By David Roeder
The Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said Sunday that citizen complaints against his officers are declining.
Weis said complaints were down 12 percent in 2009 from 2008 and that this year’s numbers through May are down 7 percent from the pace of a year ago.
He attributed the decline to better training and performance evaluations, including a system that gives supervisors instant access to complaints lodged against individual officers.
“There will be no excuses for our supervisors not knowing the activity of their officers,” Weis said at a news conference at police headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan. He also said lawsuits against the department for alleged mistreatment of suspects are down 60 percent year-to-date through April compared with the same period in 2009.
The data on misconduct reports come during the trial of former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge, accused of perjury in connection with alleged torture of suspects. Burge, in testimony, denied there is a police “code of silence” to protect rogue officers.
Weis said such a code, if it existed, is gone because training has made it easier to correct misconduct before it becomes serious. Technology, he said, also puts more eyes on the police.
“The days of this code of silence — it’s gone,” he said. “Every kid has a camera, and there are cameras all throughout the city.”
From 2007 through 2009, complaints of criminal misconduct, conduct unbecoming an officer, alcohol abuse and verbal abuse were down 23 percent, 37 percent, 42 percent and 90 percent, respectively, Weis said.
The data cover matters referred to the department’s Internal Affairs Division from the Independent Police Review Authority.
Color Photo: Scott Stewart, Sun-Times; Police Supt. Jody Weis said, “The days of this code of silence — it’s gone.”
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