By Frank Main
The Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — One of the signs that cops carried at Wednesday’s march on Chicago Police headquarters said “Free Cozzi.”
So who is Cozzi?
William Cozzi was a Chicago Police officer in 2005 when he beat an unruly man handcuffed to a wheelchair. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to a state charge of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to probation. He also was suspended without pay for two years.
Enter Jody Weis. In January 2008, Weis was preparing to take over as superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
A video of the Cozzi beating surfaced in the media and Weis saw it. A Weis spokeswoman said he was troubled by it and would take a “hard, close look” at further action against Cozzi.
Court records show that Weis sent two e-mails to an FBI agent asking if it had investigated Cozzi for civil rights violations. He also sent the FBI the video.
Federal authorities then charged Cozzi with a civil rights violation, and he pleaded guilty in 2009. He’s now serving a 40-month federal prison sentence. Some cops are furious with Weis, saying he contributed to Cozzi being punished twice for the same crime.
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