with a knife. Wilson’s attorneys disputed that claim.

The trial lasted eight days and ended Wednesday. The jury, an eight-member panel, deliberated for about three hours before clearing the city and the officers of liability.

Arlene Martin, a city attorney in the case, praised the jurors. “The right thing happened,” she said.

Before the trial, U.S. Judge William J. Hibbler threw out a claim by Wilson that the officers lacked sufficient training. WBEZ revealed in 2007 that neither Jerome nor Hurman had attended a 40-hour police department course designed to help officers respond to mental-health crises without using force.

Since 2004, the department has put about 1,400 of its officers through the training. A 2008 study by Amy Watson, an associate professor of social work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, found that the training had results.

“The trained officers were less likely to . . . pile on top of the person to control them, use a Taser or use some other type of force,” Watson says. “We also found that [the trained] officers directed more people to mental health services.”

After the jury returned with its findings, one of Wilson’s attorneys told WBEZ there could be grounds for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to order a retrial. The attorney, Standish Willis, called it “very likely” that Wilson would bring that appeal.

Police arrest 175 Occupy Chicago protestors

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:24:00 -0500

Chicago police arrested 175 members of a group protesting corporate greed early Sunday after they refused to take down their tents and leave a city park when it closed.

About 500 members of Occupy Chicago set up camp at the entrance to Grant Park on Saturday evening after a protest earlier in the day involving about 2,000, the Chicago Tribune reported. Occupy Chicago is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement that started last month in New York City and has inspired protests nationwide.

The Chicago demonstration entered its 24th day Sunday with protesters at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, organizer Rachael Perrotta said. She said organizers also were meeting protesters who had been arrested as they were released from jail.

Chicago police said they gave protesters repeated warnings after the park closed at 11 p.m. and began making arrests when they refused to leave. Officers also asked protesters to take down their tents before beginning to cut them down to clear the area, police said.

The arrests began about 1 a.m. Sunday and ended with the park cleared about 3:30 a.m., the newspaper reported. It said most arrests were peaceful, but at least two men refused to stand and had to be carried away. Video showed protesters sitting on the ground, chanting "This is what democracy looks like" and "Shame on you, CPD" as arrests were made.

Chicago police said protesters who were arrested would be released after background checks were done to make sure they didn't have any outstanding arrest warrants. They could face fines for violating a municipal ordinance.

Protesters say the arrests signify a new phase of civil disobedience for Chicago's wing of the movement. Twenty-two-year-old David Orlikoff of Chicago was among those arrested. He says the protesters don't want to be confrontational, but will use civil disobedience when the group feels "it's appropriate."

He says he's disappointed Mayor Rahm Emanuel didn't intervene to allow the protest to continue at an entrance to Grant Park.

Organizers of similar demonstrations in other cities have applied for permits to remain overnight or have moved out of parks and public buildings when they closed. Perrotta, an office worker in her 30s, said organizers in Chicago did not seek a permit to be in the park after hours.

"We believe we have the right as an international movement to secure a space where we can interact with the public and grow our occupation," she said.

Occupy Iowa members reached a deal with Des Moines' mayor Friday to move from the state Capitol to a city park, avoiding arrests.