chicago police

September 1, 2023

Chicago Prosecutors Drop Cases That Relied on Officer Accused of Perjury

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Chicago prosecutors are dropping cases that relied on a Chicago police officer’s testimony after that officer was accused of perjury. The officer testified that his girlfriend had stolen his car in order to get dozens of traffic tickets against him dismissed. The officer is accused of perjuring himself 44 times in a bid to get traffic tickets dismissed. The tickets involved running a red light, speeding, and parking violations.

Perjuring yourself under oath is considered a criminal act. But more so, any defense attorney who tried a case involving the officer would bring up the fact that he was willing to lie under oath. In many cases, the facts of the case rely entirely on an officer’s testimony. Since the officer is no longer considered a reliable witness, this places the cases involving his testimony in peril. It could also result in appeals for convictions in which the case hinged on his testimony.

An assistant state’s attorney has declined to pursue seven cases in which the officer made the arrest. Some of these cases dated as far back as 2021. The assistant state attorney offered no reason for refusing to pursue the cases, but defense counsel made mention of the officer’s credibility problems.

June 23, 2023

Police Seargent Found Not Guilty After Pinning Teen to Sidewalk

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

In an incident that was reminiscent of the murder of George Floyd, a Chicago police sergeant was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct after pinning a 14-year-old boy to the sidewalk while off duty. During a bench trial, the sergeant was found not guilty of the charges, although he remains on leave after having his police duties stripped. The family says they plan on filing a civil lawsuit in the case.

A viral video of the incident made its way across social media, stoking animosity toward the sergeant and police in general. The sergeant could be seen with his knee on the boy’s back. The boy was face down, lying on the ground.

According to reports, the officer believed that his son’s stolen bicycle was spotted near a Starbucks. The officer found the bicycle near a group of teens and waited to see if anyone would take it. The 14-year-old touched the bicycle to move it, and that is when the officer confronted him. The officer grabbed the teen, placed him in an arm bar, and pushed him to the ground. Then he placed his knee on the teen’s back.

May 17, 2023

Police Officer Charged With Criminal Sexual Abuse

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago police officer has been recently charged with a sex crime after he was accused of having a sexual relationship with a child. Police are remaining silent about the child’s age and gender but have charged the officer based on the child’s self-reported allegations. According to police, the attack occurred in a parking lot. The victim knew the attacker and identified him as a 30-year-old police officer in good standing with CPD.

In a case like this, the child will be interviewed by the Children’s Advocacy Center in conjunction with CPD’s Internal Affairs and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The officer has since been charged with a felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a child as well as aggravated battery in public.

According to authorities, the attack was violent. The officer is accused of groping the victim and then striking them. The defendant has been released on a $10,000 bond and is required to have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18.

April 14, 2023

Are Drug-Sniffing Dogs Legal at a Traffic Stop?

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Just seeing a drug-sniffing dog can be nerve-wracking, and having one sniff your body, compound, car, or belongings can feel like an infringement on your privacy. These dogs are a common sight in airports and functions such as festivals where large crowds of people gather to have fun.

Apart from airports and music festivals, you might have seen these dogs at a traffic stop and wondered if it was legal for the police to have them there.

The Case of Illinois V. Caballes

March 28, 2023

18-Year-Old Charged in Murder of Police Officer

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago man charged with shooting and killing a Chicago police officer is being held without bond. The man is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, among other things. He did not have a criminal history, according to police, but his reputation for gangsterism preceded him. The young man was suspected of running from a stolen car after a shooting. In that case, police had sought felony charges, but prosecutors only approved misdemeanor charges based on his age and arrest record. In the shooter’s case, the charges were eventually dropped after he completed 20 hours of community service. His age and lack of criminal record were cited as reasons to be lenient.

Now, the prosecutor’s office is in big trouble after the boy shot and killed a police officer. Today, law enforcement is caught between two pressures. The first is ensuring that young individuals have a chance to rehabilitate themselves. The second is ensuring the safety of the public and police officers. Every time something like this happens, the pendulum swings back toward less leniency.

Analyzing the Enforcement Issues

August 10, 2022

Chicago Sets Records for Homicides, Record Low Number of Arrests

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

In 2021, Chicago set a 25-year record for the number of reported homicides. In 2022, Chicago police are being chastised for making a record low number of arrests. According to recent data, arrests have been made in only 12% of reported cases which is the lowest number since the statistics were first recorded in 2001. Additionally, murders are up a reported 3% since 2020 and sexual assaults have climbed 27%.

What’s going on? Well, the answer, predictably, falls along political lines. Conservatives want to blame “woke reforms” for the lack of arrests while “woke reformers” are blaming the police for “malicious compliance” with newer policies aimed at reducing police interactions.

Going Out There and Not Doing Anything

June 29, 2022

Chicago Officer Charged Over Altercation With Woman

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A white Chicago officer has been officially charged after an altercation with a Black woman who was walking her dog. The defendant has since resigned from the police force and has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct. The 52-year-old officer resigned prior to an official disciplinary hearing.

The altercation ensued when the officer found a woman walking her dog along the beach. The officer detained the woman and told her the beach was closed. The woman said she felt threatened and asked the officer to step back. At that point, the officer grabbed the woman. The incident was not only caught on bodycam but a bystander recorded much of the altercation.

The victim told the press that she believed the incident was racially motivated. She also said that she did not believe that all cops were bad people, but this particular cop was a bad apple. As a criminal defense attorney, you wish that people remembered the entirety of the cliche. A few bad apples can spoil the bunch.

June 24, 2022

Chicago Police Unveil New Foot Pursuit Policy

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Pursuit issues have long been a public safety problem, but the majority of these issues are related to vehicles. Police are afraid that pursuing vehicles can result in pedestrian deaths, personal injury lawsuits, auto injuries, and property damage. They are likewise afraid of making a bad situation worse. It is more complicated by the fact that fleeing a police officer is itself a criminal act and in some states, the stakes are very high. While you will not see prosecutions like this in Illinois, certain Southern states can charge you with murder if a police officer murders your friend who is also fleeing police. In other words, there is a lot of controversy over pursuit of suspects, how to do it safely, and how to avoid lawsuits.

What we have not seen is a foot pursuit policy. This is largely because if a police officer accidentally steamrolls a bystander, they are not critically injured in the process. Nonetheless, foot pursuits do result in avoidable shootings and one of the most recent examples of this involved a 13-year-old boy.

It is believed that the new foot pursuit policy will help prevent shootings related to minor offenses. Police will now have an identifiable policy on when they are allowed to place themselves, bystanders, or the suspect in danger. This should help reduce the overall number of police interactions.

April 27, 2022

DA Vacates 44 Convictions Related to Ronald Watts

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

In a final push to revisit cases in which former Chicago police officer Ronald Watts was involved, the State Attorney’s office reversed course and agreed to vacate 44 convictions. Almost every case that was tied to the former officer has been reviewed. Many convictions have been vacated on appeal after allegations that torture and coercion led to convictions. Watts was also implicated in planting evidence.

Initially, prosecutors appeared ready to defend these cases due to the fact that other officers who were not involved with Watts also contributed to the conviction. However, the DA reversed course and decided to vacate the convictions on the basis that even his cursory involvement was enough to taint the case. A total of 100 convictions have been vacated against 88 defendants as part of an exoneration review of Watts’ cases. Three convictions not associated with exoneration efforts have also been vacated. According to the State Attorney’s office, 212 convictions have been vacated due to Watts’ criminal police work. Only a handful of convictions now remain before the court.

The officers, many of whom remain on the force, were accused of running a protection racket from a South Side public housing complex. They forced drug dealers to pay a “tax” and pinned bogus charges on anyone who did not.

September 1, 2021

Investigation to Determine Whether Joliet Police Have “Pattern of Unlawful Policing”

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Last year, the attorney general of the Joliet Police Department launched an investigation to determine whether or not there was an ongoing pattern of abuses within the department. The investigation is set to determine whether or not there has been a pattern of unconstitutional policing in Joliet.

The investigation came after a man died while in police custody. Video footage, which surfaced five months after the initial incident, shows police attempting to communicate with a handcuffed suspect. At one point, they can be seen pinching his nose and striking him while his hands were cuffed behind his back. The suspect appears unresponsive. He died at the hospital later that evening. The official cause of death was ruled a fentanyl overdose.

The investigation is civil in nature, not criminal. It could result in the reorganization of the department. None of the officers connected to the death were criminally charged. The investigation is focused on systemic problems and not individuals, according to the attorney general. The investigation was part of a joint effort by the city council and the mayor to open up an investigation into the department.