Voice of the people (letter).

Brutality And Trust

December 03, 1997|By Michael L. Kern, Morgan Park Academy.

CHICAGO — The Nov. 12 article "Lax discipline for cop brutality fuels distrust" was timely and thought-provoking. I agree that Chicago is too lax on abusive officers and that this fuels distrust. This atmosphere of tolerance must stop.

Very few police officers charged with abuse are fired or even suspended for their actions. The statistical evidence in the article is overwhelming. Between 1992 and 1995 a total of 64 cases made it to the police board. Out of the 64 cases, 17 resulted in firings. In 1996, there were 3,138 complaints filed with Office of Professional Standards. Only six of those were ever presented to the board. None of the six resulted in suspensions or firings. That means no one was found guilty. That is outrageous and unbelievable; there is no way that all those people were innocent.

The system should be overhauled, starting with the Office of Professional Standards on up. Investigations should be complete, but not lengthy. The superintendent should be strict on abusers. If the board finds officers abusive, it reflects negatively on the mayor, and this is why he shouldn't be allowed to choose the members of the board. Instead they should be chosen randomly, as with jury duty. Finally, the board members should have to explain their decisions.

If the tolerance of abuse isn't stopped, trust will continue to erode. This behavior could encourage other officers to become abusive and negligent. If officers are allowed to be both judge and jury, what has happened to our Constitution?