“Report: Many lawsuits against Chicago police involve ‘repeaters'” @ PoliceOne.com

Posted on May 14, 2012

May 11, 2012: “CHICAGO — Nearly a third of police misconduct lawsuits that led to city payments over the past two years involved a small group of “repeaters,” according to a report.

“Of 441 police misconduct lawsuits that led to city payments between January 2009 and November 2011, nearly a third—or 145—involved the ‘repeaters,’” The Chicago Reporter found.

“This small group—140 in all—proved costly. Despite making up 1 percent of the police force, they accounted for more than a quarter—or $11.7 million—of all damage payments incurred from police misconduct lawsuits. The city defended a good number of those officers in additional cases as well; nearly a third of the 140 officers were named in at least five misconduct lawsuits since 2000.”

Attorney Craig Futterman, who founded the Civil Right and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago, said the findings show a lack of transparency and a need for “policing the police,” despite the many departmental procedures that ensure cases are handled appropriately…………….”

Read more at PoliceOne.com.