Weis says cops worry about suspensions

This is something worth being concerned about. Some of us might demand police protection unfortunately don't mind complaining about them at the same time. Weis says that it's not helping the department...

Embattled Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis emerged unscathed from a day-long City Council inquisition today, but not before disclosing a troubling trend: Police officers are being less aggressive as violent crime rises because they’re afraid of piling up citizen complaints.

“I think he’ll survive — and he should,” said Police Committee Chairman Isaac Carothers (29th), who put the rookie superintendent on the hot seat.

Standing alongside Carothers, Weis said, “This has been made out to be confrontational-type thing —and it wasn’t. I don’t mind tough questions. The city … has the right to ask tough questions — especially when our crime is up nearly 13 percent. I’m not happy with that. I’m gonna do everything I can to bring it down.Ó

Weis acknowledged the contradictory trends of rising crime and less aggressive policing under Perry Mason-style questioning from Carothers.

The alderman recited a string of statistics that Weis did not challenge. Compared to this time last year, Chicago has had 28 more homicides, 2,626 more gang disturbances, 1,210 more reports of a person with a gun, 7,136 more reports of shots fired and 473 more reports of narcotics sales.

With crime indicators headed upward, police should be more aggressive, but the opposite has occurred. Gang loitering interventions are down 1,163, narcotics loitering interventions have dropped 2,329, and police have taken 500 fewer guns off Chicago streets.

Carothers (29th) called it "de-policing," a condition that exists when officers Òstop doing their jobsÓ because they're afraid nobody has their back.

Weis took issue with the term. But he acknowledged being so concerned about the drop in arrests, he recently exhorted over 100 police officers to pick up the pace and "take back street corners" from gangs that refuse orders to disperse.

"I have heard from many officers that there is a degree of timidness -- that people are not maybe as engaged as they should be because of fears of lawsuits, fears of [complaints registered] being put against them by criminals and by other folks who are just trying to impugn their integrity," the superintendent said.

To reverse the trend, Weis said he has directed his command staff to "go out to roll calls to try and re-instill the confidence that we are here for our officers and to ask them to aggressively police." But he said, "I'm not naive. When officers have told me, 'It's tough out there. I don't want to get sued,' it's not unreasonable to believe that some officers might not be as aggressive as we need them to be."

Carothers blamed low morale that nosedived after Weis ordered an unprecedented housecleaning that swept out 21 of 25 district commanders and nearly all of the Police Department's top brass.

In this article is a quote my 24th Ward Ald. Denise Dixon. I think I'll let 2nd City Cop offer his two cents on her comments. A little spoiler, he's upset at her comments.

Another worth noting Clout Street says that Weis got a lesson in Chicago politics at his hearing yesterday:

The toughest barrage came from Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th), chairman of the Police and Fire Committee, who called the hearing to question what the former supervising FBI agent was doing to improve police morale and stop crime. He also made it clear that Weis has to answer to more than the mayor.

The Police and Fire Committee has "jurisdiction over all issues relating to the Police Department" Carothers bluntly noted, asking Weis if he "understood that now."

Weis responded, "Yes." But he remained calm throughout his testimony, explaining the fine line he must tread to "make Chicago even safer and restore public faith and public trust in the Chicago Police Department" while trying to hold down crime.

While most were more gentle than Carothers, alderman after alderman pressed Weis for answers.

Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) said there are "areas of my ward that are called terror town. We need help. Where are we in the queue for that help?"

Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) didn't have the same complaints about killings in his Northwest Side neighborhoods, but demanded to know why Weis was sending tactical teams from his ward to other areas of the city.

"It's beyond me why police officers are being taken out of our community on a regular basis," Schulter said.

"At a certain time, we have to go to where the killings are taking place," Weis said. He noted that sometimes a district's tactical officers are sent elsewhere, as they were on July 4, the day after a fatal downtown shooting near the Taste of Chicago that highlighted a 13 percent citywide increase in homicides this year.

I regret not watching some of this hearing. I wasn't in front of a TV yesterday. Also read this report from CPR. 29th Ward Ald. Issac Carothers telling Weis who's the boss! His police and fire committee's the boss.