Blame the Police
- A California woman displayed bizarre behavior in a South Side police lockup in May, refusing to be fingerprinted, screaming all night for help and smearing bodily fluids on the walls, sources said.
But a hierarchy of Chicago Police officials allegedly failed to heed her symptoms of mental illness or act on her mother's statement to an officer that her daughter suffered from bipolar disorder.
- A police internal investigation is expected to lead to discipline against officers -- possibly including a watch commander -- for violating the department's rules on handling mentally ill detainees and displaying a lack of concern about her condition, sources said.
Not having access to any of the reports regarding this woman's incarceration, we can't really make judgments about how this whole incident went down. We wouldn't be surprised to learn that the entire Sun Times timeline is pieced together from plaintiff's reports and investigations in order to leverage a larger settlement out of the City. The whole lawsuit smacks of crass opportunism following a series of bad lifestyle choices by the victim and poor decisions by her caretakers in California.
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
11 Comments:
You should hold judgement on this one friend. Its not our finest hour. Wish I could say more.
We have withheld judgment. We said we don't have access to all the reports. We only stated what it sounds like.
Who is the Watch Commander that is on the hook? Initials please.
Hopefully this woman's family can receive a large settlement to help care for their daughter.This truly was a mishandling of a prisoner who has a mental disorder. My prisoner has a papercut and the lockup sez NO WAY...What happened here.
This debacle proves that we need more degreed psychologists with the ability to read a crystal ball on the job.
Where's the culpability on the piece o' shit that raped her and threw her out the window?
Oh yeah, I forgot... he doesn't have $$deep pockets$$.
Until they put something in place to charge the J/O's who fake injury and sickness, this type of event will continue.
I'm pregnant, I have diabetes, I'm having an asthama attack (usually cured by a newport), I'm gonna kill myself....
We take them to the hospital, sit for a few watches, and are told it was all bull$hit by the doctor.
Naturally, J/O never has insurance, so in the end we pay the medical bills, not J/O.
The fact the lockup keepers in 002 referred to her as "that white bitch that won't shut up" will not help the city's position.
CPD dropped the ball here. Big time. From W/C to turn-keys.
We will have to settle and give her family an eight digit number, and they deserve nothing less. This girl will spend the rest of her life paralyzed and will need millions to pay for her care.
And may the piece of shit from the Taylors rot in hell.
Let's air it out here because it will never be heard elsewhere.
FIRST and FOREMOST.....The incident IS a tragedy. No parent should have to see their daughter like this. They have my deepest and sincere sympathy.
That having been said and meant, let's look at the picture the lawyers, media and city won't or can't say because of litigation coupled with the fact that it may not be politically correct or financially damaging.
#1 IF this girl was in fact a threat to herself, why then was she allowed [by the now caring parents] to travel alone in search of an alleged job? [Chicago stripper was mentioned]
The parents MUST have known her backround and propensity for bad judgement and/or self violence as they were allegedly able to relate or diagnose her over the phone when they allegedly 'made repeated calls to the CPD' to hold her in the cell until someone could come and get her. [Initially from California, however the lawsuit stated someone 'locally' would get her] PARENTS/LAWYER
#2 Where is the mention/culpability of the individual that [choose 1] led, forced her into a CHA building, raped, had consentual sex, allowed or threw her out of the window. NONE!! What are the names of ALL those good citizens observing the blond, F/2 in the building/abandoned apt. and called 911? NONE!!!!
[You can't get blood from a turnip] If you are looking for blame then why ONLY blame those allegedly able to pay up?
PARENTS/LAWYER
#3 WHY was she let out after clearing in the first place?
ANSWER: Because a LAWYER (there's that word again) once sued the CPD and the outcome mandated release upon clearing, thus normally 45 min to 3 hrs after incarcaration, void holds or warrants, THEY MUST BE LET GO! If she hung herself in the lock-up that evening the City would be sued for NOT letting her out in the required and mandated amount of time in the previous lawsuit consent decree. LAWYERS
#4 The witnesses are incarcarated ho's who have everything to gain and nothing to lose to become the plaintiffs witnesses. Just WHO will pay or coerced these upstanding citizens to testify? LAWYERS
[See a pattern here?]
Again, while this incident is in fact a tragedy, let's take the lawyers to task for just some of the reasons cited above. Bottom-feeders all of them!
Prediction: The City WILL pay. NOT because of total culpability, but because it's a heater-case and no politician has the balls to to cite ALL the facts in the case, including the city lawyers. So, they will do what they did in the Ryan Harris case, go for damage control and try to get the settlement cost as low as possible and never address all the issues and once again all the truth will never be known or addressed. Once again the police will be the political scapegoats.
We have to live with it but we don't have to like it.
[See you in mental need evaluation class after the Task Force has its finding] LAWYERS
END OF RANT
When They start paying the Police as Professionals with a background in Psychiatric care.,we will respond as such.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION: If it was the rule that EVERYONE hand to spend at least five years as a P/O ,on the street, not in any office job, before he/she could take the Sgts/Dets.tests the improvement to this job would be immediate and substantial. Then five years in each rank before being able to take the next rank promotion test.
Of course the problem is and will always be the Exempt promotions. EVERY Exempt on this job got there through favoritism. Some surely deserve it and do a great job. But most are just connected political hacks more suited to working in a bowling alley or car wash than directing others in this serious business.
Further the Police Supt. should be given a contract ,when appointed, which guarantees that he and his staff alone will make all decisions regarding the Police Dept. completely ignoring the wishes of the local cadre of political hacks, paracites, and so called reverends.
Dream on, it will never happen as long as the totally corrupt Democratic Party exists.
I found a simple solution. I recently called the IDOC, office of jail and detention standards. I am a lockup keeper, and was ordered to take in a mental who threatened to harm himself, just so the tac team could have their CB#. Looks like they are gonna follow up. We'll see what changes occur.
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