Sneed reports on a new Chicago Police Department scandal:
Sneed hears rumbles that a Chicago Police overtime scandal being probed by the Internal Affairs Division, tipped in Sneed's column Friday, is expanding big-time.
Word is a major audit of overtime records for officers at O'Hare and Midway airports is under way. Sneed is told that Internal Affairs Division officers arrived at both airports last week and seized the overtime files for programs funded by the feds.
Several weeks ago, the IAD busted traffic officers who allegedly falsified traffic arrest reports in an overtime scam dealing with a traffic safety program funded by the state and the feds.
Were papers shredded? Looks like top cop Jody Weis means business. The alleged scams were reportedly discovered by new airport law enforcement police recently selected by Weis.
Mayor Daley doesn't want you to own a gun but how can you help call for help when the police aren't where they are supposed to be?? No word yet from
William Hanhardt on this one. Here's Sneed's Friday
column on the scandal:
The police blotter: Sneed hears what could become a major police scandal involving traffic cops is being investigated.
• • Translation: Sneed is told two Chicago Police officers assigned to the traffic division were recently busted by the Internal Affairs Division, which stripped them of their police powers, guns and ID and reassigned them as civilians to the police callback unit -- which monitors reports of car incidents -- while the IAD continues its probe.
• • The kicker: The cops reportedly falsified arrest statistics while participating in a federal- and state-funded program to increase traffic safety. Although everyone in the Police Department could participate, it was principally traffic division officers who were selected. Program participants were given time and a half pay on their days off for issuing citations for moving violations and drunken-driving offenses.
• • The big questions: How long has this been going on, have police officers been abusing this for years, and how much fraud might this have involved? Has a gold mine of state and federal funds been misused? Is the city going to do a major audit?
• • More questions: "Where were the supervisors/sergeants who monitor the reports turned in by traffic cops -- and why weren't they checking on the tickets at the end of the cops' eight-hour tour?" said a police source.
• • The reason: "They should have been able to tell if the reports were being juggled because each officer had to fill out an activity report," the source said.
• • The buckshot: "I would assume the city would want an entire audit, unless they don't want the headache of finding out that they owe money due to an alleged false traffic statistics scam," the source added. Stay tuned.
Remember,Mayor Daley wants only the police in Chicago to be able to own a gun.
