An Interesting Proposal
From the comments section in the "IPRA?" post:
- Personally, I would like to see the new IPRA [take] over all investigations. Cut the supervisors out of investigations of the people they supervise daily ALTOGETHER. It never made sense to me anyway, unless you wanted the investigations to go in one direction only.
This is an option we haven't seen proposed or discussed at all.
We'd imagine that one of the major issues coming to the fore is that SOS sergeants and lieutenants were allowed to investigate complaints against their own teams. One might be safe in presuming that the investigating sergeants had a vested interest in seeing that the investigations went nowhere, especially if the recent Sneed droppings concerning motorcycles, cars and gifts have any validity to them. Why even present the media and the other people questioning everything we do this easy club to beat us with?
Wouldn't it make more sense to remove the supervisors from the equation? Personal friendships and (in certain videotaped bar cases) the participation of supervisors in the alleged wrongdoing might be assumed to color the investigations.
We'd imagine that one of the major issues coming to the fore is that SOS sergeants and lieutenants were allowed to investigate complaints against their own teams. One might be safe in presuming that the investigating sergeants had a vested interest in seeing that the investigations went nowhere, especially if the recent Sneed droppings concerning motorcycles, cars and gifts have any validity to them. Why even present the media and the other people questioning everything we do this easy club to beat us with?
Wouldn't it make more sense to remove the supervisors from the equation? Personal friendships and (in certain videotaped bar cases) the participation of supervisors in the alleged wrongdoing might be assumed to color the investigations.
Labels: department issues
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
18 Comments:
Stop having sergeants investigate CR investigations. The CR complaint system is BROKE in Chicago.
As a sergeant I am going to give everyone a little lesson on how CR number investigations are completed. I know many know the process well however many do not know.
First, when a citizen makes a complaint, per Chicago Police Department General Order 93-03, a supervising officer of the rank of sergeant or above MUST notify OPS within 1 hour to generate the complaint. The ranking officer must type up a “To/From” Report which is then faxed to OPS. It should be also stated that if a citizen makes a complaint to a patrolmen, he or she must immediately notify their direct supervisor so the sergeant can make the complaint. No matter how silly the complaint may seem, according to G.O. 93-03 a call to OPS must be made and they will decide if a CR number is issued.
OPS will then decide if they will investigate the complaint. For the most part OPS will ONLY investigate brutality complaints. Some have estimated ONLY 5 to 10% of complaints made are for brutality. The rest will be sent to the Internal Affairs Division were they will decide if they will investigate the complaint or, if the officer’s district or unit will investigate it.
Now for the breakdown. Only about 10 to 15% of the remaining complaints will be investigated by IAD. These are considered more serious complaints such as the ones we read about in the paper, complaints involving stolen money and complaints made against officers while they were “off-duty” or out of town.
So what does this mean? Approximately 70% to 85% of ALL CR numbers are investigated by the district/unit sergeant. (If a complaint is on a sergeant, a lieutenant will investigate. If the CR is on a lieutenant, a captain will investigate. If a Captain is the subject of an investigation, ONLY IAD can investigate the CR number)
To say the least, these sergeants have to work with the police officers they investigate. They hope the officers will protect their backs when they are on the street. It only makes sense that the sergeants will do everything they can to "not-sustain" the CR numbers they investigate. Do you really think a sergeant will give a guy he works with a 30 day suspension with no pay? Hell NO!! Neither would I if I wanted my back protected!
And now you know the “REST OF THE STORY”.
I am a sergeant and I have always tought it odd that we investigate our immediate subordinates. I am happy that is set up that way, we get a chance to help people whenever we can, but in reality its a bit of a strange system. What if the supervisor has an axe to grind with the officer which is ubrelated to the incident at hand? Could a personal dislike cause the investigating sgt to be less than fair during the investigation? I would hope not, but who knows? It is my understanding that in private industry when there is some sort of malfeasance by an employee (short of criminal activity) then the human resources department takes the necessary steps. Does anyone knw how these things are handled in other departments? Other big cities? State Police? Remember, I like the present system, but I am curious.
As a sergeant, I vote Yes. I would love to be relieved of that part of my job. It's pretty nonsensical anyway.
As a policeman, I vote No. Have you looked at some of the investigators down there? They couldn't investigate their way out of a paper bag. They would sustain shit we laught at.
Besides, once the LA Princess does something Daley doesn't like, she will become the next Hoffman, handcuffed worse than the police.
Do no work thus avoid investigations! Investigate the supervisors from the top down it starts there!
There have been proposals to place somewhere between 15-25 sergeants into IAD and have them investigate ALL CR numbers that don't go to OPS.
The reality of the situation is that presently, OPS handles use of force beefs, IAD all others, and the ones that IAD doesn't deem important or special enough get kicked down to the units to handle.
If the department wants to be looked at as OBJECTIVELY investigating complaints, then they should structure the OPS (or whatever they want to call it, I will always call it OPS - clue: changing the name means nothing) and IAD units so that they do handle all the beefs.
Lots of them are BS, but it is easy to tell when they are, but when you send them out to the units for investigation, you are diluting the investigative process by having too many different people doing them. Also, the objectivity of the investigator has to be taken into consideration.
It is a smart idea, but the manpower issue has always been the problem, somehow those sergeants would have to be added to the budget... it costs $$$.
They didn't have to investigate shit all of sos beefs ended up at the district level.
Anonymous said...
There have been proposals to place somewhere between 15-25 sergeants into IAD and have them investigate ALL CR numbers that don't go to OPS.
The reality of the situation is that presently, OPS handles use of force beefs, IAD all others, and the ones that IAD doesn't deem important or special enough get kicked down to the units to handle.
If the department wants to be looked at as OBJECTIVELY investigating complaints, then they should structure the OPS (or whatever they want to call it, I will always call it OPS - clue: changing the name means nothing) and IAD units so that they do handle all the beefs.
Lots of them are BS, but it is easy to tell when they are, but when you send them out to the units for investigation, you are diluting the investigative process by having too many different people doing them. Also, the objectivity of the investigator has to be taken into consideration.
It is a smart idea, but the manpower issue has always been the problem, somehow those sergeants would have to be added to the budget... it costs $$$.
11/08/2007 08:13:00 AM
Anonymous said...
They didn't have to investigate shit all of sos beefs ended up at the district level.
11/08/2007 09:23:00 AM
THERE IS NOT ENOOUGH SGTS IN THE DISTRICTS OR ANY PATROL OFFICERS! FUCK IAD LETS DISBAND THAT USELESS CLOUT UNIT!
Taking these investigations away from the district is good and bad. I know some bosses who suck and will be happy to give anyone 30 and I know some bosses who are decent people and would save me even if I did something stupid. "dont expect a favor if you do something criminal, its on you then" I have no clout and have been on patrol in different districts for 8 years, I know these units are full of tough guys because there bosses handle the beefs, must be nice, you dont have to know how to do paper your boss will do it for you. As you are seeing the bosses in these units are now taking the hits. And Serg, when you do your investigations try to be more objective, just because you have a personallity conflict with a po doesnt mean his family should suffer and loose 2 pay checks. You see its hard to be objective when you work with the PO..
Besides, once the LA Princess does something Daley doesn't like, she will become the next Hoffman, handcuffed worse than the police.
11/08/2007 07:30:00 AM
------------------------------
Hoffman is doing just fine- don't believe everything your read (as if we don't already know that).
Lets all take a leave of absence at the same time. Let the bad guys kill each other, let the revvvvvs blame whitey. When we come back, it will all be over.
I think I saw this on Letterman's top ten list last night...it was up around #2 or #3 under top ten ways to kill morale on cpd.....have unfamiliar white shirts bury the rank and file during cr investigations....
Sgt. do not investigate any beef that will wind up costing a copper 30 days. If it's that big of a complaint, IAD or OPS will investigate. Sgt. only investigate BS that OPS and IAD thinks is most likely BS to begin with. As a SGT. I would love to do even less work, but I would not want to leave my guys at the mercy of these OPS investigators anymore than is necessary. Also, you got to be out of your fucking mind to do anything more then what is required. Let this city burn. I like the idea of having the Suntimes Staff patrol the ghetto.
Does anybody remember when Frank "the rat" would never accept an unfounded or exonerated cr# in Area 5? He always sent them back to the Sgts demanding at least a not sustained finding. Great guy "the rat" was just ask Finnegan seems "the rat" only took care of his favorites. Frank hopefully your indictment is coming soon. Can't wait I want to be the first to offer you my sympathies you two faced piece of shit.
I had no problem kicking SOS beefs right back to them.
This was long before the shit hit the fan.
The whole idea behind this is that, if the sergeants have to do the paper, they'll put pressure on the PO's not to get the numbers in the first place. I think it started with OW Wilson.
TO FRANK THE RAT RADKE, HEY FRANK I ONE OF P.O. YOU TRYED TO SCREW OVER SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I AM AWORKING POLICE WITH NO CLOUT .I NOW IN 016 , IF I EVER CATCH YOUR SORRY ASS, I AM LOCKING YOU UP FOR DUI AND IMPOUNDING YOUR CAR. ALSO I KNOW ABOUT YOUR POS SON THAT LIKES TO SMOKE WEED. REMEMBER FRANK REVENGE IS LIKE ICE.
11/10
2:26pm
His kid was selling dope at the gas station at Devon and Harlem. Yeah the same kid that was caught in a northside bar several years back selling dope and OCD let him go cause he was "the rat's" kid. Now knowing the one way, fuck over no clout coppers, "rat" like I do I'm sure he never did shit for the OCD coppers but hey "the rat" was real good at covering up off duty murders for the connected on the West side. Your day is coming Frank and when they take you away I'll be out in front of the house to remind you what a piece of shit garbage you are.
THIS MESAAGE IS FOR FRANK RADKE. REVENGE IS JUST LIKE ICE, ALWAYS BEST WHEN SERVED COLD.
<< Home