Holiday Party Warning

After last year, we're surprised that the Department didn't cancel holiday parties across the board:

• The City of Chicago has been named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from last December when an off-duty police officer, accused of driving drunk, fatally struck a pedestrian.

  The lawsuit alleged that Officer [go read it at the link], 40, became intoxicated at a city-approved holiday party in River North, honoring retiring police officers, before driving and causing the fatal crash.

  According to the amended complaint, a Chicago Police Department employee designated the event at Tree House, a popular bar in River North, as an official city-approved function. The lawsuit claimed [...] was overserved alcohol at the party despite being visibly intoxicated, a violation of CPD policy, which prohibits officers from consuming excessive alcohol. It further alleged the city was liable as [...] acted within the scope of her employment during the event.

If they're going to claim that the "scope of her employment" involves that she allegedly took part in planning the event, then there are a boatload of career house mouses who should be walking on eggshells, knowing who acts how at these events. 

Drunk driving and overserving are just two of a litany of offenses that they could be tagged with.

Don't be that guy or gal.