September 18, 2009

"Excerpts" from Chicago Trib Article   

Four former police officers implicated in the spec. Opts. Unit Scandal have been charged in the case, a sign that the state and FEDERAL Probes of one of the Cities bigges police corruption scandals ever is coming to a head, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation.   

The four officers,  B.K 30, B.P 35yrs, D.M 38yrs and G.S. 41, turned themselves in on Thrsday.  They are to appearin Cook County Cicuit Court Friday to be arraigned on a host of charges, including robbery, hom invasion, issuing fake warrants andofficial misconduct, according to court records.

The corrupt ring led by by J. Finnegan and accused of making false arrests, filing false reports, committing robberies and home invasions forseveral years, acting under the guise of busting street gangs and rounding up guns.

More officers are being investigated and swept up in the probe.  Some officers may have charges reduced for providing additional evidence.  The cooperating officers where part of a group of 12 officers who were indicted in the corruption scandal when the case broke in Sept 2006.

Police Administrators have declined to comment.  ;}

Federal investigators and the FBI entered the case in 2007 to investigate an additional coverup by the Chicago Police Dept. Supervisors.  Additional Federal indictments are expected in the coming weeks, and could include charges against several high ranking officers.

The SOS was once the depts. elite crime fighting unit, praised for making so many arrests and drug busts.   They also tallyied thousands of complaints from the community for false arrests and thefts.

When the scandal broke, it was the first and biggest domino in a line of corruption and misconduct cases that led to the Police Chiefs early retirement and the replacement by Mayor Daley an ex-FBI official.  The Unit so systemically corrupt it was disbanded in Oct. 2007

The City has settled numerous lawsuits agaist SOS officers connected to the Corrupt crew,  some delayed by additional criminal cases filed.

Soon after Federal authoritie entered the case, information was obtained that the senior officer had hired a hit man to murder a fellow officer that had cooperated "snitched".  The senior Police Officer arrested and placed in a Federal jail, without bail...