Officer Alvin Weems shot an unarmed man point-blank in view of CTA security cameras. Investigators recommended that he be fired. Phil Cline promoted him.
By John Conroy
April 20, 2007
LAST DECEMBER SIX off-duty Chicago police officers reportedly attacked four businessmen in a bar, leaving one in need of reconstructive surgery and another with four broken ribs. In February off-duty officer Anthony Abbate beat up a young female bartender who declined to serve him any more drinks. Both incidents were recorded by security cameras.
Outgoing police superintendent Phil Cline said he was “disgusted” by the assaults. He said what dismayed him wasn’t just the beatings but also how the attackers were subsequently protected by the department. Commanders kept the offenders in the December incident on active duty for months, even after seeing the recording. In videotape of February’s incident, Abbate can be seen repeatedly punching and kicking bartender Karolina Obrycka, yet he was only charged with a misdemeanor till the state’s attorney’s office brought more serious charges. A police captain ordered his men to harass the media who came to cover Abbate’s first court hearing.
“I won’t tolerate any misconduct. If it comes to a criminal nature, we’ll arrest you. If somebody tries to shield Officer Abbate, or any other officer accused of misconduct, then they’re going to have to pay the consequences for it,” Cline said after that hearing. But this isn’t anything Cline hasn’t seen before.
In 2003, when an officer Cline had worked with years earlier got into trouble, Cline and other high-ranking officers helped make the problem go away. That problem was caught by security cameras too. That victim wasn’t beaten—he was shot dead. The full tape of the incident has never been shown publicly, and nobody’s apologized to the victim’s mother.
The damn thing about it is that Michael Pleasance would probably be alive today if the two officers assigned to cover the Red Line station at 95th Street hadn’t been late for work. Alvin Weems and Donald Johnson worked for the CPD’s Public Transportation Section. While they were with that unit they rotated to various sites, not knowing where they’d be posted from one day to the next. On Saturday, March 8, 2003, Weems and Johnson were supposed to report to the 95th Street station at 6 AM. Weems arrived at 6:17, Johnson was nowhere in sight, and the two officers on the midnight shift had already left.
As Weems parked his car, a fight inside the terminal involving several men, perhaps as many as six, had already been in progress for several minutes. When he spotted the brawl, Weems dropped his equipment bag on the floor, drew his off-duty weapon, a Ruger SP 101, and ran past the ticket agent’s booth to the turnstile area, where the fight was taking place. He would later say he identified himself and told everyone to get on the ground. Some witnesses said they heard this, others didn’t. He wasn’t immediately identifiable as a policeman: He had on a knit stocking cap and wore a black winter jacket over his police shirt.
Several CTA security cameras were positioned throughout the terminal, and two recorded some of the action that morning. Camera 7 picks up 23-year-old Michael Pleasance strolling into the terminal. He’s carrying a jacket that belongs to his friend Patrick Anderson, and he seems to be looking for Anderson, who’s fighting off camera near the turnstiles. If Pleasance knows his friend is in a fight, his pace suggests he isn’t in a big hurry to find it.
Camera 8 watches Pleasance’s back as he passes an elevator. Weems passes the same spot an instant later—6:17:01 AM, according to police documents—and you can see a flash of the gun in his left hand as he runs toward the fight. Weems rounds the elevator, disappears from view, and then reappears a few seconds later, seemingly having approached the combat and retreated. He gazes off, away from the fight, perhaps looking for reinforcements, and then turns and heads back toward the fight, dropping once again from view.
Seventeen seconds later, a man who seems likely to have been one of the participants in the fight runs toward the camera, away from the scene.
Then Weems reappears, pushing Anderson in front of him. Anderson is 30 years old, five foot seven, 210 pounds—a man of some heft. Weems, 40 pounds lighter and two inches shorter, pushes Anderson toward a tiled wall near the terminal’s Dunkin’ Donuts store, his right hand grasping Anderson’s shirtfront, his left hand waving his gun around.
There is no audio on the CTA’s security tape. Anderson looks bellicose and agitated, and keeps raising his arm to point back toward the fight, perhaps suggesting that Weems focus on more-deserving culprits; it’s a gesture he will make over and over again while under Weems’s control. He doesn’t appear to be making any attempt to strike or overpower the officer.
In that moment, Weems would certainly have welcomed the assistance of his partner, but Officer Johnson hadn’t shown up yet. Weems also would have benefited from access to his handcuffs, his pepper spray, his baton, and even his police hat, but they were all in his bag somewhere on the floor. He couldn’t call for backup as his radio was in the police room. All things considered, he had gotten himself into a jam. One solution would have been to simply let Anderson go. The apparent crime wasn’t serious—misdemeanor battery, most likely, as no one seems to have been hurt badly in the fight. And at that point Weems couldn’t have known whether Anderson had been an instigator or someone who’d been attacked.
On the video, as Weems moves Anderson away from the turnstiles Pleasance follows, holding Anderson’s jacket in his left hand. Pleasance stops at Anderson’s right, in front of the officer, within a foot or so of the waving gun. Pleasance seems much calmer than Anderson or Weems, strangely unintimidated by the proximity of the weapon. Like Anderson, he seems to be disputing Weems’s take on the situation, but he’s not overly agitated or gesticulating.
Pleasance momentarily switches Anderson’s jacket to his right hand. At 6:17:43 Anderson raises his right arm to point again. Pleasance raises his left hand, perhaps to evade Anderson’s rising arm, or perhaps to point at the turnstile area himself. Pleasance stands flat-footed, not pivoting or stepping or shifting his weight as if to land a blow. An instant later, at 6:17:44, Weems raises the Ruger and shoots Pleasance in the head.
Pleasance drops from the frame. Over the next 90 seconds, the CTA cameras show, Weems and Anderson continue talking. Anderson points repeatedly toward the turnstiles. They move down the corridor, away from Pleasance’s body. Weems kicks a leg out from under Anderson, who goes down. They wrestle and then stand again, Anderson still in Weems’s control.
While all this unfolded, 911 operators started receiving calls about the incident. “We got about six guys fighting in the station,” said the first caller. Three minutes later, calls reported gunfire, none indicating that the shooter was a policeman. “One is shot,” reported a bus driver. “He’s sticking up another one now. . . . This man is crazy. He has a gun, he’s already shot one person.”
At 6:20 officers responding to the emergency calls started to arrive at the station. According to the report on the incident eventually filed by the police department’s Office of Professional Standards, Anderson was by then fully cooperative. Officer Richard Griffin ordered Weems to drop his gun. He laid it on the ground. Officer Tiffany Walker later recalled “angry voices everywhere” and “the crowd shouting, ‘He shot him!’” Griffin handcuffed Weems and took him to the police room nearby. Anderson was cuffed and taken away in a squad car.
Pleasance was taken to Christ Advocate Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Officer Johnson arrived for work at 6:45.
AFTER THE SHOOTING Weems filled out a tactical response report in which he indicated that Pleasance had attacked him. According to a copy of the general offense case report filed by officers Walker and Griffin, someone (in the poor copy we obtained lines are missing that might say who) said to Weems, “You ain’t taken (sic) nobody to jail. You will have to shoot all of us,” and Pleasance came up from behind him swinging with a closed fist.
An “officer’s battery report” filled out by Sergeant Kevin Chambers had Pleasance saying, “I don’t care if you are the police, you ain’t taking him, motherfucker. We are going to fuck you up.” The report went on to say that “at this point in time the offender . . . lunged at P.O. Weems. P.O. Weems, who was holding his weapon in his left hand, put his left arm up in defense of the offenders impending strike. The offenders right arm/fist area came into contact with P.O. Weems’ left hand, which was holding his weapon. The weapon discharged at this point in time once, striking Pleasance in the upper body area.”
Assistant deputy superintendent Sandra Day, the highest ranking officer to come to the scene, also filed a report that day, a “to/from” memo addressed to “First Deputy Superintendent, Bureau of Operational Services.” Day said she’d had a one-on-one interview with Weems and he’d told her that there had been four men fighting, with Pleasance in the thick of the battle. When Weems separated the combatants, Day’s account went on, Pleasance and Anderson called him “punk” and said, “We don’t care if you’re the police, we will get your gun and fuck you up Mother Fucker.” According to Day, Weems drew his weapon at that point “in fear of his safety and continued to hold offender Anderson while fending off advances from both offenders. Both offenders continued to verbally threaten the officer. As offender Pleasance lunged at Officer Weems his weapon discharged.”
In the wake of a police shooting the department conducts a “roundtable,” a procedure that’s supposed to suggest whether charges against the officer might be in order. Police and witnesses testify before assembled representatives from the Office of Professional Standards, the state’s attorney’s office, and the police department.
The roundtable on the Michael Pleasance shooting, presided over by Sandra Day, began at 1:40 PM the day of the shooting. Weems didn’t appear, which was his option. Day’s memo, written after the roundtable, said “victims and witnesses to this incident” participated in it and “all parties related the same account of the incident as indicated by P.O. Weems.” But the unanimity of the seven witnesses listed in Day’s account is absent in the final report of Area Two Violent Crimes detective Paul Alfini, in which two of those witnesses had Pleasance saying “Put the gun up, you don’t need to do that,” and “I don’t care if you are the police, put the gun away,” while a third witness recalled Pleasance repeatedly calling Weems a “punk” but also saying “This isn’t necessary.”
Day’s report went on to make an even more surprising statement. “In addition, the undersigned and supervisory personnel from Area 2 Detective Division later returned to the CTA office . . . to view the digital tape of the shooting incident. The recording shows the same account of the circumstances as related by Officer Weems and the witnesses account to the incident.” In fact, the tape shows Weems with his weapon drawn from the outset. It doesn’t show Pleasance lunging or doing anything else that could be construed as a threat to Weems’s life.
Day concluded by saying that Weems’s actions “were in compliance with Department procedures and directives.” Neither her report nor Alfini’s mentioned the absent Officer Johnson, or that Weems arrived late, or that he went into action improperly attired and equipped, without access to nonlethal force.
Police press spokesman Pat Camden shaped the Tribune’s coverage the day after the incident. The paper reported that “a mass transit officer . . . was arriving for his shift when he saw a group of six or seven men kicking another man on the ground near a turnstile. . . . The officer identified himself, Camden said, and told the group to stop. He then began walking one of the men toward the elevator. The other men tried to block his way and became verbally and physically abusive, Camden said. The officer feared for his life and drew his gun, Camden said. One of the men either ran into the officer or tried to take away the weapon and the gun discharged, striking Michael Pleasance in the neck.”
Camden was quoted as saying, “You’ve got seven people attempting to take an individual in custody from a police officer. They were trying to defeat the arrest.”
In his final report on the incident, submitted August 7, 2003, Detective Alfini concluded that Patrick Anderson had committed a felony—aggravated battery on a public way. Alfini said Weems’s shooting should be classified a justifiable homicide because the officer “took lawful and proper Police action” in response to Pleasance’s “attempt
to interfere with and disarm a Peace Officer (a Felony) while in
the course of a lawful arrest.”
OPS investigator Ivette Cotto interviewed Weems on June 13, 2003. Weems arrived with his attorney. He said he understood that any deviation from the truth could result in charges being placed against him. He said he was late reporting to the 95th Street terminal because he’d had to stop for gas, but because he knew he’d only be a few minutes late he didn’t think it was necessary to notify anyone. He claimed to have arrived at 6:04 AM. He said he always changed clothes in the police room and didn’t wear his duty belt in the car because “it damages the vehicle.”
Weems told Cotto that when he came into the station, he saw one man beating another at the turnstiles. To the best of his recollection, only two men were fighting. Weems indicated that he dropped his bag about 50 feet from the turnstiles, ran to the fight, pulled off the man who had the upper hand and identified himself as the police, and then told this man he was under arrest and must come to the police room. Weems claimed he hadn’t yet drawn his weapon.
“He told me that he wanted to explain to me what was going on and I told him to explain to me in the room. He was spinning his body trying to get away from me. I was trying to grab his arm and secure him. When I tried to secure him, some guys started to surround me and say stuff to me.”
“How many guys?” Cotto asked.
“At least four, maybe five. They were all around me. . . . They said, ‘Fuck you if you’re the police. You ain’t taking our boy with you. You are by yourself. First chance we get, we gonna fuck you up.’”
Weems said all of the men were saying that, but at some point Pleasance got in front of him and started saying “more stuff like that. . . . When I saw that I was surrounded I took my gun out . . . ’cause I was in fear of my life.”
Weems said the closest of the men was about three feet away, the farthest about five. “Pleasance stood in front of me. ‘You ain’t taking my boy with you. Before you take my boy with you, you gonna have to kill all of us.’ Then he stepped toward me. . . . He came at me in a menacing manner as if he was going to carry out his threats. . . . I didn’t give him a chance to touch me. . . . I stuck my left hand out to keep him off me. . . . He was making threats at me and came up towards me with one hand. . . . He just had it cocked back. . . . I don’t have a clear recollection of pulling the trigger but
at the time the weapon discharged I believed I was in fear of receiving a battery and that they would carry out their threats, I thought they would cause serious bodily harm to me or kill me.”
Police department regulations on the use of force are summarized in two pages of a handbook provided to officers by the Fraternal Order of Police. It explains that an officer is allowed to use deadly force only in very specific circumstances, none of them covered by the events as captured in the CTA video. When Cotto asked Weems to describe Pleasance’s actions “relative to the use of force model,” Weems consulted his FOP handbook and then said, in almost an exact quote from the manual, that Pleasance “was an assailant and I thought his actions might cause death or serious injury to me.”
OFFICER DONALD JOHNSON, who arrived 45 minutes late for work the day of the shooting, had also filed a to/from report that day. It said he’d tried “several times” to call his unit. In his statement to OPS, he said he’d tried to call in to report that his car had broken down. But he couldn’t support this story with cell phone evidence, and finally he acknowledged he was “not 100 percent sure” that he had called in at all.
The summary report by OPS investigator Cotto is dated May 1, 2004—that’s 420 days after the shooting. She’d collected interviews with 16 witnesses and numerous police officers. She sustained five charges against Johnson: failure to be prompt for duty, failure to report any anticipated absence from duty, conduct that brought discredit upon the department, and two charges of making a false report.
Cotto sustained ten charges against Weems: failure to be prompt, failure to report an anticipated absence from duty, three charges of display of a weapon “without justification” (for drawing his gun before assessing the risk level at the scene, for pointing his gun at Pleasance, and for pointing it at Anderson), inattention to duty (“in that he discharged his weapon at Michael Pleasance resulting in his death”), unwarranted use of deadly force, failure to carry his off-duty weapon in a department-approved holster, bringing discredit upon the department, and making a false report. The false report charge was for claiming to Cotto that he’d been late only four minutes, that he’d been surrounded by a number of males before pointing his weapon at anyone, that Pleasance had charged at him, that he’d hit Pleasance with his gun before discharging it, and that he’d had reason to point the gun at Anderson.
Lori Lightfoot, then chief administrator of the Office of Professional Standards, approved the findings against both officers in a memo to Superintendent Cline dated May 20, 2004. In the memo she recommended that Johnson be suspended for 45 days. According to a high-ranking OPS source, she recommended in a separate document that Weems be fired.
CLINE, IT TURNS OUT, had crossed paths with Weems before. They’d served together in the west side’s 11th District, Cline as a lieutenant, Weems on patrol. On April 3, 1990, the Tribune published an article by Anne Keegan that said the 11th District led the city in murders, serious crimes, and calls to the police. The district, known officially as Harrison, was informally referred to as Fillmore—its name until its quarters had been moved 12 years earlier. If you worked in Fillmore, Keegan suggested, you’d done something wrong somewhere else, you’d stepped on some political toes, or you simply liked all the action.
Cline was quoted in the story, saying that 11th District cops were more concerned about “catching the criminal” and “being the police” than with picayune department rules. “So what if their ties are loose, their hats fall off, or their shoes are scuffed,” Cline said. “What’s downtown going to do? Put them on midnights in Fillmore?”
Fourteen years later Cline was “downtown,” and he had to decide what to do with Weems, who’d done his share of midnights in Fillmore, having served more than a decade on patrol there. Cline rejected Lightfoot’s recommendation that Weems be fired. Five months passed, and the department imposed no discipline at all.
Weems might never even have been censured but for forces beyond the department’s control. Pamela Pleasance, Michael’s mother, wanted to sue the city, and her lawyers, Al Schwartz and Craig Mannarino of Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz, asked private investigator John Byrne to see what he could turn up. Byrne is a retired homicide detective and sergeant (he was the right-hand man of former commander Jon Burge during the years that much of the torture of suspects took place at Area Two). “I could see the security cameras suspended from the ceiling,” he said in a recent e-mail, “and, due to their positions, I realized that they had to have captured some of the events that occurred.” Schwartz and Mannarino filed a motion in circuit court to get the CTA to preserve and provide the video. In August 2003, law division judge Diane Joan Larsen ordered the CTA to turn over a DVD but told Schwartz and Mannarino not to publicize or publish it. The following February, Schwartz and Mannarino filed suit against the city, the CTA, and Weems, and in October 2004 another law division judge, Jeffrey Lawrence, lifted the ban on circulating the DVD.
The lawyers didn’t rush copies to the TV stations. In a recent e-mail, Mannarino said he believed his side would enjoy more leverage if broadcasting remained something they might do rather than something they’d done, and they also wanted to spare Pamela Pleasance the experience of seeing her son’s execution on television.
The police department, however, clearly expected to see the tape on TV in short order, and Cline was ready to put his spin on it. He held a news conference within hours of the judge’s order. In the TV and newspaper coverage Cline didn’t mention that the city and Weems had fought to keep the tape from being released. Nor was there mention of Johnson’s absence from the scene. And although Cline mentioned that Weems had been late for work, he didn’t explain that if he had arrived on time he would have had his radio, pepper spray, and baton, and the authority provided by his uniform to help deal with the situation. Cline didn’t report that OPS had sustained charges against Weems for lying, for bringing discredit onto the department, and for unlawful use of a weapon. He didn’t mention that OPS chief investigator Lightfoot had recommended Weems be fired.
The TV coverage said Pleasance had been one of the fighters in the terminal. Showing a snippet of a few seconds’ duration, the portion of the video in which Pleasance is shot, Channel Two reporter Suzanne Le Mignot said, “As Officer Weems struggles to get Anderson under control, watch as Pleasance takes a swing at him. Officer Weems tries to block the blow with his left hand while holding his service revolver. His finger is also on the trigger.”
She cut to Cline at the news conference. “Unfortunately, because the officer is still holding the struggling Anderson, the only arm that was free was the arm holding the gun,” he said. “The gun went off, striking Pleasance and killing him. . . . Patrick Anderson, who had been three times in the penitentiary, ignored repeated orders to obey and instead struggled with the officer.”
Le Mignot: “At one point during the struggle police said Pleasance approached the officer from behind and threatened him.”
Cline: “He told the officer that he would have to use his gun, that his friend Anderson was not going to jail, and that the officer would have to kill him first.”
Le Mignot: “Superintendent Cline said this tape is a prime example of what police officers face on a daily basis, but also what can happen when they don’t follow department rules.”
Cline: “The public demands that the officers be held to a very strict standard. We understand that because we understand the tremendous responsibility and trust that the public places in us.”
Cline announced that Weems would be suspended for 30 days without pay. The next day’s Tribune explained that the suspension was the result of Weems having his finger on the trigger, which is not allowed unless the officer intends to fire. Cline also said that Weems’s tardiness had been a factor in the decision to suspend him. The shooting itself, Cline said, was accidental.
The Sun-Times had Cline saying, “One of the most unfair things we can do to an officer is Monday-morning quarterback him from the safety and sanctuary of our offices.”
In 2005, Cline promoted Weems to detective.
Through police press spokesperson Monique Bond, Cline declined to respond to the Reader’s questions about the incident, citing pending litigation, although the same litigation was pending when he held his press conference on October 22, 2004.
PAMELA PLEASNCE’S CIVIL suit progresses slowly, in part because the city has repeatedly ignored court orders to supply documents. Weems gave a deposition on December 20. In answer to Mannarino’s questions, Weems said he had “no idea” why he’d been suspended, didn’t think he should have been, and hadn’t done “anything too much wrong.” Pressed to say what he had done wrong, Weems replied that he’d been late for work and had “accidentally
shot Mr. Pleasance.”
He admitted that he wasn’t wearing anything that would visibly identify him as a police officer, that contrary to what he’d told OPS he hadn’t feared for his life, that he didn’t think Pleasance’s actions would cause him serious injury or death, and that he hadn’t been surrounded the moment before he’d fired. He said he hadn’t intended to shoot Pleasance because Pleasance had done nothing to warrant being shot.
One of his problems that morning, he said, was that Anderson and Pleasance just wouldn’t cooperate. He said they told him he’d heard only half the story but wouldn’t go with him to the police room to tell their side, and Pleasance wouldn’t back up. “I was telling him to step back and leave us alone because it wasn’t that serious. . . . All he [Anderson] was going to be arrested for was battery.”
Weems said that he’d pulled his weapon out early because he was by himself, didn’t have a radio, and thought he was approaching a gang fight and the fighters might be armed. Although the 95th Street station has “a lot of gang fights,” he said, if the same event had
taken place at the Fullerton Avenue Red Line stop he’d have done the same thing—run up to the fight with his gun drawn. 
jconroy@chicagoreader.com
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red00711 at 6:44 PM on 8/5/2007
i think that officer weims should not have only been fired but should serve jailtime for at least manslaughter charges. If it had happened to him while he was off duty, im sure the department would see that responsible parties were held accountable.
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NM at 2:35 AM on 8/6/2007
I do not agree with the actions of Abbate or police officers that commit heinous crimes, however you are not observing the full picture. The "Loop incident" was a fist fight, where the business man where atagonizeers as well. Let's call it for what it is, they fought with off-duty officers also! They should be arrested and charged as well. Further, citizens will read these stories that are in the paper and take "runs" at the police in hopes of obtaining large cash settlements from law suits! Let's look at the big picture in all these events, many times, these so-called "innocent victims" are not so "innocent."
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Concered Tourist at 1:59 PM on 8/6/2007
What a coverup. There was some fight, true, but I don't know of any low saying you should be executed for participating in one, let alone watching it. I'm even more warried from the message to those police officers with a shorter fuse and lower levels of proffesionalizm. Mercy on us all if we encounter them when they are not in their calmest state.
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Disgusted and not proud to be an american at 6:01 PM on 8/6/2007
i watched the video..as im sure you all did..and its obvious that the officer shot pleasance for more than likely just arguing with him..the poor guy did nothing...what a hot shot. i hope he rots in hell
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Disgusted and proud not to be an american at 2:23 AM on 8/13/2007
This makes me sick, the police officer should face murder charges as that is what he did, he murdered the guy..
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Paul Green at 7:56 PM on 8/14/2007
This is a disgrace. The USa goes around the world pontificating about human rights when its own citizens have none and are killed by the people paid to protect them. What a tin pot society.
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Ms. Clark at 9:51 PM on 8/16/2007
Chicago finest working hard to serve the public, what a triumphant moment.
You kill an unarmed man in cold blood, you lie to investigators, in a press conference you attempt to defame the character of a dead man, the department disregards the recommendations/suggestions from OPS & as the icing on the cake... a cold-blooded killer gets a promotion. (by the same superintendent Phil Cline
that was supposedly outraged by the fact that "attackers ((corrupt/violent poilce officers)) were subsequently protected by the department")
Um, Phil... what the heck did YOU just do?? I believe you publically defended & promoted a guilty man...
BRAVO C.P.D. *standing ovation* for all your fine work
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Mighty at 12:56 PM on 8/18/2007
negligence, murder, conspiracy, perjury, just to name a few of the crimes i just witnessed on the video and article. In my world if that had happened it would have been murder...not aggravated this..or that....or use which resulted in deadly force...bs...
Whats sad is that people still pay their taxes and keep these guys in office...
Thats the real crime
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Mighty at 12:59 PM on 8/18/2007
We undermine ourselves by paying the salaries...keeping the corruption going...we are just as responsbile for funding this bs..
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Jake at 10:34 PM on 8/25/2007
There are a few bad apples but that isn't the whole department.
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JayGirl at 11:24 PM on 8/25/2007
You kill a cop, you get charged with capital murder, a cop kills you, they get promoted. Some hero's.
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Pissedthef**koff! at 4:11 PM on 8/30/2007
People, you've got to understand. The way this country is designed. Our Government Officials aren't there to serve us. We're here to serve them. They've got us thinking is the other way around. That's why so many Officials get away with Murder or some other form of ruining lives everyday. Cops like this always get it in the end, one way or another. He may never regret this personally. But he may have kids one day that somebody's going to kill. Karma is real.
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James at 8:58 PM on 9/3/2007
fuck the fuckin police
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THE GODFATHER at 6:04 PM on 9/4/2007
I WANT TO SEE MORE THIS NEEDS TO BE BROADCAST ANY MOTHER FUKER COULD TELL THAT DAT MAN WASNY TRYN 2 FIND DA COP HE WAS JUST AFTER HIS FRIEND AND ON TOP OF THAT HE GETS SHOT IN THE HEAD COME ON MAN AT LEAST HIT EM IN THE LEGS BELOW THE UPPER BODY IF U EVEN SUSPECT SOMETHING THATS REAL FUKKED UP DUDE DIED AND WAS DISRESPECTED AFTER DEAD FUKKED UP MAN WHOEVER READS THS CONTACT ME ON SOME REAL DAT COP NEEDS MORE THAN JU5 A FUKKIN PROMOTION
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Tao at 7:30 PM on 9/5/2007
Seeing this makes me so angry that the guy got away with it and got a promotion protected by corrupt and spineless officials...i think anyone wanting revenge against weems or phil cline can do so with no charges to face....appauled...i hope they get whats coming to them...
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Outraged to no end at 8:24 PM on 9/5/2007
That is so jacked up. To anyone that wonders why cops are disliked and mistrusted need only see that video. I wish I can shoot an innocent young man and and get a better lot in life. If I could the first person I'd shoot is Alvin Weems. Better yet, I'd shoot his family first, see how he likes that. Then I'd lock him in a room with the entire Pleasance family so they can have their fun with him. He truly deserves anything and everything that he's got coming to him. I hope he has 5 sons and they all get murdered cold-blooded like he did to poor Michael Pleasance. I hope he dies a slow and excruciatingly painful death. I hope his mother shoots herself for raising a murderer. To all the people that defends the pigs, they obviously have never been victimized by the police. True that not all cops are like that regularly, but defending a cop that gets away with something so heinous makes them no better. In fact, it might make them worse. And to top it all off it was more black on black crime. "Officer" Weems is no different than any other racist hick. He needs to get thrown out of a plane with no parachute, and I hope he sees all this. YOU'RE A FUCKING ASSHOLE ALVIN WEEMS. I HOPE YOU GET BURIED ALIVE AND GET EATEN BY THE INSECTS YOU FUCKING PIG-ASS, DOUGHNUT EATING, KID SHOOTING, LYING ASS MOTHERFUCKER. FUCK YOU BITCH!!!
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jdogg at 9:24 PM on 9/18/2007
The camera was a second frame camera. This means that the camera only captures a frame per second. someone can throw a punch in under a second. come on guys. if there weren't police yall would probibly be the ones killing people
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Evan at 11:36 PM on 9/18/2007
A man was killed. He is dead, dead forever, for no reason. He is dead. The killer's irresponsible actions (how were the two men to even know he was really a Police Officer?) led to the death of an innocent man, a death that was not "lawfully justified".
That's manslaughter. It's in the Illinois Criminal Code, 720 ILCS 5/9‑3.
"A person who unintentionally kills an individual without lawful justification commits involuntary manslaughter..."
See here:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=072000050HArt%2E+9&ActID=1876&ChapAct=720%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B5%2F&ChapterID=53&ChapterName=CRIMINAL+OFFENSES&SectionID=29493&SeqStart=10600000&SeqEnd=11500000&ActName=Criminal+Code+of+1961%2E
This is one of the best articles I've seen in a Chicago publication in years. Thank you Chicago Reader.
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lynb362002 at 4:39 AM on 9/20/2007
There is no statute of limitations on murder. Snatch this crooked cop up now and send him to trial for murder.
12 Americans who watch this video will MOST ASSUREDLY put him in prison for life. Arrest every single cop and D.A. involved in the cover up as well.
Let's see some justice!
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from Germany at 10:14 AM on 9/21/2007
Please do something about this injustice.
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khufu at 3:49 PM on 9/25/2007
Forget manslaughter. Lynch the murderer. And Cline. And Day. They should all be executed.
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agent19 at 12:00 PM on 9/26/2007
just another reason why not to visit IL. the cops are no better than GANG MEMBERS with a tax payer funded equipment
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David from Arlington, TX at 11:24 PM on 9/26/2007
That is terrible. I am sure most cops are honest. But this dude had serious issues. He should go to prison for this.
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NorthsideSouthsideShopper at 1:36 AM on 9/28/2007
Interesting part about unlawfully displaying his weapon. I didn't know cops couldn't do that. Next time that happens to me I will report it. I was at the Bridgeview Walmart store on Harlem Ave in spring of 2007. A plain clothes man identified himself as a cop working security for Walmart. He subsequently flashed his gun at me in the parking lot. He didn't point it at me, but he showed it, which I took as an implied threat. This was all because I questioned his reason for kicking me out of the store. I was ejected from the store for attempting to buy more than one Nintendo Wii, which was a hard to find item. Thats it, thats all the wrong I had been accused of. I was unarmed, non-threatening, and had a calm demeanor. I am also clean-cut with a slight build. The officer is a tall, 6'1, strong build, white male, about 30, with very dark features and dark hair. He was wearing jeans and a crew collar sweatshirt. He had his gun, a glock pistol, tucked in his jeans with no holster, right by his fly like he was trying to act like an intimidating gang banger. I was leaving store and promptly following his overly aggressive directives. My questioning of his reasoning for kicking me out, while i was complying with his orders, did not warrant being shown the gun. This was on a Sunday morning around 10am. I can identify him, and if I see him again I am going to demand his badge number and file an official report. It's sad day in this city when our cops go around trying to act like the gang bangers and using their guns as props to flaunt their power.
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Evan II at 12:03 PM on 10/2/2007
Armed security guards is a big issue with CPD:
Chicago Municipal Ordinance states that all armed security guards be licensed by CPD.
CPD used to issue these licenses, but about 5 years ago they stopped. They still renew the ones that were outstanding 5 years ago, but won't take applications for new ones. My understanding is that CPD legal was afraid of liability issues.
Instead, they don't enforce the ordinance, and let stores do what they want. Most stores don't have armed guards because they can't get a license, so instead CPD ends up stepping in.
See the law here:
http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Illinois/chicago_il/municipalcodeofchicagoillinois?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:chicago_il
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LAnix at 7:13 PM on 10/3/2007
What a Nazi pig, He should be shot for that, if that was my buddy who got blown away I would have made damn sure that pig died gutted and mutilated, bleeding, convulsing and squealing for mercy like the filthy pos he is. How could such a monster be allowed to carry a badge and hold a position that demands respect ?
Only a corrupt government would allow such an injustice like this to go by unanswered.
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VAUGHN at 7:41 PM on 10/3/2007
this is just stomach turning,reguardless of circumstances, the man was unarmed. the officer was late and unprepared... i hope this gets national publicity because the justice system is corrupt that cop is no more than a thug with a badge...
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Kiumars at 11:18 AM on 10/8/2007
I am glad that I do not live in the USA! Your country is fucked up, corrupt, and run by criminals and gangsters! I prefer living under dictatorship (according to you people off course!) than living in a corrupt society where police commits more crime than ever solves! Killing a man and getting away with it! LOL .. The American way of life! Keep up the good job!
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PaulC at 7:42 AM on 10/12/2007
Are you serious?????????? How is this piece of s**t still walking the streets, let alone still have his job and a promotion?!!! As they say, "Only in America??" How sickening. That scumbag should be in prison. Why isn't he at all held accountable for this?? It is mind blowing.
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James at 5:40 PM on 10/12/2007
I cannot believe such a flagrant murder happened, was not prosecuted and the officer in question promoted!!
I'm glad that i'm British as that would never happen in my great country and this video shows why America is the laughing stock of the world with regards to your gun policy (''it's my god-given right to bare arms!!'') and your way of thinking!
God save the Queen!
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Nick at 5:29 PM on 10/15/2007
You'd have thought that the differences between the video and statements given would have been enough to finish his police career at the very least...
As an aside, I'm also British, and think James' comments above are idiotic. He really should look at our own news before making such rash statements. Try searching for James Ashley (shot by police in Hastings) or Stephen Waldorf (shot by police in London) or, more recently, Jean Charles de Menezes (shot 7 times in the head by police in London). These things do happen.
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Michael at 10:13 PM on 10/15/2007
James in Britain. You ignorance on the subject of guns is staggering and I find it laughable that you would somehow relate this incident to our gun culture considering the shooter was a POLICE OFFICER. Am I to understand that your police do not have weapons? What was that Brazilian guy shot with? Spitballs? Keep your smug ignorance to yourself.
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iNSiPiD.1 at 1:04 PM on 10/19/2007
Weem's and Cline will both burn in hell for their isidious actions. Weems should be expelled from the public, and sent to jail for the rest of his life or worse. Cline should be sent back to the first grade so he could better understand that being fired, does not mean being given a promotion.
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MK at 7:18 PM on 10/20/2007
Michael, in the UK standard police do not carry weapons.
The 'Brazilian' you speak of (Jean Charles de Menezes) was killed by a special operative working for an anti-terror unit just days after the 7/7 bombings.
Its hardly the same as some scuffle in a bus station ending in an innocent man being shot by a clearly incompetent police officer.
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David at 10:19 AM on 10/21/2007
Shocking stuff, amazing how some comments are supporting the police officer. However, the same comments are all so poorly written it is difficult to get the meaning.
Heads should roll for this crime. The saddest thing is that there isn't even a big deal being made of it. If this happened anywhere else (in western civilisation) there would be a public outcry. e.g. the Brazilian student in the tube station in London.
One reason I can think of for the lax response is the yearly plethora of gun deaths in the US. And you still vote for the same crap in multiples of 4 years. It's like the turkeys voting for christmas.
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Hope for America at 12:59 PM on 10/21/2007
There is only ONE presidential candidate who is devoted to ending this type of travesty: Ron Paul.
Google Ron Paul and find out more about him.
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David at 1:49 AM on 10/22/2007
Committing a murder under color of law is a very serious crime. Those who try and cover for him are accessories, and they should all be drawn, quartered, and hung. The REASON we have 'right to bear arms' is to protect us from the protectors, according to A. Hamilton, one of 1st Amendments authors. Too bad he didn't have a .50 SW pistol to defend himself from the oinker.
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pops steve at 9:57 PM on 10/25/2007
The solution is like what we have back home when someone kill's another without justification the killer will be hunted down along with his family the way it goes; the elder of the murdered person will shine the ole gun and give it to the next of kin then the pursuit begins starting with the killer's next of kin until they get to the killer. Problem solved
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Mark Doran at 2:39 PM on 10/29/2007
I have viewed this as I would if I were in a jury in your country. I have watched the video repeatedly, frame by frame. In particular I have watched the officers actions carefully leading up to the moment of the shooting.
Officer Weems is clearly worried more about the environment about him (being without back-up). From a professional point of view, where he is standing initially with Anderson is too much into the main thoroughfare, allowing for more chance of either passers-by becoming embroilled or in Officer Weems being jumped from behind. I feel initially that Weems did not see Pleasance as anything more than a passer by at this time.
To this end he moves Anderson away from the turnstile area and backs him up to a wall. Officer Weems then turns slightly more side-ways on to the concourse, effectively putting his back to the wall. In doing this the officer can allow himself the comfort of having the wall behind him and therein reduce the field his vision has to cover by half, from 360 degrees to 180 degrees. This indicates good levels of control by the Officer over the situation. Once Anderson is against the wall and Officer Weems is out of the centre of the concourse, he appears to relax more in regard to his concern over Anderson, due to his co-operation to this point, though he maintains his hold on him.
At this point, probably realising the connection between Anderson and Pleasance more fully and because he is more assured of Andersons co-operation, for almost five seconds Officer Weems focuses his eyes entirely on Pleasance's reasoning's and then, inexplicably, shoots him. There is no flinching by Weems in doing this. Therein it is reasonable to assume this action cannot be as a result of any movement by Anderson or Pleasance. Only after the shooting does Weems start to lose control and 'forget' about his surroundings and focus aggressively on Anderson. He realises he can't run away from what he has done and so fights with Anderson to the ground instead, trying to create justification.
On the evidence presented I would conclude that the guns discharge was indeed accidental.
Charges should be brought, but this is not a murder as the Officer was responding to a crime being committed. So the issue resides about involuntary manslaughter against the Officer.
In order for a person to be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter it must be proven that they did three things.
Firstly, someone is killed as a result of an act by the person. This is clearly the case here.
Secondly, in the circumstances existing at the time, the person's act, either by its nature was dangerous to human life or was done with reckless disregard for human life.
Well, a police Officer drawing his weapon in the face of a violent confrontation such as this, when back-up or the means to call for it are not to hand, does not constitute such a transgretion. If it did, no-one would be a cop in the US, given the lack of gun control on the streets.
Third, the person either knew that such conduct was a threat to the lives of others or knew of circumstances that would reasonably cause the person to foresee that such conduct might be a threat to the lives of others.
Every time a law officer draws a weapon, it is done with a view to protecting the public, but through the possibility that deadly force may be required in doing so.
On the balance of this, I think it would not be an appropriate charge to bring in this case. That may shock a lot of people, but you have to look at this dispassionately to be fair.
However, the Officer has in no doubt lied through his teeth to try and wriggle out of this, most likely in the belief the video would never see the light of day. Officer Weems, along with then ADS Sandra Day, then Superintendent Cline and all Officers in charge of the investigation from the police and mayors office are guilty of aiding and abetting in the commission of a cover-up. It is impossible to view that tape and come to the conclusions reached without committing to a deliberate act of Perverting the Course of Justice. Officer Weems is also guilty of some form of reckless endangerment and all should be removed from post without pension for being unfit to wear a uniform or serve the people with honour.
Quite why this has not occurred is an indictment of America, its poor quality media and the people of Chicago in the eyes of the world.
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English Point of View at 2:47 PM on 10/29/2007
Truly an incredible indictmnent of corruption in your city at the heart of your police and political leadership.Disgusting!!!
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Tragic & for Nothing at 5:14 PM on 11/13/2007
It is certainly sad to see that this matter was covered up. Not only could justice have been handed out, this tragic event could have been learned from. As the cliche goes there is always more than one cause. Not having back up and certainly not following protocol would be two obvious causes. I guess the CPD don't see this as being their problem. Sad.
Thanks for all the responses that have brought facts and objective insight to this discussion.
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Mrs. Hodges at 6:03 AM on 11/14/2007
It is sad to see the people who are in place to protect the citizens behave this way. It almost could make you hesitate to dial 911 fearful of who would arrive. The victim in this incident may have done wrong some during his life but in this instance he was trully the victim. Weems should struggle 2 sleep @ night.(But having people in high places may make it easy for him.)
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Carl at 11:37 PM on 11/15/2007
THis is so simple to judge watch the video and you can clearly see that every single thing that Weems says hold no water. I assume he was a sick cop, take that back he is a sick cop that played god and thought no one was watching. he and officer Cline should be fired and serve jail time for manslaughter, adding and abbeting, purjury, and assiting
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DWW at 6:11 PM on 11/16/2007
Videos don't lie, they catch lies. All those verbal comments that, now Detective WEEMS, heard, were all created in his mind. He was in trouble, that's the easy way out, make things up. How can one remember all those verbal comments. You can't you continue to make them up to cya. Why wave a gun around, was someone displaying a weapon. no. Wait for reinforcements. You shouldn't be embarrassed to back down when needed.Both partners have the same work habits, come in late. Who cares, the supervisor isn't going to be there. Where were they, the supervisors. Sounds like a very pricey lawsuit to me.With all this CSI techno stuff, can you zoom in and read lips. Maybe in a few years if needed.
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KanyeEast at 4:22 AM on 11/17/2007
It doesn't surprise me because the whole justice system is a joke in America. On too many ocasions has this happened. The department trying to prevent people from seeing the video. Most importantly however is how did Americans see anything other than chaos coming by arming their police officers. In London the police officers are not armed and things like this would never happen. That man "Weems" knows he's in the wrong. He should have been imprisoned.
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The Truth at 11:51 PM on 11/17/2007
It is amazing this story has not received much more coverage. From an independent standpoint it is difficult to tell if the narration by John Conroy is 100% accurate. It is not clear if Weems raises the gun. It appears to me that Weems is holding the gun in the area of his own waist or lower chest when the gun discharges. Being that Weems was alone he probably was nervous and had his finger on the trigger as opposed to along the frame as is the proper way to hold a weapon when it is not pointed at a target. If that is the case my next speculation would be that when Anderson and Pleasance move Officer Weems flinches. This movement caused his muscles to clench, including the index finger on thetrigger, which causes the negligent discharge of the weapon. This being said it does not change the fact that MANY lies were told. It also does not change what occurred either. Officer Weems must be held accountable. Secondly Asst. Deputy Sandra Day is also accountable for her actions as should be the "Area Two Detective Division Supervisor" if he/she did in fact go with Day to the CTA station to review the tapes as is stated in Day's account. As for Cline and Camden they probably never saw the video of what happened. The surely were given a report, which was obviously a bunch of lies, and made comments based on the information they were given. Not to say that it makes it right but would you doubt that this is what happened? The bigger question to me is why were OPS' recommendations dismissed as easily as they were and who was it that recommended Weems be promoted and was it based on merit? Next you must ask if you were Officer Weems and you did in fact accidentally discharge the weapon might you too possibly panic and make up a story to cover up the horrible act you just committed?The whole incident is sad to say the least and people need to be held accountable. What really surprises me however is that Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton have not taken a stance on this. Is it because officer Weems is black? Is anyone thinking Mr. Anderson is partly to blame? Is anyone thinking even Mr. Pleasance could have avoided this if he simply stepped away and allowed Officer Weems to do his job? Do you think Officer Weems ever directed Mr. Pleasance to move away? None of this is to say what Officer Weems and ADS Day did has any justification what-so-ever. It just seems that often times sad incidents like these could have been completely avoided if people would just listen to a Police Officers direction to begin with.
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License to Kill? at 12:09 AM on 11/20/2007
This is the point of emphasis to which no doubt the legal severity of the action which had little ramifactions I might add and then to turn this over and say it's defending himself? What a joke. Inprison him now.
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TC Carstarphen at 9:17 PM on 11/24/2007
If one of our solder kill an unarmed Iraq, he will go to jail, that would be the end of his career, even if he would says he fears for his life.
Why do we have double standards in our country? Any policemen who kill an unarmed person should be put in jail for life.
Where is our US Justice Department?
The sad part about these cases is they don’t make the 6: O clock news anymore.
TC Carstarphen
Converse, TX 78109
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JAVIER ABASTA at 6:44 PM on 11/26/2007
WE SHOULD STAGE A PROTEST OUTSIDE CHICAGO POLICE HEADQUARTERS AND DEMAND JUSTICE!! THIS IS SICKENING!
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badge man at 12:35 AM on 12/5/2007
after viewing the video (lack of audio doesn't help) it appears that the officer, who had been stabbing the gun into the victim might have accidently shot the victim. the truth of the matter is this. the victim didn't appear to ever strike the officer. the officer never received medical care for any injuries incurred during his battle (life threatening..supposedly) shows up to a fight with no recourse to effect an arrest (no handcuffs) and de-escalate (rehoslter).
the officer, if he shot the victim by accident, should just own up to it. face the music. if charges warrant, so be it. a man lost his life, the last thing the officer should have is honor and be responsible for his actions.
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Nazi who? at 2:22 AM on 12/6/2007
We DON'T live in a police state... not at all. License to kill... nahhh... You MUST be wearing a red arm band and a green helmut with a spike on the top to be an actual facist. Just because he murdered somebody at point blank range in front of a video camera and was promoted for it means nothing. So the police tried to hide the evidence. I don't see any swastikas anywhere... do you? After all, it says "To protect and serve" right there on the side of their cars... Mabey his finger slipped? Are you paranoid conspiracy theory kooks playing tricks on us again? He's a little bit of a "loose cannon" and he said he's sorry. There's nothing to see here. Move along.
It's like you paranoid people are trying to make this out into Rodney King or something. THAT tape didn't have audio either. What REALLY happened is that Rodney was standing in an ant pile and they were just squashing a few of the ants with their night sticks. They had a little too much coffee and got a little carried away. They were tring to help the bastard and HE HAS THE NERVE TO SUE! Geeeeezzzzzz.
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PISED AT OUR PEOPLE at 2:14 PM on 12/13/2007
THIS OFFICER PROTECTS AND SERVES EVERYDAY AND HAD HIS LIFE PUT IN HIS OWN HANDS WE ALL KNOW HOW CRIME IS ABOVE AND BEYOND YOU ALL DON'T KNOW OFF. WEEMS HISTORY NO ONE WAS THERE THAT VIDEO DOESN'T SHOW EVERYTHING THIS MAN HAD BEEN TO JAIL SEVERAL TIMES LETS GET REAL IF IT WERE YOU THERE YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN GLAD HE STEP UP TO THE PLATE THEN WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF HE DIDN'T THEN HE WOULD,NT HAVE BEEN DOING HIS JOB RIGHT !!!!
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Bubbles8505 at 7:28 AM on 12/14/2007
Wow, only in America can a person be filmed committing a blatent murder, then get promoted for a "job well done." It makes me sick that this man wasn't immediately taken off the streets and jailed.
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JP at 11:43 AM on 12/14/2007
What this man(Weems)did was wrong, make no mistake.
What angers me the most though, are imbeciles like those that have posted in response to this incident. Most cops are good, hard-working people. There will always be idiots like Weems who inexplicably get hired, and in this case promoted, within Police Departments, that have no business walking freely amongst us. It's sad though, that most of you, don't bat an eye at the fact that you are guilty of doing the exact same thing that you would decry as an injustice.
People are individuals. The worst of people do not represent an entire population of those in the same occupation, financial status, race, religion, sex, etc.
Being outraged by this person, and this incident is perfectly understandable. Blindly lumping others in with this low-life because you are ignorant, is not.
I hope this means something to someone.
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Jay Breezy at 7:33 PM on 12/14/2007
This is why citzen should be able to carry guns in the city of chicago. To protect us against people like Alvin Weems. Lastly this also shows police are no different the gangsters and criminals. Officers are not workers they do not produce anything. The most definately do not produce near the amount of safety as a persons front door. Know if you do not agree with me I guarentee you have not been a victim of a serious crime. In closing this proves that the only good cop is a dead one.
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Jason at 12:44 PM on 12/18/2007
I would like to know if there is anything we can do to have "officer" or "detective" Weems removed from duty. This is a cold-blooded killing, plain and simple. He is a murderer, plain and simple. Basically we have a murderer on duty as law-enforcement.
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Todd at 9:42 AM on 12/22/2007
Disgusting, and to think Weems is a Detective now for Chicago. I remember watching a Chicago cop, off-beat, almost murder a female barkeep while he was in a drunken rage. These must be Chicago's finest. Unfortunately this happens in every city USA, it's not just Chicago. It's a broken, corrupt "justice system" that we tolerate because we're afraid to speak up. Would you speak out against your local police and not fear retribution?
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MikeM at 6:21 PM on 12/23/2007
The question of whether or not the shooting is accidental does not apply. Even the most basic gun saftey course teaches one thing. You never point a gun at a person unless you are willing to shoot them. Also if a weapon is used in a crime and it accidentaly discharges killing someone that is still considered premeditated because the shooter had to think about bringing / pulling the weapon.
There are those that attempt to defend the CPD and say that it is only a few officers that make them all look bad. This would be true if the bad cops were treated and prosecuted the same way any citizen is. Instead there is a blue wall of silence, of looking the other way and hiding under the rug the crimes of their fellow officers. It is this conduct that makes all CPD officers dirty in one way or another.
What do the police tell us about gangs. That they wear specific colors to be identified. they may speak using their own code, they carry weapons, thay take advantage of those that can defend themselves from them, and that they have a strict code of silence to protect each other when a crime is commited. maybe the CFD should take a look in the mirror, because that description of an illegal gang sounds like the Chicago Police Department.
Then there are those who complain that we only focus on the dirty cops. What do they want? Recognition for doing the job they were hired to do? My mechanic doesn't make the news because he fixed my car. The people working at McDonalds don't make the news because they did their jobs. You make the news when you fail to do the job you were hired for.
I have met some good officers, but they have been few and far between. These officers do so in fear for there lives. There was a Chicago Police Officer that was recorded trying to arrange the murder of a fellow officer that was going to testify against other police officers.
You may sometimes hear the phrase "Honor among thieves". Why can't I think of a similar phrase that mentions the police and honor in the same sentence.
I lived in Chicago at one time and witnessed Police officers do the following. Threaten a woman with arrest unless she had sex with him. Off duty officer picking up prostitutes on North Ave. On duty officer in uniform watching from less than 25 feet away as multiple crack sales were made. He watched and did nothing, did not record information, did not radio it in, he did nothing. I made the mistake of reporting his actions. A few weeks later I was pulled over and arrested for possesion, I had nothing and at 46 had never been arrested before. My car was impounded. I was found not guilty ( no evidence). But in the city of chicago they fine you $1000 dollars fine for possesion plus towing and storage. You have to pay this even if you are found not guilty. There system is set up so that they decide the fines prior to any court date making it impossible to have a not guilty finding prior to the hearing on your fines. It cost me $1400 dollars plus a rental car until I could get mine. All because I complained that the Police were doing nothing but watch drug deals occur.
I will never make the mistake of putting myself in jepoardy again by filing a complaint against the CPD. Instead I moved away and will never enter that city again.
Bottom line there are only bad cops until the "Blue Wall of Silence" comes down and they quit protecting each other. Even when convicted police officers get special treatment in prison. maybe if the officers knew they would be put in general population they would be less likely to commit crimes in the first place.
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sick of corruption at 11:36 AM on 12/26/2007
man thats fucked up. its bitch-ass cops like those that give cops like my uncle a bad name. all those mother fuckers that covered that shit up need to go to prison and get their shit split. but we all know that shit aint happenin. and that reporter bitch that did commentary on it that said dude attacked the cop needs to get the shit smacked outta her for going along with what they told her to say. people need to stop being sheep for these assholes and call these punks out. let a chicago cop come to my crib to fuck with me for posting. you aint in chicago bitch. ill fuck your shit up.and to james the british dude...FUCK YOU and your Queen. this needs more publicity. if you have myspace you should download this shit and circulate it to as many people as possible. i know i will. fuck these corrupt mother fuckers running free in OUR streets to do whatever the fuck they want. BURN IN HELL.
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kato at 7:09 PM on 12/27/2007
persective from the Netherlands
- what if if was not recorded on camera?
- all the time here is well spent, it gives overseas people like me a bit of hope. However, the above is frightening.
- tourists numbers are dwindling as you might have heard or read despite the ridiculous weak US$, ever wonder how come?
- Remember the days when the world looked upon the United States of America as the savior of the world? I can and I am just 33. Look at the US of A now, it is being mocked all over the world which is a pity really because I admire many Americans. It's not the people who are responsible (directly) but the ones in power. You (the American voters) gave too much power because you are being scared into this by the ones who YOU have elected. Sure, governments change every 4 years but there's more power behind it. If you have power, you will do anything to keep it and since you have the power, you will, in all levels. As said, power corrupts as can be seen by mr. Weems promotion.
Personal thoughts:
I think/thought it is an honor to be able to be a police officer. Since the police are expected to protect and serve you. People normally put tremendous faith in a policing force. If this faith is abused, we reprimand the ones in question. If this faith is abused for a prolonged period of time, it begins to crumble. Until you cannot re-build the faith back into the police anymore as it once was.
I just wish for the US of A this will change and only the people can change this by taking it down from the highest levels. And where it hurts of course, you still pay taxes right?
My fear:
This is not enough to make changes. This is awful enough to make headlines ALL over the world and I noticed nothing over here. This has happened before, many times. There just were no camera's around to record it. And therefor it will happen again. Especially since mr. Cline is rewarding such behaviour with a promotion...
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brian voo at 2:40 PM on 1/5/2008
you people have to wake up this is "patroit act" this means using arm force to elimanate terrist in your country it is against the law,
you have to vote for a better presdiential election like ron paul.take action a get a better hope for america.
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bob at 11:31 AM on 1/6/2008
When ethnic minorities & people from poorer socioeconomic used to complain about police brutality nobody used to believe them or care.
Cameras are everywhere these days, so these unlawful acts can now (after the inevitable cover-up attempt) be viewed readily on the internet.
The strange thing is even when people see these atrocities commited with their own eyes nothing comes of it.
There needs to be some accountability somewhere, or else it will be more of the same.
Imagine if you were watching this happen to your own child. Don't think it could never happen because it obviously can.
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name at 11:52 PM on 1/21/2008
Well, atleast the police officer was black or there would have been a HUGE uproar gauranteed
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big kw at 5:06 PM on 1/23/2008
Officer weems and many of the people posting have 1 thing in common. ( ignorance ). And to the previous statement it's an uproar and he's black you f--king idiot. I lived in chicago in the 11th district all cops r not like weems but I feel much sorrow for the victims family... Weems and all the rest will get theres in the end!
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baz at 8:25 PM on 1/23/2008
i have watched that twice and seriously cannot believe that...that poor kids family. I dont understand why the other kid invovled doesnt hire a lawyer and sue the hell out of that police unit. surely someone could help...
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My2Cents at 1:47 AM on 1/24/2008
If this was a white cop. Al Sharpton and the New Black Panthers would be calling for blood! This guy killed a kid by being a stupid, stupid cop. The pictures don't lead me to believe he even needed to pull a gun out to control the situation. He dropped his bag with mace in it to break up a fight.WTF! Perhaps if he was not so short then he would not have felt the need to blow the kid away. What bothers me also is Anderson doesn't seem to give a shit about his friend who just got shot! He is pointing to the turnstyles? Ah ,hey buddy your friend is dead on the ground in front of you! Keep trying to talk to the guy with the gun that killed your buddy. Looks like the perfect storm of idiots that gathered. Call me dumb,but when someone is pointing a gun at me,I would say that guy is in charge. So why were they so intent on making a tough situation only tougher on themselves. Please tell me. Poor kid was murdered for stupidity on the part of the cop.
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Eddie Sisomsun at 6:46 PM on 1/29/2008
It seems like laws/constituion was written to protect the government from the people and not the people from the government like it was intended.
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Mason at 10:11 AM on 2/8/2008
This is ridiculous. I don't think that Weems planned on killing the kid, but he clearly did not follow police rules. The whole reason they drill those ideas into police officers heads is to prevent things like this. Every police officer knows that they should never draw their weapon unless they are confronted by someone with a deadly weapon. It doesn't have to be a gun, it could be a knife. But why do you think in all those Cops videos they don't draw their guns when they approach a car? They may put their hands on their gun in the holster, but they don't draw the gun unless they are planning on using it.
I think that Weems shot him unintentionally, but that does justify his actions. If I came across a fight and pulled a gun to try to help out and then shot one of the people involved without any reasonable threat from him what do you think would happen? I would be charged with Manslaughter at the least.
As to the people making comments like "the only good pig is a dead pig" you are idiots. I know several police officers (White and Black) who would never do something like this. Why? Because they take their jobs seriously and would never break protocol like Weems did. They understand that they wield a great deal of power and that is why they take protocol so seriously.
Too the people talking about how this would "only happen in America" you are idiots as well. This happens everywhere, and a lot more often in some other countries. Have you ever seen police video from Russia? They beat and shoot people on a regular basis. I saw one video where they shot a guy for refusing to lay on the ground. And it wasn't after yelling at him for 5 minutes, they told him to get on the ground he didn't obey immediately and they shot him. It has happened in England and Germany and France as well. Instead of talking about how evil America is take care of the corruption in your own country.
To be clear I am not in any way defending Weems or the rest who tried to cover it up, all I am saying is that it happens everywhere. Instead of bashing the US think about uniting in agreement that injustice like this should not be tolerated anywhere.
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Jules at 12:11 PM on 2/10/2008
Why is it that an officer who has signed up for a dangerous job gets shot and it is considered a unforgivable offence yet this officer who shows up unprepared is just fired... I suggest the death penalty for him. i am not in favor of the death penalty, however those who have a "god complex" and training should know how to deal with stress in these instances. Why was he holding out his gun when the others were unarmed? Justice is supposed to be blind. That means no emotion is supposed to be present during any trial no matter what the offence. The offence here is murder, cold blooded murder. Cop or not he is a murderer.
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Huck Finn at 11:48 PM on 2/13/2008
This is why I am moving to Canada!
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Darren at 7:22 AM on 2/16/2008
The US law is ridiculous! ,i do hope the cop gets killed going his job.
God will be the judge in the end!
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England lad at 10:43 AM on 2/20/2008
This is crazy. No way would anyone let him get away with it, and whoever believed that he swung for him or that it was an accident is just as much of a baboon as him!
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hea bish at 12:28 AM on 2/23/2008
who gave this sorry ass motherfucker a gadge fucks the law they in it for our money
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shawn at 12:11 AM on 2/28/2008
He is a "Westside" thug just like the guys in the fight. He should have never been hired for the job but you have to hire "those that reflect the community." He also got promoted for the same reason.
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Big Bobby at 3:31 AM on 3/10/2008
If more cops acted like this then you would not have all of these A-holes ruining our country. I wish Weams would take his show on the road. Good job. What would have happened in 1850? Don't hate the cop, hate the scum bag liberals and their parasite lawyers. God bless the Police. Shoot more scumbags please.
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Mad Black Woman at 4:29 PM on 3/11/2008
Better be glad that wasn't my relative!
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john doe at 2:22 AM on 3/12/2008
he needs to be charged with 1 degree murder no reason to shoot and then the retard gets a better job, the only job he should have is in the laundry room in prision
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Lori at 1:29 AM on 3/14/2008
Justice in America... "Justice" only to whom it can afford it and has friends in high places. That police guy + its chief should be condemn to death by hanging or mistreated just as they have mistreated the name of good police officers, Michael Pleasance's family and all of us that obey the law but can run into something like this that happened at that station. Those two and all that helped in keeping all these lies - they should be punished real hard.
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martin at 4:45 AM on 3/16/2008
we are ment to trust this police officer!murdering scum should be hung
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L. at 10:29 PM on 3/20/2008
The emphasis is being placed on the wrong people. Somebody needs to investigate the Cook county state attorney, Richard A. Devine. The state attorney's office of Illinois is responsible for investigating this matter. Detective Alvin Weems should be indited and an internal investigation should be enacted within the Chicago Police.
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It's sad but not surprising at 4:39 PM on 3/21/2008
Firstly, this took place in Chicago. How is anyone over 12 years of age, with a brain and a fifth grade education, surprised by proof that IL in general and Chicago in particular are as corrupt as any third world country? Actually with all the hand out expectations among the citizenry, it is very much like a third world country on many levels.
Secondly, everything about the story, especially the incompetence and corruption of the police, is further evidence that IL needs a comprehensive concealed carry handgun law to allow law-abiding citizens to defend themselves. The thought of calling Weems or other officers in the story and hoping they protect me scares me to no end. Actually, I think I would take my chances one on one with a mugger. He is less likely to kill me because he knows he will go to jail for a long time over just a few dollars. Weems knows that he will just get a vacation. Relying on a Chicago police department to protect you is like relying on a cheesecloth condom to prevent pregnancy.
And lastly, I will say that I read many forums and news sources daily. It is rare to read a thread containing grammar, spelling and sentence structure more pathetic than found here (unless one peruses YouTube). Apparently the Chicago government schools are just as incompetent as the Chicago police. Sad to see as Chicago was once my favorite city and I had always planned to move back. Now the entire state is worth avoiding thanks to Chi-town's corruption.
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It's sad but not surprising at 10:27 AM on 3/22/2008
Correction to my last post: I did not intend to suggest that all posts herein are inarticulate and lacking in writing skill. It was a comment on the majority rather than the exceptions. And that majority does make me wonder how many commenters required a calculator to perform the math problem required to post.
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khari Collins at 1:15 PM on 3/23/2008
rip michael
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Chicago taxpayer at 12:36 PM on 3/27/2008
when I read a story about a cop getting killed in the line of duty I really don't care now. After years and years of reading about Chicago cops attacking and killing unarmed citizens(this story being a fine example), robbing, raping, stealing and others keeping quiet to enfore the 'code of silence' it sickens me. But then I remember how old man daley urged them on to attack democratic protestors years ago, and how the younger daley seems to be content in keeping this ignorant behavior alive in his administration, like father like son, they say
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nelson at 6:32 PM on 4/7/2008
You know, I have read most of the reactions and comments from the readers of this outrageous report.
This whole incident is, at the very least, disturbing. There is no question; it made me sick to my stomach when I watched the video.
The images portrayed on this video clearly depict a sad and frightening reality in our country. Cops in this country are given too much power--discretionary power that is. Discretionary power is the most powerful tool given to a cop by the government. Many cops do not know how to use discretion and many cops tend to abuse it. Without discretionary power, Weems would have had to call for back up and perhaps wait for instructions before drawing his gun.
Not everyone is mentally fit to be a cop. This man, Weems, does not show good judgment in that video. Why even draw his weapon? The fight was among other people; not against him. Of course, the fact that Weems was out of uniform, had no badge, etcetera, made the situation more confusing—and probably forced him to resort to the drawing of his weapon in order to show that he was someone with authority. It is still an example of poor judgment on the part of the cop.
Someone commented that police officers do not work to protect us, the civilians. I concur. When police officers are sworn in, their pledge to "protect and serve" is really made to the government--not the people.
It also true that cops lie out their teeth whenever is convenient.
Cops lie in court, right in front of judges, and judges know this, but judges are also part of the same oppressive system.
Most people, I hope, know that cops lie every day in traffic courts. Most traffic court judges are crooked. Judges also have discretionary powers. Discretion is the MOST POWERFUL TOOL THE GOVERNMENT HAS AGAINST THE INDIVIDUAL. Discretion is what gives the inexpert cop the opportunity to fuck up—kill someone or cause serious bodily and mentally injuries to someone and concoct a story to justify his or her action. This very same discretion empowers the crooked, corrupt, abusive cop to do just about anything he or she wants and tell his or her story later.
Speaking of judges who abuse discretion, there is a "judge" named Judge Dinice in Bergen County Traffic Court, in Hackensack, NJ.
Judge Denice is not afraid of barefacedly saying into his microphone for everyone to hear, "Thank you for pleading guilty. I won't put points on your license. Governor Corzine (who, by the way, had a terrible accident, as his driver was traveling at about 80+ miles an hour on a 55MPH zone--breaking his own rules) will use this money to balance the budget of the state of NJ."
People do not exaggerate when they express fear of cops in this country and distrust in people in power, like judges. The government has its hands all over the place through cops, judges and other government officials. Liberty and justice for all are pretty much just empty rhetoric.
Cops are protected by the government. In fact, cops represent the government on the streets. I mean, if you have not thought of it in this way, cops are the eyes and ears of the government on the streets. Cops are the government. The assumption that cops acted appropriately and you—the civilian must have done something to provoke the cop to react in whichever way is always made by judges and government officials—those that are supposed to step in to balance the power of the government and the rights of the individual—the heart of Criminal Procedure.
Having said all of the above, I will also say this:
Although it is clear that "Police Officer" Wimp (Weems) stupidly and recklessly pointed his gun toward Pleasance and hence ended up shooting and killing him, I have to agree with one commentator who concluded that the shooting was accidental.
Why?
In my judgment, it would be extremely stupid to intentionally shoot someone in front of so many people and in broad daylight. It appears to me that Weems was very scared and had no clear plan to bring the situation under control. He sure could have used somebody else's judgment there. Weems could have listened to Pleasance; the gun was not necessary.
It is clear to me that Weems lacked command and judgment and thus needed guidance himself. I believe that the absence of Weems&rsquo