Natalia Chi
The Chicago Police Department continues to employ more than 100 officers who knowingly provided false information during criminal investigations, according to a report released Thursday by the city of Chicago’s oversight agency.
The Inspector General’s Office found that “structural flaws” in the police department’s accountability structure allowed officers who violated Rule 14 to continue working in jobs “depending on truthfulness and credibility.”
Rule 14 of the CPD prohibits police officers from “making false reports, whether written or verbal.” Continuing to break the rules usually marks the end of a police career, as it prevents you from giving credible testimony under oath.
The various regulators that monitor police misconduct all agree that continued violations of Rule 14 should automatically trigger the dismissal of police officers.
Of the more than 100 police officers who violated Rule 14, several continue to serve as officers or detectives, according to IG.
“Effective enforcement of Rule 14 is what stands between us and a world where police officers can lie. No law enforcement is expected,” Inspector General Deborah Wittsburgh said in a statement. “You can’t protect people from unprosecutable crimes, and you can’t build trust without truth.”
Wittsberg said in a livestream detailing Thursday’s 40-page report that Rule 14 has not been fully enforced, partly because of gaps in policies and procedures, but partly due to case-by-case decisions. said to be the cause.
The report describes a case in which a CPD member violated Rule 14 but was not separated from the agency. Other case studies reported that rule 14 violations were not pursued after officers were found to have lied, and rule 14 violations were expunged from the officer’s disciplinary history.
[ Read the Office of the Inspector General’s report ]
Wittsburgh’s investigation into the enforcement of Rule 14 was mandated by a blanket consent decree issued by a federal judge to the police department in 2019. She said the rule against lying was one of the few police rules and trends the statute ordered her office to analyze. Flag the importance of the rule.
In response to the investigation, the CPD, the Civilian Department of Police Responsibility, and the Chicago Police Commission acknowledged the seriousness of the Rule 14 violation. However, authorities did not accept the report’s recommendations that the offending police officers should be fired.
According to a response accompanying the report, the agency cannot commit to dismissing rule 14 violators. This is because officials have the right to due process guaranteed by collective bargaining agreements that prohibit predetermining discipline without considering the specific circumstances of each case.
Ministries rejected some of the report’s recommendations, claiming they were either impossible or had already been implemented. The police department said it reviewed the assignments of Rule 14 violators annually, agreed to create new training for internal investigators to recognize violations, and was working to improve notification of violations to prosecutors. .
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The CPD has considered the IG’s recommendations and is moving towards implementing some of them, it said in a statement on Thursday.
“Chicago Police Department personnel adhere to the highest standards. To build and maintain trust and confidence among the communities we serve, our sworn and private members act with integrity. is expected,” the agency wrote.
COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten said in a statement on Thursday that lies by officers undermine public trust in the police and undermine their ability to function.
“COPA maintains its position that police officers found to have knowingly lied in official reports or statements must be held accountable. Not only does it give away, but it has the potential to undermine the integrity of our nation’s criminal justice system,” Kersten wrote.
In response, the police commission said it had been five years since it ordered a lesser sentence than release for a violation. The May 2018 incident in which two police officers were found to have violated Rule 14 cited by the IG Secretariat involved an incident that occurred 12 years ago in 2004, the Board said. they wrote.
The officers were early in their careers and had “unusually compelling character witness testimony,” and all of these factors contributed to their decision to suspend them for three years, a more lenient decision, the committee said. writing. The commission then ordered the dismissal of 21 officers for violating Rule 14.
Departments cannot currently adhere to certain pre-determined disciplines, but may recommend that city councils pass legislation requiring the dismissal of employees convicted of violating Rule 14, the board said. said COPA.
