The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has been rocked by allegations that at least one officer cavorted with illegal aliens/migrants who were being housed at a police station.
“An officer assigned to the Ogden district, covering Lawndale and Little Village, has been accused of impregnating a teenage girl. … Multiple other officers also have been accused of engaging in sexual misconduct,” according to the Chicago Sun-times.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) reportedly learned of the alleged misconduct on Thursday and immediately informed CPD’s bureau of internal affairs, which in turn launched an investigation.
“The details and scope of the investigation remain unclear. COPA said the allegations haven’t been corroborated. Still, the agency noted that investigations involving alleged sexual misconduct ‘may involve criminal actions and require cooperation with CPD and ultimately, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office,'” the Sun-Times notes.
The Johnson administration remains intensely focused on the deeply troubling allegations of sexual misconduct by a Chicago Police Department officer against a minor new arrival, and other allegations of sexual misconduct in the Chicago Police Department’s 10th District.
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) July 7, 2023
“While COPA investigators are currently determining whether the facts and details of this allegation are substantiated, we want to assure the public that all the allegations of this nature are of the highest priority and COPA will move swiftly to address any misconduct by those involved,” COPA administrator Ephraim Eaddy said in a statement.
“In compliance with the consent decree, COPA has jurisdiction to conduct the administrative investigations of sexual misconduct allegations involving Chicago Police officers, and we are obligated to demonstrate our commitment to objectivity, integrity and transparency when responding to misconduct,” he added.
In the meantime, the illegals staying at the Ogden district police station have been relocated elsewhere.
The local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police union has for its part come to the accused officers’ defense and claimed the allegations are bull.
In a video uploaded on Friday, local FOP president John Catanzara blamed the allegations on “police-hating groups that would go to any length to start this kind of nonsense.”
“There is no validity to the complaint. Who knows if it’s even true. … Who knows where this complaint even originated from. If it did happen, we’ll get to the bottom of it, and we’ll deal with it from there,” he added.
Listen:
This comes as Republican border-state governors continue to funnel illegal aliens to northern cities like Chicago to ease the burden on their own communities.
“About 11,000 immigrants have come to Chicago since August. Many were placed on buses or planes and driven to the city at the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Chicago has grappled with finding adequate shelter for them,” the Sun-Times notes.
“Hundreds of immigrants have spent nights sleeping on the floors of police stations. To ease the burden on the stations, the city has turned to housing immigrants at temporary locations, including Wilbur Wright College on the Northwest Side.”
And including police stations. Indeed, this fact prompted local police volunteer Britt Hodgdon, a trauma therapist by day, and “hundreds of other volunteers” to sent a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson in early June warning of potential sex abuse.
“The city needed to identify and move forward with an oversight process with regards to sexual harm prevention,” she told the Sun-Times.
She added that illegal alien parents and those working with them “should be getting abuse and trafficking prevention training: how to spot the signs, how to report it, how to identify the risk of harm.”
Erika Villegas, another police volunteer, is outraged over the allegations.
“You have people in positions of power, people that are respected, people that know better, and yet they’ve taken advantage of people being vulnerable, not having access to help and being unable to voice that they’re scared,” she said.
Our migrant neighbors came to Chicago seeking safety and stability. Police officers are sworn to protect our communities, not engage in illegal sexual conduct with teenagers and others in their care. This alleged behavior is completely unacceptable.
[1/2]— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) July 7, 2023
I expect the city’s investigation to be timely, thorough, transparent, and lead to accountability for all who are found guilty.
[2/2]— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) July 7, 2023
Since May, she’s “become one of the lead volunteers helping out at the Chicago Lawn and Gresham police districts. In addition to making sure immigrants have enough to eat and know how to use public transportation, she’s also warned them about dangers beyond the station,” according to the Sun-Times.
“We’ve been telling people human trafficking exists, don’t leave the station with someone you don’t know,” she said.
She never expected that the threat would come from inside the station.
“Most of us and our migrant families see police as someone that is there to protect you,” Villegas said. “I still have faith in humanity. I guess it never crossed my mind that this would be an issue,” she said.
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