City and Cop sued over false DUI arrests. Settlement reached for $450,000.

A former Chicago police officer who was once lauded for his aggressive DUI arrests by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers turned out to be a fraud.  He had falsified evidence and helped wrongly convict many people of DUI charges.  Now he is paying for it.  Not only costing him his job but now costing the city he works for nearly half a million dollars. It just goes to show you that some police are good and some are bad.  Some police use the power given to them to help and some use it to advance their own agenda and promote themselves.  The more arrests, the more convictions, the more recognition a police officer gets.  That's one way to look at it but it doesn't protect the public and makes good people distrustful of the police.

It looks like this jerk was giving out DUI charges so that he could get overtime going to court!

Here is the article.

Chicago to pay off $450,000 to 2 drivers over false DUI charges.
By: Annie Sweeney

Former Chicago police Officer Richard Fiorito was once honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his aggressive DUI arrests, but he was pulled off street duty three years ago amid allegations that he had falsified dozens of the charges.

After numerous lawsuits, the city has formally agreed to pay the last of the drivers who had alleged wrongdoing by Fiorito. In a judgment entered Monday in federal court, James Dean Jr. was awarded $100,000 in a lawsuit accusing Fiorito of false arrest and malicious prosecution. Four months earlier, the city settled with another motorist for $100,000. The city also agreed to pay lawyers for both drivers a combined $250,000 in legal fees.

The resolution came on the eve of a trial at which Dean's attorneys planned to allege that Fiorito arrested Dean for DUI outside the Town Hall Police District just four minutes after he was freed from the station on unrelated traffic charges. Yet no officers inside the district house believed Dean was drunk when he left, Dean's attorneys contend.  The award to Dean and the earlier settlement by motorist Steve Lopez mark the end to litigation over Fiorito, according to city Law Department spokesman Roderick Drew, who said the city never admitted wrongdoing on Fiorito's part. A separate lawsuit filed against Fiorito in 2009 resulted in an additional $25,000 settlement, Drew said.

In a telephone interview Tuesday evening, Fiorito, 63, stood by all his DUI arrests.  "I don't regret one day of it," he said of his 13 years on the force. He resigned in December.  He also denied allegations he directed racial and other slurs at some of the drivers he arrested for DUI.  "Anybody that says I did is a liar," he said.  Drivers started coming forward with similar stories about Fiorito in 2003, according to attorney Jon Erickson, who brought a number of the lawsuits.  "I remember being astounded by the brazenness of his dishonesty," Erickson said Tuesday.  In court filings, attorneys alleged that Fiorito was motivated to fabricate the arrests by the overtime that he received to attend traffic court.

Erickson said he won not-guilty verdicts for about five drivers arrested for DUI by Fiorito and then tracked down about 40 others who said they had been victimized too.  Several of the complaints came from members of Chicago's gay and lesbian community who felt they had been targeted by Fiorito. He was also accused of using hateful language and slurs against other minority groups, the attorneys said.

Amid a flurry of lawsuits, the Cook County state's attorney's office dropped charges against more than 130 drivers arrested by Fiorito for DUI, and Chicago police removed him from street duty. However, in 2010, county prosecutors refused to prosecute Fiorito, drawing criticism from lawyers for some of the alleged victims.  Some of the motorists had wanted to pursue damages against Fiorito but lost out because they had pleaded guilty to lesser traffic offenses in exchange for the DUI charge being dropped, the attorneys said.  Only Dean and Lopez held out, insisting that they did nothing wrong. "Both refused to take any deal and saw it all the way through to the end," said attorney Torreya Hamilton, who worked with Erickson on the federal lawsuit. "And lucky for them."  Lopez, a truck driver, said it wasn't a hard choice.

Fiorito stopped him five years ago as he was driving home early one morning from a family gathering. With a young family and a two-year-old mortgage, Lopez said his clean driving record meant the world to him. A ticket of any kind would have jeopardized his job and future, said the high school graduate from Brighton Park.  "This is how I provide for my family," Lopez said on his lunch break Tuesday as he stood outside the delivery truck he is currently driving. "I'm a driver. If that's what's on my record, it's like someone gave me a Class X Felony. It's hard to find a good job."

After being charged with the DUI, Lopez had a painful conversation with his boss, who nevertheless still trusted in him. In a sworn statement as part of the lawsuit, Lopez said he had one beer earlier the night of his arrest.  Lopez went to traffic court every month as the case worked its way through the system.  The father of three had earned his commercial driver's license just a month before Fiorito ticketed him, something that would have meant a significant pay boost and greater job opportunities. But immediately after the arrest, the CDL was revoked, and he never got a chance to use it. It has since been restored.

Cops get Busted for "Fixing Tickets" in trade for KU Basketball Tickets!

As if this KU Ticket scandal will never end, yet another twist.  Looks like two Lawrence Police officers are in hot water after apparently "fixing" traffic tickets in exchange for personal benifits. (KU Basketball Tickets)   I mean everyone loves to go to the KU games but these two have to be really be fans to risk their livelyhood and reputation for tickets.

I assume if they did trade tickets for tickets they won't be police officers for long.  Take a look at the article in the Lawrence Journal World. As well as a video on Fox4.



Two Lawrence police officers suspended for role in fixing traffic tickets in exchange for KU basketball tickets

By George Diepenbrock, Chad Lawhorn

City leaders have confirmed two Lawrence police officers were suspended following an investigation conducted by the FBI related to traffic tickets being fixed in exchange for Kansas University basketball tickets.

City Manager David Corliss said Thursday afternoon the person whose traffic tickets were fixed is serving time in a federal prison related to the broader KU ticket scandal. A federal judge last year sentenced four former Kansas Athletics Inc. employees — Ben Kirtland, Rodney Jones, Charlette Blubaugh and Kassie Liebsch — and one department consultant, Tom Blubaugh, to federal prison after their guilty pleas in the cash-for-tickets scam from 2005 to 2010 that rocked the university and cost it more than $2 million in football and basketball tickets.

Corliss said in the recent case that Police Chief Tarik Khatib received an anonymous tip in May 2011 about the possible ticket-fixing. It was referred to federal authorities for an investigation. Corliss said the investigators did not believe any criminal charges would be forthcoming.

City officials did not release the names of the two suspended police officers, saying it was a personnel matter.  City officials said the city’s personnel review process is ongoing because the actions of dismissing speeding tickets in exchange for the KU basketball tickets violated the city’s gratuity policy.  “The Lawrence Police Department has the confidence of myself and the Lawrence City Commission,” Corliss said. “This is a serious matter with serious consequences. That is why I referred it to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. ... The police chief is taking the necessary personnel actions, which are serious.”

City officials confirmed the ticket-fixing matter after the Journal-World on Thursday told Corliss it had information the FBI had conducted an investigation regarding KU tickets being given to police officers in exchange for dismissing city tickets.  Thursday’s statement by the city left several questions unanswered.

Both Khatib and Corliss confirmed that “several” members of the Lawrence Police Department were involved in the dismissal of tickets, although they contend one individual orchestrated the matter. Neither Khatib nor Corliss would comment on how many department members were involved with dismissing tickets.

The city also did not provide details about the number of tickets dismissed or the time period over which the dismissals occurred. City officials said they were uncertain of how long the ticket-fixing activity occurred, but said they had evidence it took place over several years.  “It’s my job to make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Khatib said. “It’s my job to reinforce to employees that this is not an acceptable behavior.”

Mayor Aron Cromwell said one of the suspended individuals orchestrated the dismissal of the tickets, while the other is an individual who had knowledge of the activity and did not step forward. Cromwell said he expects the officer who was leading the activity will be removed from the city’s police force.
“I think that would be a likely scenario,” Cromwell said. “The actual decision is up to the police chief, but I don’t foresee any other potential outcome for the one officer.”  Khatib and Corliss declined to comment on any specific personnel actions that may come from the case. Corliss also declined to say whether the two individuals have been suspended without pay, although he did say the status of their suspensions had changed as the city’s investigation progressed.

Previous occurrences
Khatib acknowledged that he believed there had been allegations of “similar activity” involving police department personnel made prior to the May 2011 anonymous tip. Khatib — who was not chief at the time — said his understanding is those allegations were examined but there was never enough evidence to take more formal action. Khatib succeeded longtime Police Chief Ron Olin, who retired from the city in September 2010 to become director of security and internal controls for Kansas Athletics Inc., also after the KU ticket scandal came to light. Olin left his position with KU last July, saying he had worked himself out of a job and that his services to KU would likely be offered in the future as a consultant. Olin did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.

“It’s unfortunate that this issue has been resurrected,” KU Associate Athletic Director Jim Marchiony said referring to Thursday’s news from City Hall. “But we certainly didn’t know anything about it. We’ve moved on.”  Cromwell said he was disappointed that traffic tickets apparently were being fixed by police department employees for a number of years. But he said he was pleased with how Khatib ­— who took over as police chief in February 2011 — responded to the anonymous complaint.
“I’m very confident that Chief Khatib will identify where the weaknesses are that have been illuminated by this event,” Cromwell said. “He will make sure that officers know if they see anything going on, whether it is a police officer, a civilian or their close friend, they have to report it.”

Reputation damage
Corliss said he believed the events would require the police department to at least partially rebuild its reputation with the community.  “I think there will be some momentary damage to the department, but the continuing strength of the department and the excellent work provided by the members of the department is appreciated by this community and will continue to be appreciated by the community,” Corliss said. “This community has faith in its police department and should have faith in its police department.”  Khatib said Thursday that he did not believe an independent citizens review board would be helpful or instructive in a situation like this investigation.  “This worked. The information came in anonymously. It was jumped on vigorously, and people are going to be held accountable,” Khatib said.

Laura Routh, a Lawrence resident who has urged for more independent oversight of the police department, said she appreciated a statement that Khatib was intent to make sure it didn’t happen again.  “But to say that what has occurred is merely a personnel matter, involving only unacceptable behavior, is a bit soft, I think. Let’s call it what it is. It’s graft. It’s corruption,” Routh said. “And, in my opinion, it validates and rightfully reinvigorates the many questions that have been raised in the past about the transparency of, and accountability within, the Lawrence Police Department.” Khatib said internal affairs investigators, city management and himself were specifically trained to deal with these types of investigations.

“We have the time, training and the expertise to conduct investigations, to get to the bottom and to get the answers for these types of things,” he said.  But Routh said she believed the community trust in the department “will be further eroded by this unfortunate revelation.”  “I really feel bad for Chief Khatib. He’s inherited quite a legacy, and as a leader he’s got some difficult work to do,” Routh said. “I hope that the city will take this opportunity to engage the citizenry in a broader discussion of police priorities and performance. To improve the community perception of and trust in the police department, we need some form of independent police oversight.”