Top cop Weis: Fight lawsuits, don't settle :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: News
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Wow, I guess the Top Cop didn't clear this with King Daley. You know, our always crying broke Mayor. Should the Law Department undertake this request, it's going to cost the city a ton of money.
People do sue because a wrong has been done to them. So it's logical to think that settling such matters is the best and only option. To fight cases of police harassment, unlawful search and seizure, denial of due process, and other violations of the Constitution, both federal and state, is a good way of bringing problems into the light.
Now I agree that from time to time, some cases do hit the "merit-less" avenue. The majority of the time, such cases are thrown-out. Yet the question here, is how many of these lawsuits does this Superintendent think are "merit-less"? There are good cops, and there are bad cops. If a suit goes to trial, and the wronged party wins, does the officer get fired? Many of these "settled suits" do not carry such major results. The offending officer, or officers continue to keep their jobs.
For a city that needs money, this doesn't seem to be a practical approach. But I'm sure the Olympics will pay for it. Not.
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