Three police officers in Schaumburg, Illinois (outside Chicago) have been indicted for allegedly teaming up with a drug dealer to sell narcotics. Matthew Hudak, John Cichy, and Terrance O’Brien were all members of the tactical unit and charged with a female companion, Nicole Brehm, 44.
The dealer had served as an informant for the officers when he became their business partner. The cops would steal cash and drugs from other dealers and the informant would then sell the drugs.
Hudak, 29, allegedly used police computers to keep track of his “partner.” Brehm, 44, was O’Brien’s longtime girlfriend and the mother of one of his children. She allegedly allowed drugs to be stored at her house. O’Brien, 46, is married with four children.
The DEA put together a sting concerning an associate from out of town and the officers went to a unit to steal $20,000. They were captured on camera breaking into the unit wearing masks and taking the money. Strangely, they brought the money back and then returned and took it again. Cichy was caught on video lifting his mask. The DEA later found the bait money in the homes or possession of the three different officers.
Some of these offenses come with a 40 years maximum sentence and former police officers tend to be sentenced at the high end due to the aggravating elements of betrayal of public trust and misuse of public office.
Source: Chicago Tribune
hey rafflaw, is it legal to keep all the cops name redacted?
so curious!
Wait, they took the money, brought it back and took it again?
Tell me what that was about. That’s the only thing that surprises me.
shano,
That is an amazing story about the police biker gang!
BTW … cities that opt to keep such testing procedures in place usually enjoy reduced rates on their insurance premiums … 😉
Tony C.,
All true.
There are many ways to reveal the sociopathic personality (or tendencies) in a cop through initial and on-going testing procedures but communities are always looking for ways to save money and thus stop funding the on-going procedures. Over the years I have partnered with many a Police Chief in convincing a city council/safety director/city manager to keep funding intact for such procedures. It’s an ounce of protection/pound of cure thing.
I also believe any congregation that calls or accepts the placement of a new minister/pastor/priest without the benefit of such testing is, given the history of abuse within the clergy, foolish.
As to politics and lawyers, it is as David Blauw wrote on another thread when he quoted Mark Twain “It”s easier to fool people, than to convince them they have been fooled”
@Blouise: Religion is a good choice, so is lawyering (from their point of view). The big advantage of being police, FBI, or a politician is the added (but not unlimited) immunity from the law. Your fellow cops do not ticket you for speeding or parking, look the other way if they see you lift a few joints from a suspect. If you rough up a nobody, chances are nothing happens; if you kill somebody’s dog, or shoot and kill somebody that just pissed you off, no big deal. If somebody talks back at you, you can arrest them and make them spend a few days in jail, and never be punished for that yourself. If you feel like driving 90 mph, running stop signs and red lights for no reason at all, feel free, nobody is going to stop you.
We’ve seen on TV the cops provoking a suspect into taking a swing or a push at them, then they arrest them for assaulting a police officer. That is just for the benefit of the audience, of course, in real life the officer can dispense with the provocation and proceed to the arrest: In both situations the officer’s claim outweighs anything the suspect says. Ditto for probable cause; the officer can say “when the suspect saw me, I saw him put a joint in his pocket, I thought that was probable cause to search him and I found this joint in his pocket.” Previously in his own pocket, of course, and he didn’t see the “suspect” do anything.
Same idea for reckless driving or running a stop sign. Despite the myth of “innocent until proven guilty,” the cop’s word effectively trumps your word. There can be plenty of sociopathic satisfaction in being a cop.
“From their point of view, the best place for a sociopath is in law enforcement or politics.” (Tony C)
… or religion
The Superior Officers needed an “Alert Dog” like Jake. We call him Jake From State Farm to mimic a tv commercial but our Jake can smell various narcotics and then issue a bark. We thought about naming Jake “BarkinJake” but did not want to sow confusion. He is sowing his oats enough in the dog pac. Jake could follow the bad igPays out to their cars and give a sniff. They should not have drugs in their cars unless they had reported a snatch from a suspect. Jake says that he would not work in Chi Town because its too cold but that there are other candidates out there.
If the Chief does nto buy into an Alert Dog situation then you can bet that he is in on the shenanigans. Particularly if he is Irish.
Just as it did with Prohibition, the “War on Drugs” corrupts those who are tasked with enforcing it. Bad law creates cynicism among the law enforcers, who understand the futility of their pursuit and thus question their own commitment.
Where you have a drug problem, the police are going to be involved at some point–shaking down, partnering, or controlling the supply…. It happens everywhere.Ditto prostitution.
I have personal knowledge of two agents from the Miss. Bureau of Narcotics conspiring with a civilian to set up and entrap a third party.
A well-known criminal defense lawyer (once featured ion “60 Minutes” convinced the poor guy who was set up – to plead guilty to possession with intent to deliver
Police. n, Armed force for protection and participation.
Here, local police have turned into a motorcycle gang, getting drunk and fighting:
The Iron Brotherhood Motorcycle Club is a men’s group made up of active and retired law enforcement officers from Prescott and Prescott Valley police departments, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, DPS and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
Witnesses told police that after Iron Brotherhood Motorcycle Club members entered Moctezuma’s Bar on Dec. 22, some members fought with a bar patron, then swung at bar employees trying to break it up.
One witness told investigating officers she jumped behind the bar because men wearing black vests “were coming up to the bar” and “everybody was swinging at everybody.”
Another witness said “he did not know what to do, because he knew the group of bikers to be police officers,” according to PPD reports.
Earlier that evening, about 20 Iron Brotherhood members wearing black vests displaying their club’s name held a party with wives and girlfriends in a back room at Hooligan’s Pub.
Witnesses told officers “they were a rowdy group,” the bar “cut off about 90 percent of them from alcohol by the time the party ended,” and “the whole group was acting like some outlaw motorcycle gang,” the police reports state.
A bar employee, needing to get past a woman in the bar, said when he put his hand on her to get her attention and ask her to move, a man identified as an Iron Brotherhood member yelled at him and “got in his face,” according to the reports.
One witness told investigating officers he didn’t feel police officers should act that way, noting that previous encounters with Iron Brotherhood were usually polite and pleasant.
After leaving Hooligan’s, some Iron Brotherhood members wearing their vests flashed badges and “tried to bully their way inside Matt’s Saloon,” which has a “no colors” (gang-related clothes) policy, but failed, according to police reports.
Several Iron Brotherhood members went on to Moctezuma’s, which also has a “no colors” policy, but the members showed bar security their badges and were let in with their motorcycle club vests on.
At 10:59 p.m., a Prescott Police officer went to Yavapai Regional Medical Center west campus and spoke with an injured man – Justin Stafford, 23 – who said he was punched by bikers earlier that night at Moctezuma’s, according to the report. Stafford said the bikers wore black vests with patches on them reading “Iron something.”
Much of Stafford’s statement, as well as that of his friend, concerning what happened was redacted from the report, including how many times Stafford was punched and who punched him.
Names of all witnesses, victims, Iron Brotherhood members, and large portions of their statements were removed from PPD reports released to the Courier.
When the investigating officers arrived at Hooligan’s, one saw several policemen he knew wearing Iron Brotherhood vests. The investigating officers were approached by a man in a black vest who showed a badge and asked what was going on, the report states. The officer told the man flashing the badge they were investigating an incident at Moctezuma’s, at which point the man pulled both officers to the emergency exit.
Soon after, the officers called a sergeant saying the people they spoke with did not appear to provide them with all the information they knew. While waiting for the sergeant to arrive, an Iron Brotherhood member whose name was redacted said, “We knew you guys were going to show up. They told me you were coming, so I told (name redacted) to go home,” according to the police report.
Schmucks
I wonder how many of their fellow priests,../OOPs er/ officers were aware of these shenanigans.
From their point of view, the best place for a sociopath is in law enforcement or politics. Hopefully these four will all end up in the best place from our point of view.
The bleep goes on …
http://www.policemisconduct.net/ (for any who don’t already know about it)
“Some number of every profession are crooks but law enforcement is a particularly bad place for crooks. I hope the thin blue line does not circle around them” -Frankly
Agreed and well said.
A story from the bad old days in Chicago:
Woman calls to report a burglary in progress
Desk Sgt says “Just get his badge number ma’am and well take care of it.”
Some number of every profession are crooks but law enforcement is a particularly bad place for crooks. I hope the thin blue line does not circle around them
Raff,
The only thing missing is Wall Street…..
Serve and protect..not so much! Idiots!