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Crime and (no) punishment

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Illinois

[Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez] defended her record on police prosecutions. “Any officer who commits a crime should be held accountable,” Alvarez said to a smattering of boos. “I’ve been doing it, I will continue to do it and there’s no need for a special prosecutor.” Alvarez and More opposed special prosecutor appointment while Foxx welcomed it.

* BGA…

By her own admission, Chicago Police Officer Allyson Bogdalek was “untruthful” during a 2011 court hearing for Ranceallen Hankerson, who was charged with armed robbery and attempted murder in connection with a violent liquor store stick-up on the South Side a year earlier.

While under oath on the stand, Bogdalek told the courtroom she hadn’t shown the liquor store owner – who was shot in the leg during the 2010 robbery – a photo spread with Hankerson’s picture prior to his arrest.

In reality, she had shown the owner Hankerson’s photo, but the victim initially failed to identify Hankerson as the assailant – a critical piece of information for Hankerson’s defense, according to court records and interviews.

In 2012, following a series of court hearings but before Hankerson’s actual trial, Bogdalek came clean about what happened – after Hankerson’s defense attorney got a hold of Bogdalek’s squad-car video from the day Hankerson was arrested. The video captured a cell phone conversation between her and a supervisor in which she mentioned showing lineup photos to the liquor store owner shortly after the stick-up.

Hankerson’s criminal case was quickly dropped by Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office because of Bogdalek’s conduct, according to interviews and court records […]

But more than three years later, Bogdalek is still on the job, and it recently came to light that Alvarez ignored a recommendation from an underling to hit Bogdalek and her partner with perjury-related charges – raising further complaints that Alvarez too often looks the other way when it comes to alleged police misconduct, particularly within the Chicago Police Department.

Sheesh.

* Related…

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* UN delegates to visit Chicago to investigate city’s race relations

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 10:05 am

Comments

Time and again, Anita Alvarez just keeps putting the ‘bad apples’ back in the barrel.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 10:15 am
Police didn’t coin the term ‘Testalying” for no reason.

Comment by Anotherretiree Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 10:26 am
Having an independent prosecutor for police misconduct cases seems like a no-brainer to me. Why didn’t Rahm lead with that?

Comment by Spiritualized Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 10:39 am
Rich - you should report the full story here. While Bogdalek did obviously perjure herself and needs to be held accountable, there is much more to the story. She tried to come clean, multiple times. The CPD leadership made her lie and forced her to continue to lie. The only reason we now know she lied, is because she knew she was wrong and came clean. This is as much a story about CPD’s failures and corruption as it is about Alvarez’s failures.

Comment by Happy Gun Owner Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 10:56 am
- Happy Gun Owner - is right.

If Alvarez brought charges against this officer, they would have been thrown out of court before trial.

Comment by PT Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 11:16 am
“If Alvarez brought charges against this officer, they would have been thrown out of court before trial.”

What is the basis for this assertion?

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 11:28 am
“The CPD leadership made her lie.”

The source for that statement would be of interest.

Comment by Slippin' Jimmy Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 12:44 pm
@ Slippin’ Jimmy -

Bogdalek has said that her partner, as well as detectives (whom she did not identify) and other superior officers encouraged her to do so. Her partner has confirmed that he encouraged her to lie.

See: http://www.salon.com/2015/12/15/disturbing_new_twist_in_chicagos_police_crisis_embattled_states_attorney_refused_to_prosecute_cops_who_admitted_to_perjury_obstruction_of_justice/

This does not, of course, in any way absolve her.

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 12:54 pm
Thanks for the link Joan. The Salon article is the best reporting I have seen on the situation. I am sure there is even more to the story, and hopefully there are reporters digging more.

Comment by Happy Gun Owner Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 1:20 pm
Great article.

Gee, I wonder how Salon got those very informative documents, when Chicago reporters never seem to be able to find a whistleblower, nor their hindquarters with both hands.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 2:00 pm
“Let’s put the cop’s kid on the crime beat, Jimmy!”

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 2:00 pm
Thanks Joan, so she lied before. she told the truth.

Comment by Slippin' Jimmy Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 2:03 pm
Alvarez again looked the other way. But let’s not pretend this is all about her. CPD might as well be known as the Cover-up Police Department. Let’s not forget that the lying cops in the McDonald case are still on the job with no disciplinary action taken against them. And whose responsibility is it to clean up that corrupt department? Rahm Emanuel. Until action is taken on this and other abuses, nothing will change.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 4:02 pm
SA Alvarez publicly promoted single party recording in the eavesdropping law so she could more easily prosecute “bad guys.”

If Alvarez is committed to prosecuting police who break the law, let’s see her get involved and promote legislation in Springfield with enhanced penalties for perjury by police, and criminal penalties for destruction of video, which is now a “departmental charge” under the SB1304 body cam bill.

Comment by Payback Tuesday, Jan 19, 16 @ 4:50 pm