Chicago Police Chief defends his strategy

The passage of time does not seem to help to solve the issues being faced by Chicago Police.  Rarely does a week go by without negative comment or tit for tat media communication about internal politics, external programmes and strategies and Police Superintendent who appears to be under fire from the politicians and his own staff.

This is a letter published in September 2010 in which Superintendent Weiss found it necessary to defend his tactics, decisions and actions as well as comment of the lack of support from staff associations. - http://tinyurl.com/6glqhx2. 

This letter is fascinating from two points. Firstly, Superintendent Weiss defends the action taken against former police officer William Cozzi who is caught on CCTV beating a man shackled to a wheelchair with a leather weighted start called a sap..  This assault, viewable on You Tube, not only shows the assault, but shows four other officers standing watching the beating taking place.  None of the officers step forward to stop the assault.  Cozzi later appeared before a discipline committee and was found guilty of numerous charges.  His punishment, as a result of a review of his previous good and meritorious conduct, was a two year suspension.  It seems that the case was later picked up by a civil court and Cozzi received a 40 month prison sentence.  The issue is that the police of Chicago seem to put the blame for this on the shoulders of Superintendent Weiss who, they allege, referred this case to the FBI.  

In the letter detailed above Weiss refutes this allegation, stating that he “...forwarded the internet link of the footage to the Special Agent in Charge for the FBI in Chicago and asked him if he had seen it. I did not "refer" the case in any sense of the word to the FBI or the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In fact, the U.S. Attorney’s Office had already been investigating the matter.”  

The interesting point is why does the Superintendent have to justify his actions?  Certainly there have been blogs from rank and file officers who feel that Weiss ‘does not have their backs’, but what message would it send to the people of Chicago, the people that Weiss is sworn to service, if he was to support the beating meted out by Cozzi and viewable by thousands on You Tube? (This clip has had in excess of 10,000 hits.)

The second issue relates to the Superintendents strategy of dealing with gang crime.  I have mentioned in previous blogs about the unhappiness of rank and file officers when the Superintendent ‘tricked’ gang members into meeting him - http://tinyurl.com/62wjow5.

The gang members were warned that if they continued their criminal activities they would face all law enforcement opportunities that were available.  Once again the rank and file posted blogs showing their lack of support for Weiss’s strategy, a strategy supported by academic research and tried elsewhere.  However, today the Chicago Sun Times has published an article which details a 40% reduction in gang related murders.  The article also states that civic leaders who were also critical of the strategy were ‘unavailable for comment.’

Leadership is about making decisions, sometimes tough decisions, and taking risks.  Despite the support of one detective who wrote to the Chicago Tribune (16.9.10) it appears that Weiss had had to lead Chicago PD in a hostile environment.  Perhaps this is best evidenced by the Mayoral candidates who have pledged to remove Weiss should they be elected.

There is no doubt that leadership, particularly leading a modern police force in a modern society is a complex issue.  But maybe it just boils down to a judgement call of doing what feels right.