Arbitration or disciplinary hearings: That is the question facing the City of Chicago when cops face major disciplinary charges, often with both their badges and public trust in policing on the line.
Arbitration hearings are held in secret. Police board disciplinary hearings are open to the public. That’s the key distinction when it comes to public confidence in Chicago’s police force.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara held forth with reporters Wednesday, after a court hearing on the matter, with claims that Chicago Police Board hearings often devolve into gross miscarriages of due process.
The city perpetuates a “false argument” about transparency at police board hearings, Catanzara claimed, when the opposite, he said, is true. Defense lawyers sometimes aren’t allowed to cross-examine witnesses and relevant evidence is often excluded, he claimed.
Read more at chicagotribune.org