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Whistleblower Chicago Cops Claim Retaliation

November 05, 2012 |

Photo: Paul Clinton

Two Chicago Police officers who reported officer misconduct to the FBI claim their commanders retaliated against them by giving them dead-end assignments.

Shannon Spalding and Daniel Echeverria have sued the city of Chicago, Internal Affairs' Chief Juan Rivera, Deputy Chief Debra Kirby, and 10 other officers, including commanders and lieutenants, reports Courthouse News.

In 2006, the officers say they uncovered evidence that several officers including Sgt. Ronald Watts were robbing drug couriers and manufacturing a case against a confidential informant.

The officers reported it to their supervisor, and then to the FBI when commanders declined to investigate Sgt. Watts.

One supervisor told the officers "not to work with those IAD rats." The officers were reassigned to the police academy because "it's a safety issue" and "'I don't want to tell your daughter you're coming home in a box because the team won't help you on the street,'" according to the lawsuit.

Tags: Chicago PD, Thin Blue Line, Internal Investigations, Retaliation

Comments (4)

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4
James @ 11/5/2012 10:40 PM Of course they do. You cannot rat on the departments largest collection of corrupt cops in the nation and get away with it. Thug politics folks.
John @ 11/5/2012 11:04 PM Maybe Obama's political police forces should investigate police corruption in his hometown, instead of supplying arms to the Mexican drug cartels.
Honor @ 11/6/2012 6:04 AM Remember, corrupt and abusive officers put a stain on all our badges. Mistakes are one thing. Purposely breaking the law makes it harder for all decent hard working professionals to do their jobs. There are plenty of "scumbags", "cop haters" and spineless politicians who love to make life hard on law enforcement. We don't need dirty cops making it any harder for us to do our job. Good for those officers rooting out the very rare but real "dirt" within in our ranks! That takes courage.
Steve @ 11/6/2012 8:40 AM When an allegation on a fellow Officer is made, the Command Staff is charged with investigating the charge. If the Command Staff refuse to invistigate, they are as guilty as the Officers commiting the crime and all, who have covered and failed to act should be FIRED, for they do not believe in the oath they took when becoming a Police Officer. The officers who submitted the complaint did so knowing there might be problems for them, but thank God they still did it. As a Former police Sgt, I applaud them, we need our police Depts to be above the Scum we have to deal with.

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4

James @ 11/5/2012 10:40 PM

Of course they do. You cannot rat on the departments largest collection of corrupt cops in the nation and get away with it. Thug politics folks.

John @ 11/5/2012 11:04 PM

Maybe Obama's political police forces should investigate police corruption in his hometown, instead of supplying arms to the Mexican drug cartels.

Honor @ 11/6/2012 6:04 AM

Remember, corrupt and abusive officers put a stain on all our badges. Mistakes are one thing. Purposely breaking the law makes it harder for all decent hard working professionals to do their jobs. There are plenty of "scumbags", "cop haters" and spineless politicians who love to make life hard on law enforcement. We don't need dirty cops making it any harder for us to do our job. Good for those officers rooting out the very rare but real "dirt" within in our ranks! That takes courage.

Steve @ 11/6/2012 8:40 AM

When an allegation on a fellow Officer is made, the Command Staff is charged with investigating the charge. If the Command Staff refuse to invistigate, they are as guilty as the Officers commiting the crime and all, who have covered and failed to act should be FIRED, for they do not believe in the oath they took when becoming a Police Officer. The officers who submitted the complaint did so knowing there might be problems for them, but thank God they still did it. As a Former police Sgt, I applaud them, we need our police Depts to be above the Scum we have to deal with.

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