Aldercreature Abuses Process

These body camera videos are turning out to have all sorts of beneficial side effects:

• Newly-acquired Chicago police body camera video shows an Albany Park man being arrested for battering a Chicago alderman at a River North bar, even though the alderman says that’s not what happened. Ulises Ortiz, 33, of Albany Park, spent 20 hours in police custody after Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) signed complaints against him outside Boss Bar, 420 North Clark, on October 7.

  The CPD arrest report and criminal complaint in the case court file identify Reilly as the victim who was struck with a belt during a dispute over a game of pool.“A city alderman was struck in the face and refused medical attention on the scene,” said a preliminary notification to CPD’s Crime Prevention and Information Center shortly after Ortiz’s arrest. “It is not believed the alderman was targeted due to the alderman’s position with the city.”

  Reilly has consistently denied that he was battered since we first asked him about the incident two months ago. He called the allegations made in the police report and criminal complaint “totally inaccurate.”

So why, pray tell, did the aldercreature sign complaints and then hide from Detectives for twenty hours?

• “Hey, alderman,” the officer says. “It’s a felony, by the way, and, uh, I’ll sign it,” Reilly begins, shaking the cop’s hand.

  “No problem,” replies the cop. “So what do I gotta do?” asks Reilly.

  As a backup officer arrives, the first cop briefs him: “He threw a belt at the alderman. He wants to sign a complaint…”

  “How are ya?” Reilly asks the backup officer, extending his hand for a shake.

  “I’ll show up to court, too,” Reilly says moments later, as he signs two complaint forms against Ortiz.

  Asked about the situation on Thursday, Reilly said he signed the complaints without reading them. “I signed the report having not read it,” the alderman said today. “I signed it quickly because the guy was belligerent, violent and needed to be removed from the neighborhood so he wouldn’t try to hurt anyone else.”

Um, that isn't why we have complaints signed Brendan. Complaints are signed because someone is saying under oath that a law has been broken, you're a victim and you're willing to testify to that in front of a judge.

• Police records show CPD officers pursued the matter as a felony charge of aggravated battery in a public place. Ortiz remained in police custody for 20 hours as investigators tried to contact Reilly, according to the arrest report.

  At 5 p.m. the next day, some 19 hours after Ortiz was arrested, a detective determined that they could not pursue felony charges because they could not get in touch with the alderman, the report said. Ortiz, who had never been arrested before, was released about an hour later, charged only with a misdemeanor.

So the aldercreature lied (by omission) to police, then attested falsely (by signature), using the police as bouncers, then hid long enough for the offender to be released on a misdemeanor charge - a charge that would most likely have been a "catch and release" on-scene report or immediately upon reaching the station.

Just so we're clear when the lawsuit is filed.