26 January 2012Ward Remap, Cynthia Ramirez, LAPA, Scholarship Alert, Joe Baca, Mickey Ibarra, Events, Announcement
Below is an excert from this article.
CYNTHIA is endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party, Chicago Federation of Labor, Fraternal Order of Police and the Latin American Police Association [LAPA].
CPD LAPA: Police Officer Michael Chuchro is of Puerto Rican and Polish descent and is the President of the Latin American Police Association. For the past eleven years, Michael has served with the Chicago Police Department [CPD] and has received two Life Saving Awards, two Department Commendations, forty four Honorable Mentions and five Complementary Letters.
MICHAEL has been the President of LAPA for the past five years and is an active member of the Hispanic Illinois State Law Enforcement Association [HISLEA] from 1997 to 2010. With HISLEA, he served as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer.
MICHAEL attended Robert Morris University [RMU] and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor in Business Administration, 2007. While attending RMU, Michael was listed on the President's Honors List and was inducted into the sigma Beta Delta International Honors society in Business, Management and Administration. After attending RMU, he went on to study at the Morris Graduate School of Management where he graduated with a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Information Systems, 2010.
LAPA PRESIDENT Chuchro said his vision for the LAPA organization is to continue to uphold the traditions of LAPA and move the organization forward by mentoring young Hispanic officers. To work with Hispanic community to develop new relationships and to deliver assistance where needed. "I also want to ensure that LAPA continues to provide for scholarships annually to deserving Hispanics who have entered college to pursue a degree," said President Chuchro.
LAPA OFFICERS: Ruben Dominquez, Vice-President; Falsino Lerma, Treasurer; Gina Mata, Secretary; Ramon Ferrer, Assistant Secretary. LAPA General Membership meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7:00p.m. at Chicago FOP Lodge #7, 1412 W. Washington St. For more LAPA info log on: www.LAPA1961.com
BACK TO TOP 19 January 2012Chinatown, Tonya Hammaker, Chevo Razo, LAPA, Cynthia Ramirez, Fernando Valenzuela
Below is an excert from this article.
LAPA ENDORSEMENTS: The Latin American Police Association announced the following endorsements for the 2012 Primary Election stating: "After careful consideration the Latin American Police Association [LAPA] is proud to announce their support and endorsement for the following candidates on the March 20, 2012 Primary Election ballot.
- Cuahutemac Morfin, State Representative, 2nd District.
- Jesse G. Reyes, Judge Illinois Appellate Court.
- Joy V. Cunningham, Judge Cook County Circuit Court.
- Diann K. Marsalek, Judge Cook County Circuit Court.
- Maritza Martinez, Judge Cook County Circuit Court.
- Cynthia Ramirez, Judge Cook County Circuit Court.
- William B. Raines, Alternate Candidate for Judge.
LAPA SAYS, "The above candidates have been endorsed because LAPA believes they will best represent the citizens of the City of Chicago, County of Cook and State of Illinois. LAPA knows they will address the tough issues that affect our neighborhoods, Police Department and our city."
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28 January 2011Chico Pledges 2,000 New Police Officers by End of First Term
(CHICAGO) Mayoral candidate Gery Chico rolled out a five-point plan to crack down on crime today that would strengthen police presence in Chicago neighborhoods, expand community policing and tackle gang violence. At a press conference in Marquette Park, within Chicago's 8th Police District where the city's index crime rate is the highest, Chico vowed to put 2,000 more officers on the street by the end of his first term in office.
Noting the increase in violence against police officers as an indication of a dangerous indifference to the law, Chico said protecting the citizens is the mayor's most important job.
"It's time to face the harsh reality that gang violence and crime are stealing our children and stealing our communities," Gery Chico said. "Chicago must be a city that protects its own and if I'm fortunate enough to be elected mayor, we will take major steps to stop the violence and make Chicago a better, safer place for everyone to live."
To deploy an additional 2,000 police officers on the street, Chico would restructure the Chicago Police Department (CPD), streamline its resources and eliminate "top-heavy" excessive management to make the department more effective and efficient. To cut more costs, Chico would weed out duplication and better coordinate centralized "special units," as well as shift sworn, capable officers who perform office duties to District Law Enforcement.
Chico would bring back and expand community policing programs like CAPS, which have fallen victim to budget cuts over recent years. He would encourage greater coordination between the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Chicago Police Department, while leveraging partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to combat crime and increase efficiency.
"When we work together, we work smarter and we can be even more effective in fighting crime," Chico said. "There are currently eight layers of command between the superintendent and the district commanders. The last place we should have any bloated bureaucracy is in the organization responsible for public safety."
Chico would crack down on gang violence by expanding the Ceasefire program to all high-crime areas in Chicago and passing a stronger Gang Loitering ordinance.
"Gangs are a menace on our city that must be wiped out," Chico said.
Chico's record on public safety is solid. As mayoral chief of staff, Chico helped deploy more than 1,000 new officers on the street. Chico also created and implemented community policing programs, and helped facilitate the construction of new police facilities that increased police presence in neighborhoods citywide.
Chico has been endorsed by several public safety organizations including the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7, Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, the Mexican American Police Organization (MAPO), the Latin American Police Association (LAPA), and the Chicago Police Sergeants Association.
"I have made Chicago a safer place to work and live throughout my life, whether it was building parks in communities or putting more cops on the street. As mayor, I'll do it again," Chico said.
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31 December 2010Chico Reissues Promise to Dump Weis
One of Chicago's major mayoral candidates reissued a promise on Friday that if elected, Jody Weis will not be retained as Chicago's police superintendent.
Gery Chico issued the statement Friday morning in response to the sit-down interview that Weis gave to NBC Chicago a day earlier. In that interview, Weis said he'd accomplished what he was brought to Chicago to do and said his record stacks up to any superintendent in the city's history.
Weis pointed to Chicago's murder rate, which is on track this year -- with 433 homicides as of Thursday -- to dip to its lowest mark since 1965, when there were 395 homicides.
But despite those statistics, Chico said "the reality is that police morale is at an all-time low." He said that as mayor, his superintendent would come from within the current ranks.
Weis: We've Made Great Strides in the Last Year
"We have plenty of qualified men and women who are ready to lead, many whom I have gotten to know and work with throughout the years. As mayor, I look forward to working with them again," said Chico.
In a follow-up statement issued Friday to NBC Chicago, Weis said that those questioning the department's morale are challenging an officer's dedication to serve and protect.
"After serving in Houston, Washington, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Philadelphia I can say – with some level of credibility – that the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are some of the most dedicated members of any law enforcement agency in the country," said Weis.
Candidates Danny Davis and Miguel del Valle have reportedly said they haven't made a decision yet as to whether they would retain Weis past his March 1 contract expiration.
A spokesman for Rahm Emanuel told NBC Chicago that it's likely Emanuel would replace Weis. During a press event on Wednesday, Carol Moseley Braun made it clear that Weis will be out of a job if she's elected.
Weis said he has yet to have a conversation about his department with any of the candidates.
Chico this week picked up the support of the Latin American Police Association.
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29 December 2010Chico Wins Support of Latino Cops
Gery Chico continued to pick up support from Latino leaders this week when he won the support of the Latin American Police Association (LAPA) and the Mexican American Police Organization (MAPO). The two groups represent an estimated 450 Chicago-area law enforcement officers.
LAPA, which was founded in 1961, calls itself the city’s “first ethnic law enforcement group.” The organization won its biggest victory when it joined with the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund to force the Cook County Sheriff’s Department to hire more Latino deputies.
“We are supporting Gery because he best reflects the values of Chicago’s law enforcement community,” said Michael Chuchro, president of LAPA. “He will be a great mayor and we will do whatever we can to get him elected.”
Both Rahm Emanuel and Miquel Del Valle sought LAPA’s endorsement but the group voted “overwhelmingly” for Chico, Chuchro said. No surprise: LAPA once named Chico its “Person of the Year.”
The Mexican American Police Organization is a charitable outfit that sponsors a golf outing to raise money for its Youth Fund, and a Toy Drive for underprivileged children.
“Gery’s experience tackling some of the city’s toughest challenges and succeeding against all odds, make him the best suited to be our next mayor,” said Sergio Flores, president of MAPO.
Chico has been working hard to win the support of law enforcement in his campaign for mayor. Like most other candidates, he’s promising to replace Superintendent Jody Weis with a Chicago cop. But he also wants to hire 2,000 more officers.
Chico claims credit for the last increase in the department’s manpower, which happened when he was Mayor Daley’s chief of staff.
“I recommended to the mayor a thousand police officers in ‘93 and we did it,” Chico told CBS2. “And that’s the last time we saw a surge like that with the number of police. We need to see that again. We need to see police walking the beat.”
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29 December 2010Chico Picks Up Chicago’s Latino Cops’ Endorsement
Mayoral hopeful, Gery Chico picked up an endorsement this week from the Latin American Police Association (LAPA) and the Mexican American Police Organization (MAPO).
LAPA President Michael Chuchro said, “We are supporting Gery because he best reflects the value of Chicago’s law enforcement community, “adding that, “He will be a great mayor and we will do whatever we can to get him elected.”
Both Rahm Emanuel and Miquel Del Valle looked to pick up LAPA’s endorsement, but considering Chico was once named their “Person of the Year,” the organization’s decision is not that surprising.
MAPO President Sergio Flores said, “Gery’s experience tackling some of the city’s toughest challenges and succeeding against all odds, make him the best suited to be our next mayor.”
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20 November 2010Pool of Applicants for Next Lakeland Police Chief Drops to 13
LAKELAND | The applicant pool for Lakeland's next chief of police has been narrowed from 112 to a baker's dozen, which includes two local candidates.
And that number will be reduced to six in the coming weeks before a finalist is chosen to replace current Police Chief Roger Boatner, according to city officials.
Those remaining 13 candidates will be required to complete a questionnaire and telephone interview by the 8-member police chief selection panel, which is scheduled to meet Dec. 10 to pick the six finalists.
The members on the committee include, City Manager Doug Thomas, Deputy City Manager Tony Delgado, Assistant City Manager Stanley Hawthorne, City Attorney Tim McCausland, Sandy Toledo, president of the Lakeland Neighborhood Association Coalition; James Sewell, a retired Florida Depart- ment of Law Enforcement investigator; Alice Hunt, incoming chairman of the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce and Sylvia Blackmon- Roberts, who is a Lakeland Civil Service Board member
Boatner, 57, has been Lakeland's police chief since February 2003 and is set to retire Dec. 23, when he completes his five years in the DROP program. Boatner is paid $128,253 per year
His replacement will be chosen by Thomas before Boatner leaves the agency, said city spokesman Kevin Cook.
After the six finalists are chosen, they will each be interviewed by Thomas, Cook said.
The current 13 finalists include: Eugenio Bernal, Orlando - Steven Bonano, Nanuet, N.Y. - Frank Fernandez, Miami - Jamie Fields, Detroit - James Golden, Trenton, N.J. - William Heim, Reading, Pa. - William LePere Jr., Lakeland - Craig Novick, Monroe Township, N.J. - Paul O'Connell, Lighthouse Point - Pedro Perez, Albany, N.Y. - Charles Thompson, Lakeland - Louis Vega, Miramar - Lisa Womack, Elgin, Ill..
City officials advertised the position on 15 websites, including the Florida Police Chief's Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers, the Latin American Police Association and the Florida League of Cities
A decision on who will replace Boatner is expected to be made by Thomas by Dec. 15, city officials said.
The field of 112 applicants came from 26 states, with many from Florida.
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27 September 2010112 Apply to Be Lakeland's Next Top Cop
LAKELAND | There's a few familiar names who have applied to be Lakeland's next top cop, among them former Police Chief Sam Baca.
He's one of 112 applicants who have applied for the position held now by Chief Roger Boatner.
Baca, 61, lives in Albuquerque and, while retired, works as a criminal justice consultant, according to his resume.
He did not return calls for comment.
Three candidates for the job come from within LPD - assistant chiefs Charles Thompson, 64, and Bill LePere, 53, and Capt. Victor White, 49. LePere is in the Deferred Retirement Option Program and is scheduled to retire in 2014. Thompson and White are not in the retirement program, called DROP.
Former Mulberry police chief and Polk sheriff's official Lawrence Cavallaro is also among those who have applied.
Boatner, 57, has been Lakeland's police chief since February 2003 and is set to retire Dec. 23, when he completes his five years in the DROP program. Boatner is paid $128,253 per year.
City officials advertised the position on 15 websites, including the Florida Police Chief's Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers, Latin American Police Association and the Florida League of Cities.
A decision on who will replace Boatner is expected to be made by City Manager Doug Thomas by Dec. 15, according to Tommy Hamrick, the city's civil service director.
If Baca is selected as chief, an approval will also have to come from city commissioners since he officially retired from the department in 2000, said city spokeswoman Kevin Cook.
Baca then would have to be hired as a contract employee, the same way Recreation Director Bill Tinsley and other department heads stayed with the city after they retired, Cook said.
Baca's last few months at the LPD in 2000 were tumultuous.
Baca was accused of interfering in a police investigation when an LPD officer pulled over then City Manager Gene Strickland.
Strickland failed a field sobriety test but the officer was ordered by his supervisor to halt the investigation and Baca was called to the scene.
Baca said Strickland was not impaired and drove the city manager home that night, according to a The Ledger account at the time of the incident.
The incident was investigated by the State Attorney's Office, which ruled Baca and the officers had acted within their discretion.
In more recent years, Baca was accused of domestic violence in 2008, when his wife and daughter filed for an injunction of protection against him. The injunction was later denied by a New Mexico judge.
Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields said nothing prevented Baca from applying for the position, and added that he was pleased with a pool of 112 applicants.
"To me, overall it tells you Lakeland is an attractive city," he said. "The number candidates, the quality of the candidates and that you have internal candidates and a former police chief applying speaks well for the city."
SEMI-FINALIST LIST EXPECTED IN NOVEMBER
The process to whittle down the field of applicants will continue during the next few months.
While the city has not officially closed its application process, advertising for the position has ceased, officials said.
However, if someone wants to apply, they still can, Cook said.
A city panel will meet in a few weeks to discuss and review the applications and outline the selection process, according to records.
Candidates will be eliminated during three meetings of the panel and a semi-finalist list is expected to be completed by the beginning of November.
The City Commission does not participate in hiring department heads, such as the police chief. But a time for input from the public and city commissioners with the police chief finalists will be held at some point, Fields said.
FEW FEMALE APPLICANTS
The field of applicants come from 26 states, with many from Florida.
The applicants are overwhelmingly male.
"We actively recruited female candidates using a variety of strategies, however, we were unable to significantly increase their numbers as an overall percentage of the applicant pool," Hamrick said in a city report.
Of those who applied, only about 3 percent were women, city records said. Broken down by ethnicity, about 76 percent of the applicants were white, 13 percent black and 6 percent Hispanic.
A TUMULTUOUS YEAR
The last year has been a tumultuous one for the department.
Boatner and the department have endured the death of an officer in a traffic accident, the arrest of an officer on charges of unlawful compensation and misuse of confidential information, and decertification by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation.
Former Lt. Ralph Schrader was found guilty by a jury of a misdemeanor charge of stalking his ex-wife, which has spurred several internal investigations by Donald "Craig" Harper, a former Orlando police investigator.
Boatner's handling of the Schrader case remains under scrutiny and is the subject of one of Harper's investigations.
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27 December 2010
Are Tuned Candidates for Municipal Elections
The campaign of Candidate Gery Chico indicated that the Mexican American Police Organization (MAPO) and the Latin American [Police Association] (LAPA) gave their support. According to a statement, Sergio Flores, president of MAPO, Chico said "not only ensure the interests of Latinos, but by the whole community. He is experienced and when it comes to security, knows what to do."
NOTICE: The above is an excerpt and has been translated to English from Spanish. To read the full article CLICK HERE
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21 September 2003City Turf Familiar to Winnetka Top Cop
Supporters of Joseph DeLopez, one of three finalists for top cop in Chicago, say he firmly believed in community policing long before it became a law enforcement catchphrase.
"He's interested in the community to a fault. He used to drive me crazy," said Kenneth Kudulis, 62, who worked under DeLopez when he was commander in the Shakespeare and Marquette Districts.
"The old commanders, they were like: we're the police. You're the citizens. We'll take your complaint, and then forget about it."
DeLopez instinctively took a different approach, Kudulis said. "He'd go out and he'd want to talk to this guy, talk to that guy, solve this problem, solve that problem," he said. "I'd say, I gotta get back to the office! It's not 9-to-5 with him."
DeLopez, 56, was on the Chicago police force for 31 years before being named Winnetka police chief last year.
Beginning as a patrol officer in 1971, he commanded three districts and the training division before being named deputy chief of the patrol division and then deputy superintendent for technical services under Supt. Terry Hillard, who retired last month.
The Chicago Police Board voted this month to send Mayor Richard Daley three choices to succeed Hillard: DeLopez, Acting Supt. Phil Cline and Garry McCarthy, a New York Police Department deputy commissioner. Daley interviewed the candidates last week and is expected to name a new police chief within days.
DeLopez's North Shore post pays $105,000 a year, and leaving Chicago enabled him to begin collecting a $90,000-per-year Chicago police pension atop his salary.
Should Mayor Richard Daley tap DeLopez as the new superintendent, the job would likely entail a pay cut. Hillard's annual salary was $150,000.
"Certainly economically it's not advantageous for me," DeLopez said. But boosting his income, he said, is not what this potential career move is about.
"It's about coming back and doing something in a community I know very well, a community I grew up in and one that has a very long tradition in my family," he said.
The tradition started with DeLopez's father, who was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, grew up in East Chicago and joined the Chicago Police Department in 1957.
The elder DeLopez, who died several years ago, was a founding member and past president of the Chicago-based Latin American Police Association. In the 1960s, he took a leave of absence to work as a police adviser in Venezuela and Guatemala for the U.S. Agency for International Development, DeLopez said.
One of DeLopez's five children, Daniel, became a Chicago police officer and is detailed to the public housing unit.
"Unfortunately my dad passed away before we could take a family photo together of all three generations in uniform," DeLopez said. He described his father as brimming with pride for his son and grandson.
DeLopez and his son have found themselves in the news in job-related incidents. In 1999, a West Side drug dealer died of asphyxiation in a struggle with Daniel DeLopez and his partner during an arrest.
Neither officer was charged with wrongdoing related to the death, but the city paid $225,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit. DeLopez said his son and partner were disciplined for "ancillary rule violations" in connection with the incident.
When DeLopez was commander of training, an embarrassing episode hit the news in 1995 involving goof-off recruits shooting spitballs at each other--including projectiles some thought were directed at an FBI representative.
Then-Supt. Matt Rodriguez said 30 recruits were being held back for a "general lack of decorum" at the police training academy, and DeLopez was transferred a few months later.
His allies say DeLopez is known for straight talk and adroit politics, a trait he displayed in April 2001, when 44 pounds of cocaine was discovered missing from a Police Department evidence room.
At the time, DeLopez headed the bureau of technical services, which oversees the evidence and recovered property section. He made no attempt to minimize the loss, but subtly shifted attention from management of the evidence room to the malfeasance of an unknown thief. "This is a crime, and we will treat it as such," he said.
A joint investigation by the FBI, IRS and Chicago police led to the arrest this year of a former police officer. He allegedly had managed to steal so much from evidence stores he was able to buy jewelry, furs, a huge house in the south suburbs and a Rolls-Royce.
DeLopez said a top priority would be bringing down the murder rate. With 646 murders in 2002, the city has the nation's highest per capita among all U.S. cities of more than 1 million.
He said he opposes realigning beats, but favors improved technology to monitor crime trends, roving police forces to hit hot spots and stepped-up accountability for police officials. An equally important task is forging stronger ties with community leaders, he said, adding that the city's community-based police program, CAPS, needs to be reinvigorated. The department needs allies to fight crime and to keep order in tense times such as after a police officer shoots a suspect.
"Starting out every assignment, the first thing I'd do is reach out to the entire community with open forums," he said. "We needed to open those lines of communication. That's No. 1."
While commander of the Town Hall District, DeLopez was credited with recruiting gay and lesbian police officers and supporting late-night bike patrols that sharply reduced hate crimes in the district.
DeLopez said he focused on the group because "that's a community that for a long time didn't trust the police." Police, he said, were seen as indifferent to issues such as hate crimes.
Rick Ingram, a lawyer, gay activist and past president of the Lakeview Action Coalition, said Hillard initially was cool to the late-night bike proposal.
DeLopez, he said, "was a behind-the-scenes guy who was supportive of the community" and helped get the program off the ground.
"The bottom line was people felt that he respected the diversity of the community," Ingram said. "We felt he was a natural ally."
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18 September 2003JOSEPH DeLOPEZ: Cop's Son Wants to Decentralize
Q. There has been quite an uproar over the Police Board's decision not to include an African American in the final three. What do you
think of that controversy?
A. It is an indication to all of us, especially all of us minorities, that we need to do a better job of encouraging and recruiting
and preparing other minorities to apply for positions like the superintendent and other positions of leadership.
Q. Black politicians have been very vocal about the lack of a black candidate on the short list, but Hispanics were quieter in lobbying
Mayor Daley on your behalf. Do you see your candidacy as somehow representing the Latino community? Wasn't your father the founder of
the Latin American Police Association?
A. That's true, he was one of the founding members and president of the Latin American Police Association . I also have been
the national president of the Hispanic American Police Commanders Association. But quite honestly, if I am selected, I will be the superintendent
for the city and all people.
Q. Did you come from a police family?
A. My dad was a policeman, my son is a policeman, we are three generations of law enforcement. We really believe in public service in my family.
Q. In 1999, your son, Chicago Police Officer Daniel DeLopez, was involved in the death of Gregory Riley, a drug dealer who died of asphyxiation
during an arrest. Riley's family got a $225,000 settlement. Did you use your position to keep your son from being disciplined?
A. There was no use of my office or any pressure by me to have anybody do anything.
Q. What specifically was the "family problem" you disclosed to the Police Board as your reason for leaving the Chicago Police Department to become
Winnetka's chief?
A. It was actually two-pronged. One was to be able to spend time with my wife and give some support to my wife due to an illness that she had. And
the second reason was to further expand my experiences and skills as a chief of police.
Q. The Chicago superintendent must deal with a variety of civil rights leaders. How would you respond to them?
A. Most recently in some of the race relations forums begun by Superintendent [Terry] Hillard, I was part of his Cabinet. I began working with the
Arab community long before that. In the 10th District [where DeLopez was commander], we had a large Arab community running a lot of businesses there.
I worked through the Human Relations Commission there to meet with the Arab community and help reduce the tension between the Arab community and the
black community. I also have done the same thing in the 10th District when there was tension between the black community and Mexican community about
sharing police resources and other city resources.
Q. The Police Board specifically mentioned that you were commander in three districts as a qualification for the superintendent's job. What would
you take from those experiences?
A. Two of the districts [Shakespeare and Marquette] had significant gang problems, homicide problems and community-relations issues. By working with
the community and developing trust and support, and allocating my resources in a way I thought was pretty effective, and devising strategies that
were specific, narrowly defined and not random, we were able to reduce crime.
Q. In 2002, Chicago recorded 650 homicides. Violent crime remains a significant problem. If you are chosen, what strategy would you deploy?
A. We have to have very intensely focused, specific and narrowly defined operations and investigations [and] need to ensure that we heighten and
improve our internal communications.... We can use technology to do that. I believe in decentralized management as one of the mechanisms to achieve
this reduction.... The superintendent must require clearly defined accountability, more so than there currently is.... We need to give deputy chiefs
flexibility in terms of resources and allowing them to share resources across area lines. And we need to reinvigorate CAPS.
Q. What is your position on beat realignment?
A. Beat realignment is a difficult and emotional question in Chicago because no one wants to lose resources. [Instead] you can rapidly deploy
resources based on good knowledge about what's happening.
Q. What kind of commendations have you received and what were they for?
A. The Chicago Crime Commission's public service award speaks to my efforts of reducing crime and the fear of victimization in the Humboldt Park
community.
Q. Tell us a little something about your family and what makes you tick?
A. I'm a father of five and a grandfather of two twin boys. I have a very wonderful and understanding wife who for 32 years has been flexible
and able to deal with all the unpredictable aspects of the law enforcement job I have had.... When I am not working, No. 1 is spending time
with my children and grandchildren, traveling with my wife, and I like to play golf, run and play racquetball.
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12 September 2003Latino Aldermen Press Daley to Select Hispanic for Top Cop Spot
As the Rev. Jesse Jackson makes a vocal push for Mayor Daley to add an African American and a woman to a short list of finalists for police superintendent, Latino politicians have been quietly working in support of a Hispanic candidate.
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and 21 other elected officials have sent a letter to the mayor saying he should pick Winnetka Police Chief Joseph DeLopez, a Hispanic and one of three finalists from a field of 23 applicants.
"I would be partial to DeLopez because he is Hispanic, but I would support whatever choice the mayor makes," said Ald. Daniel Solis (25th), one of those who signed the letter. "I am Hispanic and would be proud if Chief DeLopez is selected."
Solis blasted Jackson for calling on the mayor this week to include an African American and a woman on the list of finalists he considers for top cop.
Jackson contends Chicago Police Deputy Supt. John Richardson torpedoed the selection process when he backed out last week at the 11th hour. Richardson, who plans to retire and is building a home in the suburbs, is black and would have been among the top three finalists, officials say.
Daley has insisted he will not reopen the process, which was conducted by the Police Board after a nationwide search.
"The last time, there was not a Hispanic in the top three, but most Hispanic leaders respected the process," Solis said. "I understand his feelings of wanting an African American represented, but it is not the fault of the mayor."
The other two finalists are Phil Cline, named acting superintendent when Terry Hillard, who is black, retired Aug. 15, and Garry McCarthy, a high-ranking official with the New York Police Department. Cline and McCarthy are white.
The Latino politicians told Daley in their letter that their constituents deserve the same "dignity and respect" as others, noting that Hispanics turned around the "declining population trend" in the city's last census and kept the city from losing federal assistance dollars.
The Hispanic community should "be rewarded by having one of its sons lead the police force," the letter said.
Daley has long enjoyed overwhelming support in the Hispanic community, even though the number of Latinos in his administration has dropped.
Gone are Gery Chico, Chicago Board of Education president; Ray Orozco, Chicago fire commissioner; Daniel Alvarez, head of Human Services, and Matt Rodriguez, Chicago's first Hispanic police superintendent, who was forced out of office because of a scandal involving his friendship with a convicted felon.
Chicago Police officer Jerry Negrete Jr., president of the Latin American Police Association, said his group will not endorse any finalist, saying they all appear qualified.
"We'll back the mayor, whoever he chooses," he said.
Meanwhile Thursday, an African-American group called Bringing About Reform announced support for Cline. About 300 members voted to endorse him Tuesday at a South Side church.
"The majority expressed the opinion that race was not a factor," said Derrick Mosley, a community activist and founder of the group. "They were more interested in minimizing crime and violence ... Phil Cline's track record speaks for itself. They like what he is doing to curb the gang problem."
Under Cline, the department has sent an elite team of 100 officers into the Harrison District to crack down on both serious and petty crime in an attempt to reduce homicides in the violence-plagued West Side neighborhood.
At a news conference with the mayor to tout the city's efforts to boost security after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cline declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the superintendent selection process.
The other Latino politicians who signed the letter were: Democratic state Senators Miguel Del Valle, Iris Martinez, Martin Sandoval and Antonio Munoz; Democratic state Representatives Edward Acevedo, Susana Mendoza, Cynthia Soto, William Delgado and Maria A. Berrios; Cook County Commissioners Joe Berrios, Roberto Maldonado and Joseph Mario Moreno; Aldermen Ray Suarez (31st), George Cardenas (12th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd), Manuel Flores (1st), Rey Colon (35th), Ariel Reboyras (30th) and Billy Ocasio (26th), and Frank Avila, a Water Reclamation District commissioner.
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28 March 2003Flores Pulling No Punches - in Bid to Unseat Granato
The alderman's wife accuses Flores of 'character assassination.'
Ald. Jesse Granato (1st), who squeaked through two previous runoff elections, is in another cliffhanger.
Granato, 44, the Regular Democratic Organization's endorsed candidate, is seeking to fend off a powerful challenge in Tuesday's runoff with Manny Flores, an assistant state's attorney.
Flores, 31, an independent making his first bid for elective office, finished ahead of Granato by 56 votes in the Feb. 25 municipal election. But Granato stayed alive when a third candidate took 3 percent of the vote and denied Flores a majority.
The 1st Ward, which for many years was made up of the Loop and the Near West Side, was broken up by Mayor Daley in the early 1990s because of its longtime connection to organized crime. On Daley's instructions, a new Hispanic-majority 1st Ward was created. It now includes parts of the neighborhoods of Wicker Park, West Town, Logan Square and Lake View.
Granato has high-powered support from Gov. Blagojevich, Mayor Daley, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.), the Hispanic Democratic Organization, and the Latin American Police Association. The endorsement of Gutierrez is a blow to Flores, who once worked for the congressman. "I'm for Jesse because the mayor wants him and because Jesse has always supported me," said Gutierrez. "But I have the highest esteem for Manny."
The alderman's most important endorsement, though, is from his wife, Avril Falkenberg Granato. Flores is seeking to make the election a referendum on Granato's 1997 arrest on charges of domestic battery. Granato was held overnight in a police lockup after police were called to his home. But the charges were dropped when his wife declined to cooperate with prosecutors. About 85 percent of domestic violence cases never go to trial.
The Flores campaign has put up signs throughout the ward attacking Granato as a "wife beater" and "a drunk." Flores also has put out a flier with similar allegations.
In a letter to ward residents, the alderman's wife accuses Flores of "character assassination," denounces him as "a political
opportunist," and says that his account of "this incident" is "a gross exaggeration" and "a big lie."
Mrs. Granato acknowledges, though, in her letter that she had an argument with her husband in 1997 and that police were called to their home. According to public records, she signed a complaint against Granato saying that he had grabbed and twisted her left arm, "causing bruising and redness" to her wrist. But in the letter to ward residents, the alderman's wife gives a different version.
"I lost my temper," she says. "Jesse tried to calm me down." She describes him as "a good man" who "has never been abusive."
Without this character reference from his wife, Granato wouldn't have a prayer in Tuesday's runoff. She has kept him in the game.
Feminists are unpersuaded by this testimonial. Flores has the support of the National Organization for Women, Cook County Democratic Women, and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.
Flores also has the backing of state Senators Miguel del Valle and Rickey Hendon, former top-ranked prizefighter Johnny Lira, and Water Reclamation District Commissioner Frank Avila.
Granato, a longtime resident of the area, is attempting to tag Flores as a carpetbagger. Much of the 1st Ward is made up of precincts formerly in the 32nd Ward. Granato worked as an aide to former Ald. Terry Gabinski and former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski. He knows every street and alley in the reconstituted 1st Ward.
Flores, who lived in DuPage County as recently as last year, was knocked off the ballot in January when the Chicago Board of Elections ruled that he had not been a resident for two years as required under a 1999 law. But a circuit judge struck down the law as unconstitutional and put Flores back on the ballot.
It should be noted that Granato is the topic of a fascinating new book, It Happened Four Years Ago, by Peter Zelchenko. After the 1999 election, Granato's rival Cynthia Soto moved into the alderman's old office and found a treasure trove of strategy memos and other confidential documents. Soto shared this material with Zelchenko. He has written the inside story about how aldermanic elections are decided in this town. For anyone who loves Chicago politics, this book is a must-read.
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5 February 2003No Other Member of the Council Has Done More to Promote the Empowerment of Hispanic Americans.
Three U.S. congressmen who once served on the City Council are supporting the re-election of Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd).
Reps. Luis V. Gutierrez, Danny K. Davis and William O. Lipinski have joined forces in behalf of Munoz, a 10-year incumbent who is facing two challengers in the Feb. 25 municipal election.
As former aldermen, the three congressmen know the importance of having a progressive independent like Munoz on the Council.
No other member of the Council has done more to promote the empowerment of Hispanic Americans than Munoz.
Among his major accomplishments was co-sponsoring the city's living wage ordinance that requires city contractors to pay their employees a salary adequate to support a family.
Munoz, 38, the senior Mexican American on the Council, is seeking to improve the quality of life in Hispanic neighborhoods. He alleges that Latino areas are being denied their fair share of police protection and is calling for public hearings.
Many policemen agree with Munoz. It should be noted that he has picked up the endorsements of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, Latin American Police Association and the Mexican-American Police Organization.
Lipinski, who represented the 22nd Ward for many years in the U.S. House, said that he is taking sides in the aldermanic race because Munoz is effective at delivering for the neighborhoods of the Southwest Side. He has helped to organize block clubs and also teaches classes in leadership at local schools.
Little Village is the largest community in the predominantly Mexican-American 22nd Ward. Munoz represents 80 percent of Little Village. Five new grammar schools were built in Little Village during the 1990s, and the first new high school in the community in more than 90 years is scheduled for construction. He would like this new school to be the first "dual language" academy in Chicago. Munoz was among the leaders in pressing for these new schools.
Lipinski, a ranking member of the U.S. House Transportation Committee, also said that Munoz played an important role in obtaining more than $400 million in public funding for the reconstruction of the CTA Douglas Blue Line.
Gutierrez, with whom Munoz has been closely allied for more than a decade, views him as among the more valuable members of the Council. Like Munoz, Gutierrez is a product of the Latino independent political movement.
State Sen. Miguel del Valle (D-Chicago), former state Sen. Jesus Garcia (D-Chicago) and Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado are also supporting Munoz.
The endorsement of Davis is also significant. About 19 percent of the 22nd Ward's voters are African American, and Davis represents the ward's North Lawndale precincts.
In a surprise development, newly elected state Sen. Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) is seeking to oust Munoz. Just a year ago, when Sandoval ran for the Illinois Senate, he sought and obtained the endorsement of Munoz. In his campaign literature, Sandoval showcased the endorsement of the Council's ranking Mexican-American alderman.
Sandoval, who has a short memory, is supporting party hack Ray A. Diaz, a supervisor in the city's Water Department, over Munoz. Ben Martinez is also running against Munoz.
It seems strange that Sandoval would solicit the alderman's endorsement and turn on him. "I've been stabbed in the back," said Munoz. "He's been in office for only a few weeks and he's trying to be the boss."
Munoz, who got 72 percent of the vote in winning election three years ago as the Democratic ward committeeman, received two-thirds of the vote in his most recent re-election to the Council over multiple rivals.
Mayor Daley, who appointed Munoz to the Council, has never endorsed him for re-election. When Daley's allies twice sought to oust Munoz, they failed. Given the overwhelming mandate that Munoz has received over the last decade, the Hispanic Democratic Organization is misguided in seeking to oust him.
Gutierrez, Davis, and Lipinski, who once served on the Council, are supporting Munoz because he has been a valuable ally in working for the Southwest side. Like these three congressmen, Munoz gives voice to the powerless and isn't afraid to take on City Hall.
22nd Ward deserves independent voice of Munoz
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29 April 1998The Penalty In . . . The Mullen Case
Your editorial "A tragedy compounded by injustice?" about the Jim Mullen case again demonstrates your arrogance and cavalier insults to a segment of our city. The prior affront to the Hispanic community two years ago should have been sufficient impetus to examine your lack of sensitivity.
I am amazed that you would consider the two 70-year sentences as harsh. George Guirsch was a trained security guard who knew the strict laws governing the discharge of a firearm. Your editorial described Mr. Guirsch as a "police wannabe," which is all the more reason to conclude that Officer Jim Mullen's attire, complete with his police star affixed to his bulletproof vest, was sufficient to convince Mr. Guirsch that the police--not an armed intruder--were attempting to question him.
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24 June 1997Cop Exam Draws 5,000: Officials Hope Test Results Reward Diversity Efforts
If members of a police department are often referred to as their city's finest, the large numbers showing up at the United Center Monday could be called Chicago's most hopeful.
Older, better-educated, and more diverse than those in the past, 5,000 of the latest generation of wanna-be Chicago police officers auditioned for a job by taking a written exam, according to officials from the mayor's office.
The test will also be administered to a similar-size crowd of other applicants Tuesday.
Changes have been made since Police Department exams were last conducted in November 1993, including new education and age requirements-- candidates now must have at least two years of college credit and be 23 years old at the time they are hired.
About 30 percent of the 10,301 Chicagoans applying to take the test are females. The ethnic breakdown is about 39 percent white, 39 percent African-American, 17 percent Hispanic, 3 percent Asian, and the remainder Native Americans or other ethnic groups, officials said.
Police department officials attributed the increased diversity to what they describe as a concerted effort to recruit minority candidates through "ambassador" programs directed towards minority communities and institutions.
But for some, it's too early to start patting the police department on the back over that effort until hiring lists start going up.
"It is not whether these individuals take the exam or not," said Ald. Robert Shaw (9th). "It's the final result that counts."
Officer Pat Hill, president of the African-American Police League, said she only hopes the current batch of minority applicants fare better than years past when it comes to hiring and, later on, promotions.
"The hiring should reflect the applicant pool," Hill said, adding that, as of now, minority representation in the police department does not match the racial makeup for the city.
Hill said African-Americans now constitute about 23 percent of the police department, while it has been reported that the city's population is about 39 percent African-American. The latter is the same percentage as this year's applicant pool.
Leaders of other police groups were more positive about the city's recent minority recruitment efforts.
"On the one hand we are pushing for diversity and on the other end we are pushing for, shall we say, raising the standards," said Salvador Martinez, president of the Latin American Police Association. "I think we are meeting both goals."
Some of those in line said they believed the department might have practiced discriminatory hiring policies in the past but were encouraged by the latest efforts for change.
One of them, Robert Smith, 26, said he is cautiously optimistic in light of the applicant pool's increased diversity.
"Only time will tell if they are sincere," said Smith, who is black. "(The police force) should reflect the community and as it stands right now it doesn't."
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16 October 1995At Issue - Confidence in Cops Eroded
The Latin American Police Association and the Puerto Rican Police Association; do not condone any criminal activity on the part of police officers, particularly any insidious affiliation with street gangs (news stories, Oct. 8 and 9, and editorial Oct. 10).
The Sun-Times' investigation uncovered allegedly (illegal activity) that was already the target of an Internal Affairs investigation. The officers identified were either fired and; or prosecuted.
The frantic headlines and the editorial simply do not square with the reported facts. The Sun-Times "investigation" and editorial amount to little more than shouting "fire" in a crowded theater after the fire has been extinguished.
Unbalanced journalism undercuts community confidence in the overwhelming majority of officers who tirelessly serve and protect.
By eroding community confidence, the Sun-Times does far more damage than a few "rogue officers" ever could.
Salvador A. Martinez,President, LAPA,
Jose Ortiz Jr.,
President, PRPA
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16 October 1995Union Policed Gang-Member Cops - Crackdown Came After Clashes at Picnic in '93
The rules on who may attend police union picnics were tightened following a 1993 outing at which guests and police officers flashed gang signs at each other, the union president says.
Bill Nolan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the union reinstated a rule limiting picnic attendance to immediate families after the 1993 gathering, where some officers of the Shakespeare District flashed gang signs at each other and brought gang members as guests.
"Other police officers were upset. They felt they and their families were insulted by officers throwing gang signs," Nolan said. "We began to enforce the attendance a lot more.
"Some of the officers (involved) were from the 14th district," Nolan said. The 14th is the Shakespeare District.
Nolan's comments came after he appeared at a news conference Friday called by Hispanic police organizations to criticize a Chicago Sun-Times story revealing that the ranks of the Chicago Police Department include members of street gangs.
The Sun-Times investigation showed the Shakespeare District had more officers disciplined, suspended or convicted for crimes linked to gang activities.
Jose Ortiz Jr., president of the Puerto Rican Police Association, said some officers from the Shakespeare District had been found to be linked to street gangs. But, he said, "It was only three or four" and they already had been prosecuted or fired. He said he did not know of any additional gang-linked cops at the station now. The Sun-Times story cited seven cases.
Ortiz was confronted by Ald. Vilma Colom (35th), who was "kicked off" the Puerto Rican Police Association because she had complained about safety problems and gang activity in the Shakespeare District.
"My comments were based on people who came to my office to complain about (police) services," Colom said. "Their problem is they do not feel safe in my neighborhood."
Meanwhile, residents in the Shakespeare District said they have noticed a greater police presence since the stories were published last week. Many, however, said the neighborhood continues to be "run by the gangs."
One resident said he has allowed his children to go outside to play only five or six times in the two years they have lived in an apartment on Potomac Street.
"What really gets you is seeing the police socialize with drug dealers. I personally saw this one person - one of the gang-bangers, a woman - give them a package, a white envelope," he said.
The widow of a dope dealer killed after he and two Shakespeare officers allegedly stole drugs from another dealer said she warned her husband not to get close to the cops.
"They are worse than drug dealers because they have power to control," said Willie Borges' widow. "They think they can get away with it. They pressured (Borges) to do things, to make him call people and set up drug-ripoffs."
One officer was convicted of insurance fraud related to the drug theft and resigned from the force, and the other officer currently is under suspension facing dismissal, according to Michael W. Hoke, commander of the department's Internal Affairs Division.
Borges' widow said she found her husband and his friend shot to death on the floor of her apartment.
A former member of the Latin Gangster Disciples said old relationships are affecting the way some police officers carry out their duties. "The (Latin) King cops take care of the Latin King areas, and the Folks are assigned to the Folk areas. They help their old friends."
Neighbors said they were reluctant to report gang activity. "Your name gets found out," said one neighbor on Spaulding Avenue. "We all have children."
Caption: Latino police groups Friday decried reports of gang infiltration of the Chicago Police Department. At the news conference are (from left): Jose Ortiz Jr., president, Puerto Rican Police Association; Richard Guerrero, vice president, Latin American Police Association; Ald. Vilma Colom (35th); Lucio Martinez, president, Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, and Fraternal Order of Police president Bill Nolan. Ortiz said "only three or four" officers had been tied to gangs, and they were prosecuted or fired. Credit: BRIAN JACKSON
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14 October 1995Latinos Downplay Police Gang Problem
The heads of three Latino police associations said Friday that reports of street gang infiltration of the Chicago Police, particularly in the Shakespeare district, were part of an "exaggerated" attempt to discredit Hispanic officers.
"I feel like they've targeted the Hispanic officers," said Jose Ortiz Jr., president of the Puerto Rican Police Association, reacting to recent stories in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ortiz said he had worked in the Shakespeare District for nine years and had no knowledge of police officers linked to street gangs.
The Sun-Times revealed that, according to the police department's Internal Affairs Division, seven officers were prosecuted, disciplined or suspended for crimes or for violating departmental regulations linked to street gangs.
Police Supt. Matt Rodriguez conceded the department had found some police officers associated with gangs.
Lucio Martinez, president of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association admitted during the news conference that some gang-linked cops had been found in the department and in the Shakespeare District. But Martinez said those officers had been identified and fired, some prosecuted.
"The articles gave the perception this is still going on," Martinez said.
During the news conference, 35th Ward Ald. Vilma Colom - who had criticized police protection against gangs in the Shakespeare District last Tuesday - complained she had been "voted out" by the Puerto Rican organization for her statements demanding better police services.
"I resent being kicked out," Colom said. "The people who come into my office say they do not feel safe."
Caption: Richard Guerrero, vice president of the Latin American Police Association, and Lucio Martinez, president of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, address the gang issue at a news conference Friday. Credit: BRIAN JACKSON
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17 March 1995A Glance at the 13 Sergeants Promoted on Merit
Here are the 13 sergeants Police Supt. Matt Rodriguez said were promoted to lieutenant "on the basis of meritorious performance," as opposed to high test scores:
Joseph Blas, 52 (Hispanic), is with the Belmont Area detective unit and is a board member of the Latin American Police Association. A police officer for 24 years, he has been a sergeant for seven years and oversees special field operations such as the pawn shop detail and hotel investigations. He is a former bomb and arson supervisor, with 148 honorable mentions and two commendations.
Melba Bradford, 52 (Black), has been a police officer since 1976, a sergeant for six years, and had eight honorable mentions. She is commanding officer of the gun registration section and holds master's degrees in criminal justice and public administration.
James Carroll, 41 (White), is with the Deering District and has been a police officer for 15 years and a sergeant since 1990. He has 85 honorable mentions, two commendations and leads an "outstanding tactical unit," Rodriguez said. Carroll also has led successful, high-profile gambling raids.
James Collier, 48 (Black), has been a police officer for 26 years, a sergeant for 17 years and holds a master's degree in criminal justice. He has been a highly praised tactical unit leader and now is a budget analyst and special investigations coordinator for the special functions group.
Joseph D'Antonio, 46 (White), of the narcotics division, has been a policeman for 24 years and a sergeant since 1982. He has 146 honorable mentions and six commendations, and is rated as one of the city's top drug investigators.
Peter Dignan, 47 (White), is with the narcotics division and has been a policeman since 1969 and a sergeant for six years. He has 109 honorable mentions and was just decorated for saving the lives of two wounded colleagues. He shot and killed the drug suspect who shot them last October.
Thomas Keane, 44 (White), is a Belmont Area detective supervisor often assigned to high-profile homicide cases. A police officer since 1971 and a sergeant for nine years, he has 17 honorable mentions and six commendations.
Donald Kuchar, 40 (White), of the Deering District, has 65 honorable mentions, three commendations and one award of merit. He has been a police officer for 17 years, a sergeant since 1988, and is a veteran tactical unit leader.
Kenneth Mann, 45 (Black), is the supervisor of an award-winning tactical unit in the Wentworth District, with 34 honorable mentions and two commendations. He has been a gang crimes expert on the force since 1976 and has been a sergeant for eight years.
Lucio Martinez, 42 (Hispanic), has been a policeman since 1977 and a sergeant for six years. He is now assigned to the Grand Central Area detective unit. He is a former president of the Latin American Police Association.
Arthur Parra, 40 (Hispanic), is a gang crimes specialist who also headed the Latin American Police Association. He has been on the force since 1977 and has been a sergeant for four years. He has 57 honorable mentions and six commendations.
Alberta Raymond, 43 (Black), of the Wentworth District, has 35 honorable mentions and two commendations. She investigates police recruits, handles the Police Department's "personnel concerns" program, and has been a patrol sergeant in three districts. She has been on the force since 1978 and has been a sergeant for six years. Phillip Richardson, 43 (Black) has been a policeman for 28 years and a sergeant since 1991. He has 34 honorable mentions and helps supervise the Englewood District's highly praised community patrol program.
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16 March 1995Daley's Affirmative Action Will Include Firefighters
Mayor Defends Police Promotions
Mayor Daley, who argued that the next generation of leaders in the Police Department can't all be one color, Wednesday, added the Fire Department to his affirmative action balancing act.
Daley defended his decision to make promotions to police lieutenant based on both test scores and merit and said it will become the standard for all future police and fire promotions.
"We'll see him in court," said Dan Fabrizio, president of Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, who has been awaiting results of the batallion chief's exam. "What's the drive to do a good job when you know you're never going to get promoted if you don't have any political clout?"
Daley said the city would not do away with written tests, but every round of promotions based on test scores alone probably will be accompanied by a smaller group - probably around 20 percent - based on merit.
"It's basic fairness. It's a diversity issue," Daley said. He said he expects "a hundred lawsuits" to be filed as a result of his decision.
"You cannot have all black, all white, all Hispanic, all women or all males in the (upper) echelon of the Chicago Police Department for the next 10 or 15 years," Daley said.
The long-awaited results of the police lieutenants exam are scheduled to be released today. The top 54 candidates on the list will be promoted. They will be joined by a racial and ethnic mix of 13 other new lieutenants whose promotions will be based on leadership and job performance.
On Wednesday, leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police and associations representing sergeants, lieutenants and captains said they plan to seek a court injunction barring the 13 merit promotions.
A news conference at union headquarters focused on nearly two dozen white female sergeants who reportedly scored well on the lieutenants exam and fear that they have the most to lose from merit promotions.
"If we did exceptional, it was because of personal sacrifice and dedication. We did it the old fashioned way. We earned it. It's our time. Let us have it," Sgt. Deborah M. Chiczewski said.
Union President Bill Nolan urged the 13 lieutenants to be appointed on merit to refuse their promotions in a show of solidarity with their union brethren.
"Give it up. It'll show the mayor we want the exam to stand," he said.
The Latin American Police Association sent Nolan a letter reminding him of his promise not to use union dues to pursue legal action affirmative action.
"By denigrating the concept of meritorious promotions, you will only pit white against black and Hispanic officers," said the letter from association President Salvador A. Martinez.
"Minority sergeants promoted will suffer the stigma of being a `quota lieutenant' - even if they did receive their promotion via the rank order process. They may as well wear a `Q' on their forehead."
Nolan later said he had no problem with meritorious promotions. "The issue is they changed the rules in the middle of the ballgame. If everyone had known up front that a certain amount would be meritorious, there wouldn't be any beef."
He said the union would support the Sergeants Association legal challenge but would not spend money to do so.
Contributing: Jorge Oclander, Art Golab
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1 August 1994Study Guide Regarded As Cheat-Sheet by Some
Did a network of Chicago police officers cheat by preparing for a sergeant examination with sample questions that mirrored the format of the actual test?
Or were they just better at predicting what types of problems would appear?
Minority police groups split on that question Sunday.
"Yes, it's cheating," said Patricia L. Hill, president of the African-American Police League. "If in effect a close facsimile of the test was circulated, and only a select group got it, it gave them an advantage."
But Lucio Martinez, president of the Latin American Police Association , said the officers probably just predicted the test content better.
"We do not believe that anyone cheated," said Martinez, also president of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association. "We do believe something is wrong with the test."
The sergeant test has become mired in controversy because it produced only five minority promotions among 114 top-scoring officers.
Many minority officers prepared with practice exams based on the city's 1985 test, supplied by the National Organization of Black Police Enforcement and the Hispanic Institute of Law Enforcement.
Martinez said in tutorial classes his organizations conduct for the police entrance, sergeant and lieutenant exams, class members study police regulations and create practice questions. A sample test is compiled from them.
That's what he thinks the officers who prepared with the study guide that closely resembled the actual test did.
"Again, is there cheating there?" he said. "Absolutely not. Did they make a better educated guess? Yes."
But Hill said she doubts such luck.
"If they happened to develop that on their own, hurray for them," she said. "But what it appears is, they were provided with an advantage by being given this document.
"We were studying for the test, and they were studying the test."
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25 July 1994Ald. Medrano Demands Review of Promotions
Charging racial bias, Latino Ald. Ambrosio Medrano (25th) on Sunday called for City Council hearings on the hiring and promotion process for the Chicago Police and Fire departments.
"We have to look into just how objective the current procedures are," said Medrano, whose ward includes the largely Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood.
"If necessary, we need to make changes. But this can't go on. We're tired of being on the sidelines."
Medrano was the first Latino alderman to speak out after only two Latinos and three blacks were among the 114 police officers promoted to sergeant last week.
Joining the dispute over the promotions, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) called a press conference for this morning to announce that he was asking U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate the results of the sergeant's examination.
The promotions have renewed a long-standing feud between minority police organizations and the Fraternal Order of Police, which officially represents the officers.
Medrano joined the critics of the FOP on Sunday.
"Of course the (minority) organizations want to leave the FOP," Medrano said. "The dues paid by minority officers are used by the leadership to file lawsuits that sustain the denial of equal opportunities for minority policemen. Give me a break."
Bill Nolan, president of the FOP, rejected Medrano's charges and blamed the controversy on the testing procedures.
"The city paid some consultants $5 million or $6 million to guarantee fairness, and they set up a test that included talking into a tape that was later evaluated. They claimed it would guarantee the fairest tests ever. This is what we get, so now they are trying to blame us," Nolan said.
"We have nothing to do with it. We told them this would happen."
Medrano rejected as "very weak and ridiculous" mayoral aide Cherryl Thomas' statement suggesting that minorities needed to work harder to win promotions.
"Her comments were uncalled for. She knows that both the African-American Police League and the Latin American Police Association have developed programs to prepare their candidates," Medrano said.
Thomas could not be reached for comment.
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10 April 1994Kup's Column - People Peeping
Donna Grant, ex-wife of the Bulls' Horace, dining at Centro with Dr. John Ronan. . . . Sgt. Nelson Barreto being honored as man of the year by the Latin American Police Association. . . . Channel 5's Carol Marin dining at Rico's and getting lessons on Italian cooking. . . . Insurance exec Jack Leahy being honored by the Frank Leahy American Legion Post, named for his uncle, the late football coach.
NOTICE: The above is an excerpt from the full article.
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8 June 1993O'Malley Weighs '95 Daley Challenge
State's Attorney Jack O'Malley is weighing a possible 1995 candidacy for mayor of Chicago, according to well-placed sources.
O'Malley, 42, a former Chicago police officer and a University of Chicago law graduate, has the potential to seriously threaten Mayor Daley's bid for a third term.
He is the first Republican since the 1970s to win back-to-back terms for countywide office in the Democratic stronghold of Cook County.
Gov. Edgar and other top Republicans are seeking to recruit O'Malley as the '94 nominee for Illinois attorney general. But the state's attorney is more interested in running for mayor. O'Malley has had several conversations with allies within the last month about a '95 mayoral race. His election as the city's first Republican mayor in 68 years would make O'Malley a national political figure.
Could O'Malley beat Daley?
He might.
More than any of Daley's prospective challengers, O'Malley knows how to forge a bipartisan, multiethnic coalition. He is popular in the white-ethnic wards of Daley's Southwest Side and is better liked than Daley on the Northwest Side, where the mayor's popularity has plunged. O'Malley, who lives in Hyde Park, is likely to win a substantial vote among lakefront independents who have supported Daley in the past but are underwhelmed with the mayor's job performance.
In his '92 re-election, O'Malley put together a coalition that included white-ethnic voters, African Americans, lakefront independents and Hispanics. He was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the Latin American Police Association, the Hispanic Illinois State Law Enforcement Association, Independent Voters of Illinois, the National Organization for Women and Impact, the Illinois gay and lesbian political action committee.
Such an alliance would be formidable in a mayoral race with Daley.
The state's attorney thinks that Daley is well-intentioned but inept. As mayor of Chicago, O'Malley thinks that he could have real impact in restoring a sense of civic pride and in giving the city a new agenda as it moves into the 21st century. O'Malley's camp thinks that Daley is tired and that the city is ready for fresh leadership.
O'Malley achieved his landslide re-election last fall by campaigning as an independent. West Side activist Rich Barnett, a leader in the movement that elected Harold Washington in 1983, was a key player in O'Malley's political operation. So were former Chicago police officer Chris Orozco, former Chicago Lawyer editor Rob Warden and media consultant Brian Boyer, whose commercials are among the more effective ever produced here. O'Malley also would have the financial resources to compete with Daley, which is something that Daley isn't used to.
If O'Malley runs for mayor, he would strengthen his chances by persuading City Treasurer Miriam Santos to seek re-election on his ticket. Santos, who has fallen out with Daley, is still highly popular, according to polls.
By teaming with Santos, O'Malley could seriously compete with Daley for Hispanic votes. O'Malley and Santos would be a formidable ticket.
Steve Neal is the Chicago Sun-Times political columnist.
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28 June 1992Hispanics Still Underrepresented on Nation`s Police Forces
The appointment of Matt Rodriguez to be superintendent of the Chicago Police Department is one of several recent prominent Hispanic police appointments nationwide, yet studies show Latinos remain significantly underrepresented in police forces throughout the country, including Chicago.
In the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots, in which Hispanics accounted for more than half of the total arrests, there is a renewed focus on the role of Hispanics in policing-from the top posts to the cop on the beat.
Not only do relatively few Hispanics work in law enforcement, but in many big-city departments, including Chicago`s, the bulk of Hispanics on the force are clustered in the patrol ranks. "In truth, there are only a few Hispanics heading large law enforcement agencies in this country," said Wilfred Navarro, chief of the Houston Airport Police, a force of 180 officers that is 24 percent Hispanic.
Last week, during three days of hearings by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on ethnic tensions in Chicago, local civil-rights advocates decried the low numbers of minority officers, saying increasing their numbers would be essential if police-community tensions were to be reduced here.
Experts say the reasons for the dearth of Hispanics in law enforcement are complex. First, the high Hispanic high school dropout rate limits the numbers eligible for recruitment. Those numbers are further affected by cultural and age barriers.
A cultural distrust of police makes the profession unappealing to some Hispanics, and the lack of role models makes the job seem unattainable to others. And many Hispanics simply are too young: in Pilsen, a Mexican immigrant community on the city`s Near Southwest Side, for instance, approximately half the population is under age 17.
Still, many police departments are seeking ways to recruit qualified Hispanics.
"It comes down to a matter of fairness,`` said Joseph McNamara, the former police chief of San Jose, Calif., appointed in 1976 to lead a department at odds with the Hispanic community. ``You cannot tell minorities that we are not prejudiced, that we serve you the same as everyone else and then have them look around and see that they are not represented on the force. You just don`t have any credibility."
Putting Hispanics on the force is also sound police practice. In the Chicago area, communities from Aurora to Elgin to Rolling Meadows recently have tried to combat gang activity by having officers live and work in Hispanic neighborhoods or apartment complexes.
"I don`t believe we can change the world, but I wanted to break the stereotype of what Hispanics can and cannot do," said Margarita Rodriguez, 27, explaining why she joined the Chicago police two years ago.
Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican who grew up amid the gang violence of Logan Square, has been a member of the Shakespeare District`s tactical unit for about a year, a specialized unit addressing the specific problems of the Logan Square and Humboldt Park area.
"There are just hundreds of instances where my background has made a difference, but a recent example involves a child who was sexually assaulted. She spoke no English and wasn`t really sure what had happened to her. I was able to . . . break the fear and the language barrier and get enough detailed information for an arrest."
Besides Rodriguez, other recent Hispanic appointments include Louis Cobarruviaz as police chief in San Jose, Calif., and Eduardo Gonzales, who recently was appointed to lead the Tampa, Fla., Police Department.
The ascension of Rodriguez is expected to help bring a turnabout in young Hispanics` perception of the law as a career. As the city`s top cop and the leader of the nation`s second-largest police department, he is a potent cultural symbol.
"If you don`t see people from your ethnic background involved in the career, whether it`s the law, engineering or the media, you don`t see it as a viable alternative. That`s why Matt Rodriguez will be a great example for all the Hispanic kids out there with names such as Rodriguez, Sanchez, Mendez," said Assistant U.S. Atty. L. Felipe Sanchez.
But hiring officers who speak the language and understand the culture is not enough, said Phil Montez, western regional director for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
"I`m not sure it helps the Hispanic community simply to have lots of Hispanic officers," Montez said.
"The attitude from the top on down must be one of fairness and impartiality and the Hispanics on the force must have a positive attitude toward the community and be committed to it." Rodriguez aside, Hispanics on the Chicago police force are clustered in the patrolman ranks, accounting for 645 out of 9,011, according to a March 1992 study by Art Parra, President of the Latin American Police Association (LAPA).
"Overall, including all ranks, Hispanics make up only 6.19 percent or 775 of the total force of 12,527 people," Parra said. "That`s just unacceptable, particularly taking into account that Hispanics are now 20 percent of Chicago`s population.
"We are not at all satisfied with the numbers that we`ve got, but we are the fastest growing group in the department," said Rodriguez, adding that May figures showed that 901 Hispanics were in the department, accounting for 7.41 percent of 12,161.
The low number of Hispanics on the Chicago force is not unique.
Houston, a city of 1.6 million people, 27.6 percent Hispanic, fields a force of 4,108 that is 12.6 percent Hispanic, a department spokesman said.
Los Angeles, which is 40 percent Hispanic, has a force of approximately 8,150 that is 22.09 percent Hispanic, the department says. New York City, with a population of 7.3 million, is 24.4 percent Hispanic. New York`s police force, the largest in the country at just over 27,000, is 13.5 percent Hispanic.
Little research has been done on Hispanics in law enforcement nationwide, but University of Nebraska professor Sam Walker found that court-ordered and voluntary affirmative-action plans in 19 of the nation`s 50 largest cities played a significant role in increased hiring of Hispanics and other minorities.
"It is important for police departments to reflect their community if they wish to serve it properly," Walker said. "It also keeps the force from looking like an occupying army in the city it is supposed to serve."
One barrier for Hispanics, particularly immigrants, is a cultural mistrust of police and a lack of understanding of the way police operate in this country, said Navarro, chief of the Houston Airport Police.
To overcome these cultural differences, the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), recently received a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department to develop pilot programs aimed at familiarizing Hispanic immigrants with the law, said Navarro, who serves as president of HAPCOA.
In the Chicago area, a group of Hispanics formed the Hispanic Institute for Law Enforcement (HILE), a non-profit training and education group that was incorporated in 1982.
Rodriguez is chairman of the board, and during the years, using instructors from City Wide Colleges and law enforcement agencies, some 4,000 people have studied tutorial programs designed to assist Hispanics with the written and oral parts of the Chicago police exam, said Teresita Diaz Lewis, HILE program coordinator.
Sgt. Nelson Barreto, who joined the Chicago force 20 years ago when Hispanics represented 1.5 percent of the force said: ``Compounding the difficulty is the fact that most of us do not have fathers and uncles and cousins in the police force, people who could let us in on what to expect."
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10 November 1991City Accused of Treating Latino Cops Like `Grunts'
Martin Vows More Minority Promotions
Hispanic officers complain they are the "grunts" of the Chicago Police Department, relegated to mundane tasks with few opportunities for advancement.
"Writing tickets and making reports" is the life of a typical Hispanic officer, said Art Parra, president of the Latin American Police Association.
"We have a lot of sharp (Hispanics) out there who are doing the job," he said. "But their talent is being wasted. I believe we're being punished."
"Punished," Parra said, for being bilingual. He said most Hispanics are assigned to patrol duties in Spanish-speaking communities, and few are chosen for special units, such as tactical, organized crime and narcotics, to learn investigative and other skills needed for advancement.
Parra, 37, a 14-year veteran of the force, has experienced it firsthand. He said he was passed over for special units as a patrol officer, and it took him 13 years to make sergeant.
Hispanics get a taste of undercover work if their language skills are needed in a gambling or narcotics operation, "but once the detail is over, we're gone," Parra said.
"I can understand their frustration," said Police Supt. LeRoy Martin.
Martin said, however, that Hispanic officers are assigned to patrol for a purpose.
"When (citizens) only speak Spanish, they want me to respond with an officer who understands their problems."
While Hispanics make up 20 percent of the city's population, they represent about 7 percent of the force. And those officers are less visible in some positions above the rank of patrol officer.
Parra said Hispanic officers aren't complaining about serving their communities, but they want opportunities for advancement. He noted that career enhancement positions - detective, gang specialist and youth officer - often are steppingstones to the rank of sergeant and above.
"We're the grunts . . . and (Martin) wants to keep us there," Parra said.
Parra's organization, which numbers 300 members, isn't the only one that wants to close the gaps. The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, along with Parra's group, is expected to address the City Council about the matter this month.
Martin said he's working to promote more minorities through merit and he wants all ranks to reflect the percentage of Hispanics on the force.
"Anyone who deserves a promotion will get it," he said.
Martin noted that the department has pledged to double the number of merit promotions to career enhancement positions for minorities from 15 percent to 30 percent. For example, if 20 officers were promoted by merit, then 30 percent - six or seven officers - would be minorities.
Officers usually take an exam for the career enhancement positions, but can be promoted by merit even if they don't take it, or score poorly. Martin said the promotions are based in part on performance, dependability and departmental awards.
Sandwiched between Martin and the Latin American Police Association is the Fraternal Order of Police. The union wants promotions based on test results and has challenged the department's doubling of minority merit promotions. The matter is now in arbitration.
"The most qualified person should be promoted," said union president John Dineen. Otherwise, he said, "what you're doing is denying promotions to officers who qualified according to the test."
Nonetheless, Martin said he's using the increase in minority merit promotions in part to promote Hispanics, who total 841 officers in the department.
But Parra and officials from MALDEF, the national Hispanic civil rights group, say they haven't seen the department's pledge carried out.
"For the last two years, we've been dealing with this," said Arturo Jaregui, a lawyer for the Chicago office of MALDEF.
Jaregui and Parra met with Martin earlier this year after other MALDEF lawyers had talked about the disparity issue with police administrators in 1990.
"I think the only way to get the city's attention is to file litigation," Jaregui said. "Otherwise, the problems of Hispanic officers will not be addressed.
"Sometimes speaking another language is a blessing and a curse," he added. "In this case their opportunities are being minimized."
David Rose, a Washington, D.C., lawyer, and former chief of the U.S. Justice Department's employment litigation section, said discrimination in the hiring and promotion of Hispanics has plagued police departments in Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco.
Nationally, "white males tend to dominate police departments," said Rose, who was in the Justice Department from 1969 to 1987. And minorities, "as outsiders, have trouble getting up in the ranks."
"They are new in the systems, and others have a leg up and find it easier to get ahead," Rose said.
Deputy Supt. Matt L. Rodriguez, the highest ranking Hispanic on the Chicago force, said that while patrol officers are needed to combat gangs, drugs and other violence, there's also a shortage of officers, and promotions are infrequent because of budget restraints.
"That's the complex part of it," Rodriguez said. "This is a service job, and yet rightfully, we want to be rewarded for the effort. It's something that has to be addressed."
As for the future, the department says there are 87 detective vacancies and 30 openings for youth officers.
Rodriguez said, however, that promotions to those positions would further diminish the patrol ranks. He also said the total number of officers assigned to special units, such as narcotics and organized crime, are small and there is little turnover.
But Jaregui said: "Cities like Chicago have a responsibility to take note of the demographics. There is a history of discrimination in the police department against Hispanics."
For example, in 1976, U.S. District Judge Prentice H. Marshall found that the city's police department had discriminated on the basis of race, national origin and sex in hiring and promoting. The city agreed in 1988 to pay $9.3 million in back pay to 200 women and 500 Hispanic and black men who were victims of discrimination.
Even today, though, some argue that equity among officers in the police department remains a long way off.
"We're not getting our proper share," said patrol officer Tom Ramos, chairman of the Mexican-American Police Association. "There is a need to correct . . . that."
Caption: Police officers Maria Salcedo and Frank Castro write parking tickets on their Southwest Side beat. Because many Hispanic police officers are bilingual, they are often assigned to patrol duties in Spanish-speaking communities, says Art Parra, president of the Latin American Police Association. CHARTS; See roll microfilm Credit: Jack Lenahan
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24 July 1988Police Promotions Battle is Still Raging
The contentious and confused question of who should be promoted to the rank of sergeant within the Chicago Police Department is about to surface again in federal district court as a 15-year legal battle goes on among a variety of litigants who keep changing sides.
The department is short about 200 sergeants, though about 2,500 police officers scored a passing grade on the 1985 sergeant`s promotional exam.
The problem lies in deciding who to promote and on what basis.
The Fraternal Order of Police and an attorney representing a white female police officer want promotions based on merit and raw test results.
Hispanics and other women, however, demand an even higher share of the promotions than current quotas now provide.
And black males, who initally challenged the way the department hired and promoted candidates in a suit filed in the early 1970s, now are silent on the issue.
U.S. District Judge Prentice Marshall is to hold a hearing on a motion filed recently by the City of Chicago to modify the sergeant promotion quotas of minority police officers.
That hearing, which is likely to be held no later than September, and others to follow are certain to resurrect explosive feelings about past discrimination and who should pay the price.
In 1973, the U.S. Justice Department, one of the original plaintiffs along with the Afro-American Patrolmen`s League, charged in a suit filed against the city that discrimination existed in the nation`s second largest police force when it came to hiring and promoting minorities.
Three years later, Marshall ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered the department to promote black and Hispanic police officers at a 40 percent quota. That quota later was reduced to 25 percent.
The court also ordered the department to promote women police officers at a 5 percent ratio.
The ruling was far from the end of the battle, and sweeping changes in the political landscape brought sweeping changes among the parties involved in the suit.
At the federal level, Sam Skinner, the U.S. attorney in Chicago at the time, hailed Marshall`s decision as a "landmark ruling." But for the last eight years, U.S. Assistant Atty. Gen. William Bradford Reynolds, head of the Justice Department`s civil-rights division under President Reagan, has fought affirmative-action quotas. Earlier this month, the department asked the court to reject the city`s motion to modify the quotas.
At the city level, Mayor Richard J. Daley once called the quota system ``abhorrent to all Americans,`` and the corporation counsel fought Marshall`s order. Now, Judson Miner, appointed by the late Mayor Harold Washington, is asking for the new ratios and for permission to "standardize" the exam, to eliminate adverse impact on black, Hispanic or female candidates. The corporation counsel also wants to raise women`s 5 percent promotional quota to 20 percent and to implement a separate 10 percent quota for Hispanics.
And ironically, with the approval of Police Supt. LeRoy Martin, the city also has proposed to eliminate promotional quotas for blacks. Black police sergeants now nearly reflect the ratio of black officers, explained Bridget Arimond, a special deputy corporation counsel.
Under Marshall`s decree, the department`s goal should be to have a mix of sergeants reasonably representative of the patrol force, which in turn should reflect the city`s labor force.
For almost everyone concerned, the city`s proposed promotion ratios either don`t go far enough or they go too far.
The Fraternal Order of Police opposes quotas and wants the department to promote the most qualified officer according to their rank order on the raw results of the sergeant`s test, without regard to gender, ethnicity or race.
According to the city`s motion, 416 white officers would be promoted if the department used the raw results of the tests and didn`t impose quotas. Using quotas, and adjusting the test for race, 319 white officers would be promoted.
"What the city has done is, through some finagling of its own, produced a standardized list, giving different weights to different questions for different people," said John Dineen, FOP president.
"I would have been made (sergeant), except they had all these quotas," said Mike Stather, 46, a Belmont District patrol officer and a 23-year veteran of the force who has taken the sergeant`s exam three times.
"The morale factor is real bad. You`re trying to compete for something when you know up front you`re not going to get a fair shake."
Women are represented in the case by the city`s request to raise the quotas for females and by three other disparate motions.
The corporation counsel wants to raise the current 5 percent female promotion ratio to 20 percent during the life of the 1988 promotional roster, or until 1991.
The city`s patrol force is currently 12.6 percent female. But women`s representation at the sergeant rank is only 2.3 percent, according to the city`s motion.
Entwined in the arguments over how many women police sergeants there should be are the three other motions..
One, filed by attorney Kimberly Sutherland on behalf of a white female officer, agrees with the FOP and wants women promoted straight from the raw results of the test, without ``artificial boosts`` that come from racially adjusted test scores.
The examination results of white women are being illegally lowered in the process of standardizing for race, Sutherland said. "You can`t push down white women," she said.
But attorney Kenneth Flaxman says the city`s proposed promotion ratios favor white women over black women.
Without the city`s proposed 20 percent quotas for women police officers, females will receive 78 of the 500 promotions. White females would receive 43; black females would receive 31. But under the city`s proposed 20 percent ratios, 100 women would be promoted to sergeant.
Flaxman said the majority of these 22 additional promotions would go to white police officers, while black women would get only a third of the added positions.
Attorney Richard Gutman filed another motion on behalf of Barbara McNamara and other women officers. He is seeking a female promotion ratio commensurate with the number of women police officers currently joining the department, or 33 percent, he said, considerably higher than the city`s proposed 20 percent ratio for women.
For Hispanics, the city wants to implement a new, separate 10 percent quota, eliminating the current 25 percent promotion ratio that lumps blacks and Latinos together.
"Blacks have come of age within the police department," said Rubin Castillo, chief legal counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who has filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the Latin American Police Association. "They control the superintendent`s office and lots of lieutenants."
The problem for Hispanics was the court-ordered joint promotion ratio that grouped them with blacks, Castillo said. "Unfortunately, Hispanic police officers went along with it."
Under the joint 25 percent promotion ratio, Hispanics were promoted at a ratio of 4.9 percent between 1980 and 1987, when sergeant promotions were frozen.
"What`s fair, one-half of 25 percent? One-third of it?" Castillo asked. Now, Hispanic police officers want what they claim to be their fair share. They are asking the court to implement a 20 percent promotion ratio for Hispanics to remedy the effects of past discrimination and to achieve parity, he said.
Castillo said this promotion rate is reasonable because Department of Labor statistics estimate that Hispanics make up 18 percent of Chicago`s labor force. They are expected to comprise 20 percent by 1990.
By promoting Hispanics through a 20 percent quota, 100 Hispanics would become sergeants, he said. The lowest scores of these candidates on the standardized test would be 74.4, a passing score, eliminating any concerns over competence, he said.
Officer Alicia Ayala, 36, said she wants to become one of the first Hispanic female sergeants in a department that now has none. Ayala, assistant secretary of the Latin American Police Association and an 11 1/2-year veteran of the force, said she deserves to be promoted because she has supervising experience and is qualified. "If I haven`t earned what I`ve gotten, I don`t want it," she said.
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1 November 1987`Tough Cop' - New Chief Declares War on Drugs, Street Gangs
Hispanics Unhappy That Rodriguez Was Passed Over
Mayor Washington named as the city's new police superintendent Saturday a "tough cop," Leroy Martin, who immediately targeted street gangs and drugs.
As revealed by the Chicago Sun-Times, the mayor picked Martin to replace retiring Supt. Fred Rice. He was named acting police superintendent effective immediately, and the nomination will be submitted to the City Council Wednesday.
"Leroy Martin is a tough cop. He knows that I want my police superintendent to be a tough cop," Washington said at a City Hall news conference.
Flanked by his wife and family, Martin said his priorities "first would be to try to get a handle on youth gang crimes that are committed on the street against our citizens and our young people who can't go to school because of intimidation, and also our drug problem that almost touches everybody in the city of Chicago."
By selecting Martin, who is black, Washington passed over the two other finalists for the job - Matt L. Rodriguez, a Hispanic deputy superintendent of the Bureau of Technical Services, and Rudolph E. Nimocks Sr., a black deputy superintendent of the Bureau of Administrative Services.
The mayor was under pressure from Hispanic leaders - including Aldermen Juan M. Soliz (25th), Luis V. Gutierrez (26th), Raymond A. Figueroa (31st) and Jesus G. Garcia (22nd) - to pick Rodriguez for superintendent.
Martin's appointment "is viewed as a disappointment by Hispanic community organizational leaders," Soliz said at a street-corner press conference Saturday in his Southwest Side ward.
Soliz said the mayor had "passed up an opportunity to bridge the gap between city government and the needs of the Hispanic population."
"However, we will cautiously accept the mayor's appointment of Supt. Martin and challenge the new superintendent to work with us in developing plans that can effect change in our community," he added.
Although the mayor missed this "golden opportunity," Soliz urged Washington to consider appointing Hispanics to other top city posts, such as health commissioner.
Washington said Martin edged out his competition because he possesses a special kind of sensitivity about the community.
"He has that `field feel,' shall we say, that keen sense of awareness of what's going on in the street," the mayor said.
Martin worked a beat in the old Burnside Station at the start of his career in 1955. As deputy chief of patrol, he was viewed as a long shot over the higher-ranking finalists vying for the $96,000-a-year post.
Martin said Saturday he hopes "to have a legacy that leaves an even better police department than Supt. Rice left us - and he left us an excellent department."
Also expressing Hispanics' unhappiness was the Latin American Police Association.
"Naturally, we feel disappointment that Deputy Supt. Matt Rodriguez was not appointed superintendent of police, but at this point the (association) will accept the mayor's appointment of Leroy Martin," said Rene Jacuz, a spokesman for the group.
Soliz also suggested the mayor name a Hispanic to the No. 2 spot now held by First Deputy Police Supt. John J. Jemilo, a white, who earlier angrily hinted he would resign from the force after he lost the top spot.
When asked at the City Hall news conference who he would pick as his first deputy, Martin called Jemilo a "scholarly individual" and said, "if he will stay on I would love to have him on board," he added.
Jemilo, who met with Mayor Washington last week to discuss his future with the Police Department, said he was planning to meet with Martin.
He said he has not made up his mind whether to resign, adding that he would not stay if he wasn't allowed to remain as first deputy.
Rodriguez, who described himself as a "team player," said he has known Martin for years and thinks he is a "highly responsible, good leader and can do the job well. I have every bit of confidence in him."
"The most important thing is to continue having an excellent police department," he said. "I'm sure the top echelon, middle management and the rank and file will work hard under Martin's leadership to do the job."
Nimocks said he is also a team player and would work hard in every way possible to improve the department, which he said was left in excellent standing by Rice.
"Martin is a fine leader and highly experienced and I'm sure we can all work together," he added.
John Dineen, head of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he did not know enough about Martin to have an opinion on Washington's choice of superintendent, which he said is a political decision the mayor is entitled to make.
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13 September 1979Cop's Sports Teams Rob Gangs of Draft Choice
The Teen-Agers hang around the corners, aimlessly whiling away their time.
Although they were not gang members, they were targets for gang recruitment. Hector Hernandez, commander of the volatile Wood Street police district, worried about them.
"These boys were right at the age (13 to 15 years old) where they could go either way." he said. "I remembered my early years in Purto Rico and later in New York City where we used to have sports teams, and I decided to try the same thing here."
The result was a basebal league, organized by the police, which played at Humboldt, Clemente, and Union parks this summer. Hernandez chose Sgt. Michael Acosta to put it together.
"I contacted youth organizations, boys' clubs, and settlement houses, and I told them I wanted the boys who didn't make their teams, who didn't belong." Acosta said. "Would you believe 383 kids signed up.".
There was no money in the police district's budget for such a program, but Acosta managed to solicit donations from local merchants, the Spanish language newspaper La Raza, the Chicago Department of Human Services, and the Latin American Police Association.
Uniforms, bats and balls were purchased, and 26 policemen volunteered to act as coaches and umpires. Eight persons from youth organizations also volunteered.
The league consisted of eight teams. The 13th District Stars won the championship.
It was a busy summer for Acosta, who also performs as a clown with a group of policemen at various charity events.
"And now the kids want me to start football and basketball leagues," he said. "I told them football was too expensive."
"As for basketball, it wouldn't cost much to get uniforms. It's just a problem of getting the balls. But maybe we'll fins an angel."
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17 June 1977Slain Puerto Ricans' Kin Sue for $48 Million
The survivors of two Puerto Ricans killed in the June 4 riot in Humboldt Park filed two federal suits Thursday seeking a total of $48 million in damages from city and police officials..
The suits charge there was a "police riot" and that "the illegal actions of police resulted in the outright murder of two innocent young Puerto Rican men who were picknicking in the park with their families."
Peter Schmiedel, the attorney representing the families of the two, Raphael Cruz and Julio Osorio, also charged that a document assessing the rioting, released by the Police Supt. James Rochford, was "a reprehensible slander and a fraud."
Rochford blamed gangs and community hostillity for the weekend rioting that left three dead and more than 100 injured. Schmiedel described the Rochford report as part of a cover-up by police and city officials.
Named in both suits are Rochford, Mayor Bilandic, Wood Street Commander Aurelio Garcia, Sgt. Thomas Walton, Patrolman Robinson Urbane, and three other unnamed police officers.
The suits allege that police were questioning and harassing people in the park apparently as a result of a bombing of the COunty Building earlier June 4. They Charge that the police "behaved in an insulting, intimidating manner, causing a good deal of anger and tension among people in the park."
Meanwhile Thursday, Tom Ramos, president of the Latin American Police Association, which includes 170 Chicago police officers, said the group is "100 per cent behind" Rochford. He blamed the disorder on "a small group of intoxicated young adults, some of whom were under the influence of drugs."
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18 July 1963Commission Posts List in Police Test
77 Will be Promoted to Sergeant
Policemen reading names on controversial police sergeants list, which was posted in City hall by civil service comission.
List is subject to revision for military preference claims.
A new eligible list for promotion to police sergeant, containing names of 3,282 patrolmen and detectives, was posted yesterday by the city civil service comission.
Police Supt. Orlando W. Wilson announced that he will promote 77 from the list to fill vacancies in the sergeant rank. The list, however, is subject to revision for military preference claims.
Highest Scorer
The highest grade, 86.10, was made by James M. O'Donnell, 34, of 6616 S. Campbell av., who admitted he did a lot of craming for the test given last Oct. 27. An army veteran, he has been a policeman since 1954. He expressed disbelief when first told he topped the list.
O'Donnell, married and the father of three children, is assigned to the area 4 auto theft unit with headquarters at the Maxwell street station. He is the son of the late policeman Michael O'Donnell, who also was assigned to auto thefts, and he wears his father's star, number 1850. Two of his uncles also were policemen.
O'Donnell (left) and Garcia
No. 2 with a grade of 85.80 is Detective Aurelio Garcia, 41, of 3517 W. 74th st., a policeman for 11 years and a war veteran, who said he has turned down jobs paying substantially more because "I love police work."
Heads Police Group
Garcia said he will become Chicago's first police sergeant of "full blooded Spanish origin." A native American, he is president of the Latin American Police Association. Married and the father of two, he is a graduate of Tilden Technical High school. He works out of area 1 general assignments unit with headquarters in Washington Park.
The list replaces one canceled last Oct 17. The last promotions from the old list, posted Sept. 1 1960 were made Oct. 9
Some men ranking considerably lower than number 77 on the list could be moved up to win promotions because of their military service.
Depending on length of service, war veterans can gain up to 3.5 points. They can use this military credit on only one promotion, however.
Willis E. Cahill, comission president, denied there was unusual delay in posting the list. He said the comission had no request for additional sergeants, and "we had other examinations to get out of the way."
Three policemen recently ousted by Mayor Daley from his corps of bodyguards, and given other assignments, were on the list, but not in line for immediate promotions. Daley replaced them after they left his car unattended last June 22.
The three are George A. Pouliet, number 135: Robert F. Miller, number 166: and David F. Hayes, number 324. Several of Daley's present bodyguards ranked considerably higher.
Word that the list had been posted spread rapidly thru the department, and soon afterward several hundred patrolmen were in the comission offices waiting their turns to see how they ranked.
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17 June 1977Slain Puerto Ricans' Kin Sue for $48 Million
The survivors of two Puerto Ricans killed in the June 4 riot in Humboldt Park filed two federal suits Thursday seeking a total of $48 million in damages from city and police officials..
The suits charge there was a "police riot" and that "the illegal actions of police resulted in the outright murder of two innocent young Puerto Rican men who were picknicking in the park with their families."
Peter Schmiedel, the attorney representing the families of the two, Raphael Cruz and Julio Osorio, also charged that a document assessing the rioting, released by the Police Supt. James Rochford, was "a reprehensible slander and a fraud."
Rochford blamed gangs and community hostillity for the weekend rioting that left three dead and more than 100 injured. Schmiedel described the Rochford report as part of a cover-up by police and city officials.
Named in both suits are Rochford, Mayor Bilandic, Wood Street Commander Aurelio Garcia, Sgt. Thomas Walton, Patrolman Robinson Urbane, and three other unnamed police officers.
The suits allege that police were questioning and harassing people in the park apparently as a result of a bombing of the COunty Building earlier June 4. They Charge that the police "behaved in an insulting, intimidating manner, causing a good deal of anger and tension among people in the park."
Meanwhile Thursday, Tom Ramos, president of the Latin American Police Association, which includes 170 Chicago police officers, said the group is "100 per cent behind" Rochford. He blamed the disorder on "a small group of intoxicated young adults, some of whom were under the influence of drugs."
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5 January 1963Plaque Honors Slain Detective
Joseph DeLopez (left), president of Latin American Police Association, presenting plaque honoring the late Detective Oreste
Gonzalez to Police Supt. O.W. Wilson. Between them are the widow, Helen; a daughter, Pamela, and mother, Mrs. Josephine Gonzalez.
Police Supt. O.W. Wilson accepted a plaque presented yesterday by the Latin American Police Association of Illinois as a memorial to Detective Orestes Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, the first policeman of Latin American descent to be killed in action, was wounded fatally on Oct 8, 1953, while making an arrest in the robbery of a cab driver. Altho wounded four times, Gonzalez overpowered his assilant and killed him.
The plaque was presented to Wilson in his office by Joseph DeLopez, president of the association. The superintendent also expressed his sympathy to the Gonzalez family attending the ceremonies. They were Gonzalez's wiso, Helen; his daughter, Pamela; and his mother, Mrs. Josephine Gonzalez, all of 6915 Irving Park rd.
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14 September 1962Wilson Agrees to Aid Latin Police Group
Police Supt. O.W. Wilson agreed yesterday to serve on the advisory board of the newly organized Latin American Police Association and to attend the groups first installation dinner Oct. 21 in the Knickerbocker hotel. Both invitations were extended by Joseph De Lopez, association president and member of the department's intelligence division in the bureau of inspectional services.
The association, which is open to policemen of Latin-American decent in all communities in Illinois, hopes to promote better relations between Latin-American Communities in Illinois and local police departments. De Lopez said the group also hopes to recruit more police officers of Latin-American extraction who are qualified for law enforcement work.
Of Chicago's 39 policemen with Latin-American backgrounds, 33 belong to the association. All speak Spanish. Other officers are Detective Fred Montejano, vice president; Patrolman Andrew Rodriguez, secretary; and Detective Aurelio Garcia, treasurer.
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