Mayor: Weis did a 'very, very good job'

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:24:00 -0600

Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday said the city's police superintendent abruptly resigned this week in order to pursue other job offers.

Jody Weis' resignation Tuesday - the final day of his contract - came as a surprise to the Daley administration. The mayor had indicated as recently as this week that he wanted Weis to stay on until the end of his term, rather than go through the trouble of hunting for a new superintendent who may only serve until mid-May, when Daley leaves office.

Daley said Weis had been considering whether to stay past his contract for the last couple of weeks.

"He was undecided whether or not he wanted to stay," Daley said. "He had offers coming in, and he just saw fit to do it."

The mayor praised Weis for lowering the city's crime rate, taking the lead in prmoting anti-gun legislation and cleaning up the Chicago Police Department after some high-profile scandals.

"He came in under that cloud," Daley said. "And he did a very, very good job."

Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, who's indicated he would replace Weis once he's in City Hall, had nothing to do with Weis' departure, Daley said. The mayor also said pressure from the police union, which has been sharply critical of Weis' policies, wasn't a factor.

"Morale is good," Daley said. "You know, we're public servants. And you select the job. You don't have to stay on this job. ... There're jobs out there."

Former superintendent Terry Hillard, who served under Daley from 1998 to 2003, is leading the department on an interim basis.

Union president blasts Weis

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:54:00 -0500

Updated At: 5:30 on 10/20/2010

The president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Wednesday lashed out at Police Superintendent Jody Weis for his handling of an alleged case of police brutality.

Mark Donahue is the police union's president. He said Weis' Friday night press conference was held in haste and that Weis didn't conduct a proper investigation.

Two of seven officers stripped of police powers have now been reinstated. Donahue said GPS records prove they weren't present when a suspect was allegedly beaten.

"At least two officers, and potentially all seven department members, have had their careers damaged by the superintendent's lapse of sound judgement," Donahue said. "He didn't even have the common decency to apologize to, or even recognize, that these two officers have been cleared in his latest television appearance just this morning."

The names of the officers have not been released publicly. But Donahue said their reputations have been damaged within the department.

He also said the Fraternal Order of Police is considering legal action "against this superintendent on behalf of these two police officers whose good names and reputations have been tarnished by his incompetence."

Few details have been released about the incident in question. But on Tuesday, Mayor Richard Daley told reporters that "a young person was handcuffed and several police officers watched it, and someone went over and punched him in the jaw. The superintendent immediately suspended him."

The Chicago Police Department today released a statement confirming that two officers have been cleared in the incident and that they're not part of the investigation. The department says it is "committed to cooperating fully with all (Independent Police Review Authority) investigations. It is important to note that relief of powers does not consititute discipline."

WBEZ | Mark Donahue

Mayor: Weis did a 'very, very good job'

Union president blasts Weis