FP cop indicted for brutality against homeless Black man

The U.S. Attorney Northern Illinois District has indicted Forest Park Police Sgt. Mike Murphy for misconduct in beating a Black homeless man, Sidney Hooks. See Forest Park Review (Josh Adams):

According to Hooks' civil complaint filed in February 2004, Murphy arrived at the tail end of a police response in which two officers were attempting to determine whether Hooks was panhandling. The two other officers responding to the call were satisfied that an arrest was not necessary and explained as much to Murphy, the suit contends.

After walking approximately half a block from the scene, Hooks was allegedly apprehended by Murphy, who was exiting his squad car with pepper spray in-hand. Hooks was allegedly sprayed in the face and then struck repeatedly with a baton, resulting in a broken wrist. After being kicked and handcuffed, Hooks was transported to the police station where Murphy "dragged Mr. Hooks approximately 20 feet," according to the suit.

Murphy acted like a criminal. What did Forest Park Police Chief Jim Ryan do? What did State's Attorney Dick Devine do?

BTW, at least one supporter of Mayor Anthony Calderone is characterizing the prosecution as a castration. See Forest Park Forums. From the perspective of this Calderone supporter, I guess it's removing the intrinsic masculinity of "White" cops to hold them accountable for using pepper spray and a police baton against a Black man.

Maywood trustee Rich Lopez indicted for rigging union election

Village of Maywood trustee Rich Lopez has be indicted for illegally influencing the election of officers in Teamsters Local 743. Lopez has been a Maywood trustee since April, 2005 and is part of the majority block aligned with village president Henderson Yarbrough.

Lopez was also elected Secretary-Treasurer of Local 743 in 2005. Secretary-treasurer is usually the #2 position in a local. Lopez ascended to be the president of the local when President Robert Walston retired on August 31, 2007. See Local 743 press release (pdf).

From the U.S. Attorney, Northern Illinois District, press release (pdf).

The indictment alleges that between August and December 2004, Lopez, Mosley, Jones and Rodriguez, together with others, engaged in a scheme to rig the election by diverting official ballot packages to the defendants' friends, family and associates, and casting the ballots or causing them to be cast in both the October and December elections for incumbent officers, known as the "Unity Slate," to ensure their election. The defendants and others allegedly caused the addresses of certain Local 743 members to be changed in union records so that official ballot packages would be diverted in the mail to their friends, family and associates, rather then being delivered to Local 743 members in good standing who were eligible to vote in those elections. The defendants and others allegedly caused the addresses of Local 743 members in a computer database to be changed from the members' previously recorded addresses to new addresses collected and provided by the defendants that in fact belonged to their friends, family and confidantes. The defendants then allegedly collected the fraudulently delivered ballot packages, and the ballots later were cast or caused to be cast in favor of the incumbent slate of officers.

[UPDATE: You can read the indictment on the U.S. Attorney's website (pdf).]

[UPDATE2: Sun-Times (Dave Newbart) covered the story.

[A union friend told me that he expected Local 743 to be put into trusteeship as a result of these charges. When the Department of Labor has enough evidence to file an indictment it results in the larger union (in this case the Teamsters) placing the local into trusteeship. The officers are removed and the larger union appoints some outsiders to serve as caretakers while the local reorganizes and installs a non-corrupt regime.]

Melrose Seven becomes Melrose 6+1?

I attended the arraignment of the seven Melrose Park Police Department personnel indicted by the feds this morning.

Two things seemed most significant.

Six of the seven were arraigned together as part of the 9:30 docket. Ric Cervone was arraigned separately as part of the 10:30 docket. All seven pleaded not guilty and had the same conditions imposed on them by Judge Joan B. Gottschall.

One of the conditions was that the defendants are not to have contact with potential victims and witnesses. I got the impression that the court was trying to allow at least Cervone to continue working as a police officer. How can Cervone or any of the others continue to work for the Village of Melrose Park and avoid contact with potential victims and witnesses?

One of the arguments in the indictment is that these private security companies run by the defendants diverted policing resources from the Village of Melrose Park to private contracts. If the U.S. Attorney takes this allegation seriously, it seems hard to reconcile allowing any of the defendants to continue on village payroll if the judge has ordered them not to be in contact with potential victims or witnesses.

CRIME, U.S. Attorney to announce charges

Capitol Fax Blog (Rich Miller):

US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has scheduled a 2 o’clock press conference for today “to announce new criminal charges in an ongoing public corruption investigation.”

Participants will include: Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Kenneth T. Lag, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago; and James Vandenberg, Special Agent-in-Charge of Investigations for the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General in Chicago.

Hmmm....

Wasn't the Department of Labor a participant in the raid of the Melrose Park police department?

[UPDATE: It was Al Sanchez of the Hispanic Democratic Organization. See Capitol Fax Blog.]

[UPDATE2: The Hispanic Democratic Organization is associated with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and is not active in Proviso Township as far as I know.]