Chicago police officer John Killackey, 32, will only receive probation and community service after pulling a gun on a cabbie during a fare dispute. Critics have charged that the sentence for aggravated assault and theft was too light — though he only faced a one year maximum jail sentence. This is because he was only charged with two misdemeanors.
Killackey is the son of a Chicago police commander and was given 18 months of supervision and 60 hours of community service today.
Killackey reportedly refused to pay for a six-minute fare from a nightclub to his house. When the cabbie demanded $8, he reportedly said “I don’t owe you shit” and pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the cabbie. He then allegedly said “Either I don’t owe you shit or you get out of the car and see what happens.”
Killackey left the cab and collapsed in the street. Three officers arrived and discovered that he was a cop. What is truly amazing is that commanding officer, Sgt. Robert Peabody, arrived at the scene, he handed Killackey back his gun and badge and let him go. He refused to give Clermont the chance to file a complaint.
What is astonishing is not just the lack of any jail time but there is no mention of any discipline of the commanding officer. He was confronted with a citizen who claims that an officer threatened him at gunpoint and then proceeds to give the drunk officer back his weapon and files no charges.
This is only the latest in a series of recent drunk officer cases, here and here and here and here and here.
Chicago particularly has had a spate of such cases, here and here and here and here (non-drinking case) and here and here.
Source: Sun Times
While no one condones the police abusing their positions, we should also remember that theirs is a dangerous job fraught with high drama even in the most routine of duties. They do it all for less pay than a successful plumber. Here’s some balance in a story from Florida:
Manhunt on for convict after 2 Florida cops killed
A police officer whose wife is nine months pregnant and a colleague who has four young sons are shot to death during a traffic stop, and a woman is taken into custody hours later.
http://gantdaily.com/2010/06/29/two-florida-police-officers-killed-during-traffic-stop/
Buddha:
I didnt say all regulations.
And yet another bad Chicago cop. Jill, you might find this of particular interest: Jon Burge GUILTY: Jury Convicts Alleged Police Torturer Of Lying Under Oath.
Byron,
Here’s one regulation for you: NASA says no sex on the ISS.
I have four small things to say about that.
Men.
Women.
No gravity.
Good luck with that.
Byron,
Catharsis has true value.
But you’re still making the logical error of fallacy of composition.
It’s ridiculous for a tire perhaps, but consider that an insulin pump and an aquarium pump are basically the same thing, but because one is a “medical device” you really don’t want Timmy $2.50 at the Salt Water Emporium and Hardware Shack repairing insulin pumps, do you? Nor would it be wise to take on such a repair one’s self.
But the tire? Yeah. That’s pretty silly and they should be exempt from “expert repair”.
Buddha:
here is a good reason why government regulation sucks.
I have to go through a supplier to order flat free inner tubes for my power chair even though I can install them and they are no different than changing out a wheelbarrow tire. The FDA regulates them so I cant do it myself.
I can put a new tranny in my van or drop a new engine in or do my own brakes but I cant change a f . . . ing tire because some punk ass bureaucrat at the FDA is worried I might hurt my wittle self.
Government regulations suck and most are ridiculous and cost billions of dollars of extra money from the consumer without, for the most part, doing a fu . . . ing thing to keep us safe or our wealth protected.
Classic example of stupid regulations from dip shits who try/want to control our every move.
Ahh, I feel much better now. 🙂
“I’m sure the kid was just a little drunk & meant no harm.”
With a GUN. Drunk. Belligerent. Yet the “kid” clearly “meant no harm”.
Please.
Would your apologist stance be the same if he’d shot and killed the cabbie, frankdawg? “Sorry, Mrs. Clermont but we’re letting your husband’s killer go free because he was a kid, a little drunk and meant no harm. Oh, and he’s a ‘protected’ third generation cop and we don’t charge our own.”
Uh huh.
She’d have had the CPD by the testicles in civil court.
You missed the fourth category: criminally negligent.
Sadly most of the cops I have met (I was a firefighter and have LE relatives) divide the world into 3 groups – bad guys, victims and cops. while a bad guy or a victim could potential fall into the other group on occasion the third group is pretty solid. Cops can’t be bad guys ever & are victims only as far as bad guys can make them into victims.
I’m sure the kid was just a little drunk & meant no harm. Nobody was hurt so why give the entire department a black eye for one kids tiny mistake. Not everyone can do this job so unless you walk (or stumble in this case) a mile in his shoes.
They’ll have a thousand excuses all of them just marvelous.
CCD,
I don’t think I want to hear about “gonif feelings” again after that value added play. Well done, sir. Truly a revolting situation.
I’m a clout baby an I’ll rob anybody I want !!! Ranks has its priviledges
By the way … if I refused to pay a cab fare in Chicago and threatened a cabbie with my gun, would commanding officer, Sgt. Robert Peabody let me go too? I’ll wear a sign claiming to be John Killackey’s long lost cousin from Cleveland … that should be enough.
Poor little daddy’s and granddaddy’s boy … life is sooo hard on a misunderstood cheap drunk … guess he’ll never rise to the top like daddy and granddaddy … poor little drunk cop.
Chicago’s Police Superintendent Jody Weis loves to give press conferences after shootings in low-income neighborhoods where he decries the “wall of silence.” He’s saying that members of the local community won’t come forward to give the police information about the recent crime.
Sure, that’s a problem. But his use of the phrase “wall of silence” just brings to mind the related problem, the “blue wall of silence.” Police departments really need to clean their own house, but the “omerta” approach rules the day.
Think about how often these kinds of abuses, plus intimidation and theft, are going on in low-income areas where people have no one to complain to. Of course these folks aren’t going to give information to the police, many have been given good reason to fear and hate the police.
Teachers’ unions would be better off in the long run if they actively helped to weed out their problem members. In an ideal world, the police community would work to permanently remove the individuals who simply can not function as good officers, and temporarily remove from service people who need help when they can’t be trusted with a gun and authority due to mental/substance issues, which may be the issue here.
CCD,
WOW.
AY:
We’ll NEVER know the true depth of BS involved in this case.
Former Chicago Police detective John Killackey was a third generation PO, also known as a clout baby. Its no wonder Chicago Police Sgt. Peabody responded the way he did. Killackey’s grandfather was Chief of Detectives, his father was Deputy chief.
Nine months to investigate? The Killackey nepotism really had it in overdrive with the Independent Police Review Authority. Story here: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/cabbie-waits-for-the-police-department-to-police-one-of-its-own/Content?oid=1245593
Second City Cop ran this at the time of his arrest in January of this year: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13350456&postID=3300450790370952547
This is just the kind of pinhead the citizenry needs to be armed against, and why I always carry a gun when I visit Chicago.
This is kinda crazy. Anyone else would have been charged with at least attempted armed robbery, defrauding a taxi, possession of a weapon while intoxicated.
Hey wasn’t it Chicago that wanted to disarm its citizens a few years ago?
This is kinda Bullshit. No it is Bull Shit.