Post by Site Admin on Sept 14, 2005 5:09:16 GMT -5
archive.nwherald.com/archive_detail.php?archiveFile=./pubfiles/nwh/archive/2005/September/14/Opinion/61419.xml
Secret rulings protect cops
Publication Northwest Herald
Date September 14, 2005
Section(s) Opinion
Page
Scott Crawford, under pressure of being fired and fighting a civil lawsuit, has parted company with the Marengo police department.
The city took the easy way out.
Rather than push for a hearing and a public vote one way or the other on his employment, city officials settled for cash, accepting Crawford's resignation as police officer in return.
And no future employer will be the wiser.
Marengo might have saved money in legal fees, but the community beyond Marengo is hurt. If another department considers hiring Crawford, the prospective employer won't hear a bad word from Marengo. Just as Marengo did not hear a bad word from Waukegan.
Crawford, 26, resigned from the Marengo police force two weeks ago. He says he did nothing wrong.
He was suspended without pay June 17 under charges that he lied on his job application, took part in an improper high-speed chase and fostered a "hostile" work environment.
Crawford will get $10,700 in back pay, which includes a bonus payment for 30 additional days he did not work. And the city's insurance company will represent him, as well as the city, in a civil-rights lawsuit filed by six people against Crawford and the city, charging false arrest and battery.
In 2002, the Waukegan department settled a civil lawsuit, paying $30,000 over charges of excessive use force while Crawford was an officer there. He was videotaped hitting a handcuffed man.
When Marengo hired Crawford, city officials say he marked "no" when asked on the job application whether he was involved in a civil lawsuit. And when Marengo checked Crawford's job references, Waukegan said nothing about the lawsuit; it simply acknowledged that he worked there.
This case proves the need for the state to draft legislation that would create a database for discipline, resignation settlements, and firing of police officers. Small municipalities with part-time officers are particularly at risk of hiring rogue cops.
In Illinois, bad cops can be shunted from one department to the next, covering up information that is critically important in employment and to the community. These are people who carry guns, have power, and work in life-or-death situations. Some-times, abuse occurs. But the "system" keeps it quiet.
Doctors and lawyers are licensed by the state, and everyone from accountants to veterinary technicians must be licensed. For that matter, so do private detectives.
Police officers ought to be included on that list.
Secret rulings protect cops
Publication Northwest Herald
Date September 14, 2005
Section(s) Opinion
Page
Scott Crawford, under pressure of being fired and fighting a civil lawsuit, has parted company with the Marengo police department.
The city took the easy way out.
Rather than push for a hearing and a public vote one way or the other on his employment, city officials settled for cash, accepting Crawford's resignation as police officer in return.
And no future employer will be the wiser.
Marengo might have saved money in legal fees, but the community beyond Marengo is hurt. If another department considers hiring Crawford, the prospective employer won't hear a bad word from Marengo. Just as Marengo did not hear a bad word from Waukegan.
Crawford, 26, resigned from the Marengo police force two weeks ago. He says he did nothing wrong.
He was suspended without pay June 17 under charges that he lied on his job application, took part in an improper high-speed chase and fostered a "hostile" work environment.
Crawford will get $10,700 in back pay, which includes a bonus payment for 30 additional days he did not work. And the city's insurance company will represent him, as well as the city, in a civil-rights lawsuit filed by six people against Crawford and the city, charging false arrest and battery.
In 2002, the Waukegan department settled a civil lawsuit, paying $30,000 over charges of excessive use force while Crawford was an officer there. He was videotaped hitting a handcuffed man.
When Marengo hired Crawford, city officials say he marked "no" when asked on the job application whether he was involved in a civil lawsuit. And when Marengo checked Crawford's job references, Waukegan said nothing about the lawsuit; it simply acknowledged that he worked there.
This case proves the need for the state to draft legislation that would create a database for discipline, resignation settlements, and firing of police officers. Small municipalities with part-time officers are particularly at risk of hiring rogue cops.
In Illinois, bad cops can be shunted from one department to the next, covering up information that is critically important in employment and to the community. These are people who carry guns, have power, and work in life-or-death situations. Some-times, abuse occurs. But the "system" keeps it quiet.
Doctors and lawyers are licensed by the state, and everyone from accountants to veterinary technicians must be licensed. For that matter, so do private detectives.
Police officers ought to be included on that list.