By Frank Main
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — Days after one of his cops was arrested for allegedly killing two men in an alcohol-fueled crash, Police Supt. Jody Weis emphasized Monday that he’s serious about cracking down on officers who get behind the wheel drunk.
Weis took office early last year after the Daley administration was embarrassed by a series of scandals stemming from cops allegedly misbehaving in bars.
Weis signed off on a policy requiring immediate notification of a watch commander who must go to the scene whenever there is evidence that an officer -- on- or off-duty -- was driving drunk.
Weis said 15 officers were arrested last year for DUI, compared with eight in 2007.
In the wake of Friday’s fatal accident that killed Andrew Cazares, 23, and Fausto Manzera, 21, cops have been warning each other not to drink and drive. On Internet chat sites, they’ve been urging each other to grab their colleagues’ keys or hail a cab for those who appear intoxicated.
Weis would not comment on the case against Joseph Frugoli except to offer condolences to the families of the dead men and observe that Frugoli’s professional life is “technically over” because of the criminal charges against him.
Weis also said he did not think Frugoli was offered a “professional courtesy” by officers who responded to a January 2008 accident in the wee hours involving the off-duty detective crashing a BMW sedan into a police car in Bridgeport, injuring two officers. In that accident, Frugoli was not given field-sobriety or Breathalyzer tests.
The responding officers, who did not report any suspicions of drunken driving by Frugoli, were investigated for failing to notify their supervisors in a timely fashion that an off-duty officer was involved in a collision. They were cleared of wrongdoing.
In Friday’s accident, Frugoli’s blood-alcohol level was allegedly .27, more than three times the legal limit. Frugoli, 41, is free in lieu of $500,000 bond on charges of reckless homicide, DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. His next hearing is scheduled for May 1.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Sun-Times