Story posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010
State's Attorney Seizes Police Records
By CRAIG ADAMS Journal & Topics Reporter
Agents from the Cook County State's Attorney office took records and a computer, some related to a recently settled lawsuit, from Park Ridge City Hall during a search on Thursday, Jan. 28.
"Our investigators were there to obtain documents," was the only statement issued by a State's Attorney spokesperson. FBI agents assisted officials from the county, according to an FBI spokesperson.
They took arrest reports, incident reports, payroll records, computer records, and personnel files of various people, Police Chief Frank Kaminski explained. He said he had a receipt for the materials removed but added, "It's very general."
He did know that among the arrest reports taken was one regarding a then 15-year-old boy taken into custody on Oct. 27, 2006. That apprehension led to a lawsuit the city settled on Dec. 1, 2009 that accused police officers of brutality in that apprehension. Park Ridge agreed to a payout of $185,000 with a release saying that no one was guilty of any wrongdoing.
Police took the youth into custody for allegedly breaking a car window with a projectile. An off-duty Park Ridge police officer was driving the car on Touhy Avenue near Town of Maine Cemetery. Police apprehended two youths near the cemetery and later filed several charges against them. In October 2007, the youth filed a lawsuit claiming that police beat him and then authorities took steps to cover up the conduct. The original suit named four officers; one of them is now a Park Ridge firefighter, one has retired, and the two others still serve as police officers.
Jim Hock, city manager, verified the search and said the agents did not have a warrant or subpoena. "No, they could have gotten one, but they contacted the chief the evening before. He said, 'You don't need to bring that,'" Hock explained.
Kaminski confirmed the agents called him before coming to City Hall. "They had called me and said they were going to come and look at some records," he said. "I agreed to it."
According to Kaminski, about a dozen agents were at City Hall for several hours. "They just wanted to look at some records," he said. The agents worked in the police department and in the human resources office in City Hall.
Hock did not understand why the county was interested in records dealing with the lawsuit. "That's been settled by the city, so I kind of scratch my head and ask what they're doing," he said. "It could be about something totally different," Hock said. "They don't tell you what they're doing."
"They asked us to cooperate; we said we'd give them our full cooperation," Hock added.
Mayor Dave Schmidt stated he was aware of the search and seizure and expressed his intention to help the county agents. "The city will continue to cooperate in whatever way possible," he said.
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