CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer in the midst of a messy break-up threatened the lives of a former romantic partner and that person’s family; but the department says that’s not enough to fire him.
City inspector general Deborah Witzburg made the revelation in her quarterly report documenting cases her office has investigated.
“While the former partner was moving out of the apartment they shared… [the officer] told them to ‘call everyone they loved and tell them goodbye,’” the IG’s investigation determined.
The officer then threatened to kill his former lover and the person’s entire family if they showed-up at the apartment that evening, according to the IG’s findings.
The Chicago inspector general recommended the firing of the officer and placement on the city’s “do not hire” list. However, police brass refused. Instead, they suspended the officer for 60 days.
CPD defended the decision not to seek termination by claiming the officer did not violate department Rule 1 – which prohibits violation of any law or ordinance – because the officer was neither criminally charged nor found guilty. However, IG Witzburg said her office disagrees with the department’s interpretation of the rule.
A Chicago police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the officer’s current status or assignment. The inspector general’s report does not name the officer.
