Chicago cops disciplined for ‘lounging’ in congressman’s office amid Floyd civil unrest
Eighteen Chicago cops who were caught on video lounging inside a burglarized congressman’s campaign office as looters tore up the city following George Floyd’s death have been disciplined, department officials said.
Seventeen of the officers were suspended, while one was given a reprimand for their actions on June 1 inside Rep. Bobby Rush’s campaign office, according to a Chicago police department spokeswoman.
“The members have been notified of the results of the investigation,” spokeswoman Sally Brown confirmed to The Post. “Each member may elect to challenge the decisions based on their collective bargaining agreements.”
Video of the officers shows them making popcorn, guzzling coffee and even sleeping on a couch inside Rush’s office on June 1 — just over 24 hours after civil unrest rocked the city following Floyd’s police-custody killing on May 25 in Minneapolis, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The idling cops were there for up to five hours, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters during a press conference in June.
“That’s a personal embarrassment to me,” Lightfoot reportedly said.
A shopping center on Chicago’s South Side where Rush’s office is located was ransacked on May 31 as widespread vandalism and arson raged in the city.
Staffers for the congressman said they learned his office was burglarized that day, but didn’t find the footage until days later, the Tribune reported.
Rush said at the same June news conference that the video – which was not released by city officials – showed the cops, including three supervisors, “lounging” in his office. One was even sleeping on a couch, the lawmaker said.
“They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn, my popcorn, in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sigh and within their reach,” Rush reportedly said.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said the 17 officers have filed grievances challenging their suspensions, which range from one to 20 days, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“What do you want people to do when there was nothing going on?” Catanzara told the newspaper.
“They had already secured the whole property. They had originally walked through the parking lot around the backside of all of the buildings to make sure all the doors were secure when they arrived there.”
via: https://nypost.com/2021/01/15/chicago-cops-disciplined-for-lounging-in-congressmans-office-amid-floyd-civil-unrest/
Photo Credit: AP