Cameras in squad cars may help the city of Chicago bring down the cost of settling police abuse cases, said Mayor Richard Daley in response to a reporter's question at the ABA annual meeting.
Recordings from the cameras will allow the city to show that, in some instances, individuals used abusive language toward officers prior to those officers taking allegedly excessive action, said Daley, who addressed the ABA House of Delegates this morning.
“People, unfortunately, they lose their cool far too many times,” he said. “That’s where the problem is.”
Chicago last year spent $58 million settling cases of alleged police abuse. Some of those cases began more than a decade ago, Daley noted. Many are tied to former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, who last year was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago for perjury related to alleged torture under his command in the 1980s.
Still, not everything happened long ago. This year a Chicago police officer pleaded guilty to federal charges after the discovery of a 2005 tape showing him beating a man in a wheelchair.
“Like anything else, people have a right to sue because of conduct by an individual that went far beyond the law and became physically abusive,” Daley said.
Gates had no reason to act that way. Maybe he needed a good Rodney King slap up side the head. Don't argue with cops, they have guns.
Posted by: Juli Nagi | 08/04/2009 at 06:45 PM
In Chicago, our home is for sale. Cops came alongside home and were pointing into back yard. I was at the kitchen sink looking out window at the uniformed officers outside my window. I asked through the window if there was any problem. I was brushed off like I had no right to ask them and they refused to answer me. I guess they were looking at the house for purchase. They were on MY property. I went outside and asked a third officer near front of house (coming out of MY driveway) if there was a problem. He said "no, we're just looking at the house." I said nicely, smiling, "oh, okay, well you're uniformed police" (this was because the other two outside my window acted like I had no right to ask them why they were on MY property). He looked away like as if to say "yeah no shit, we can do what we want." I got FURIOUS, I walked back to my front door and sarcastically yelled "smart!" ... "do whatever you want!" then I went inside and slammed my front door. I seriously got nervous that now they would come knocking and confront me. When they did not, I thought now I am a target of theirs. This was about a week before the Obama/Gates publicity. So, cops obviously have little respect for private property because they have a gun and badge and backup and that's why we have civil rights laws and constitutional safeguards. Civilians should get their own dashboard cams and front door and home security cams to protect from cops. Cops have a us vs. them mob mentality. I know because I am privy to all their conversations because my dad is retired cop, brother is cop, high school friends all became cops. It wasn't because Gates was black. There was a black cop present when he was led away. It's because cops act like you're a trespasser on your property and like they can do whatever they want. If this was a totalitarian state, we'd be afraid and put up with it. But it's not, so cops should get a reality check. Obama was right, the cop acted stupidly because he has no humility (humbleness). So goeth the entire society. Me Me Me Respect Me Me Me
Posted by: Bri the badass | 08/04/2009 at 05:19 PM
Since when may police use excessive force against a citizen simply because the citizen used so-called "abusive" language? Isn't such language protected speech under the 1st Amendment? Or doesn't the 1st Amendment apply in Chicago?
Posted by: Jonathan | 08/04/2009 at 05:09 PM
Like Sgt. Crowley, someone should remind Mayor Daley that "abusive language," also known as "contempt of cop," is not a crime and does not justify excessive force.
Posted by: Prof. Gates | 08/04/2009 at 04:55 PM