Two 911 dispatchers were suspended for failing to notify police about a brawl at a Southwest Side park last month that left a teenager in a coma, Chicago emergency officials said today.
These two will pay a price for not dispatching cars that weren't available.
One of the dispatchers was given a 20-day suspension and the other was given 15 days in connection with the July 14 incident at Durkin Park, 8445 S. Kolin Ave., when nearly a half-hour elapsed before police arrived to quell a melee, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Someone in the media should be asking why a few years ago every rapid response car on third watch was manned and today barely three to four are up in most districts.
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Chicago Police Board monthly meeting up for grabs tonight. Over 60 Westsiders started hooting and hollering so they had to rush Dana Starks out and cancel the rest of the meeting. Had to call in officers to breakup the mob.
Angry crowd spurs police meeting's end
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-harrison_17aug17,1,3009037.story
U.S. Attorney Investigates Police Robbery Ring
CHICAGO (AP) -- The U.S. attorney's office has joined the investigation of an alleged robbery ring inside an elite Chicago police unit, which could mean additional charges and more severe penalties, according to a published report.
Federal investigators want to know why police officials didn't stop the alleged crimes by officers in the Special Operations Section despite numerous complaints of wrongdoing, anonymous sources familiar with the investigation told the Chicago Tribune in a report published Thursday.
The unit is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Cook County prosecutors. County prosecutors have said rogue officers often would file drug charges against their victims, but then fail to appear in court, causing the charges to be dismissed.
Federal prosecutors will investigate the role of the police Internal Affairs Division, which looks into allegations against officers, the sources told the newspaper.
Cook County prosecutors already have charged seven officers with crimes including home invasion, armed violence and official misconduct. All have pleaded not guilty.
Federal investigators have resources allowing them to track money allegedly stolen by officers, and could bring additional charges, such as racketeering and civil rights violations, and ask for more severe penalties.
U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Randall Samborn declined to comment on the investigation. Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the department would continue "to cooperate with authorities."
Chicago's police department has been under fire in recent months for high-profile allegations of police misconduct, including the videotaped beatings of a female bartender and four businessmen by off-duty officers. Police Superintendent Phil Cline announced his retirement amid the controversy, and Mayor Richard M. Daley has been seeking his replacement.
I have tremendous respect for the job officers and dispatchers do on an every day basis.
I feel, however, that we are missing information on this case.
For example, if there were no cars available to dispatch, did the dispatchers go to citywide to ask for help? If they did not, why not? Was it against policy or they thought that the incident was not important enough?
In the 30 minutes, or so, that lapsed since the first call, didn't any car become available for this incident?
The public account says that an officer who had received a call from a family member at the scene, called HQs, and then there was a response. Where did this response come from? Citywide or zone?
Disciplinary action against the dispatchers, if they were at fault, make sense but only to a point. There must be a clear understanding of what caused this incident. Such understanding should come from a professional investigation and not a witch hunt. Otherwise the causes will remain latent and similar incidents will occur again.
Thanks for the hospitality and thanks for your work.
I don't know exactly what happened to cause the debacle at Durkin park but I worked in 008 for a couple of years as a sector sergeant. Those dispatchers should get the equivalent of combat pay. They do a hell of a job from start to finish. Everybody makes mistakes, even monkeys fall out of trees.
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