Post by KC on Sept 23, 2006 20:10:27 GMT -5
September 23, 2006 - A veteran Des Plaines police officer, whom Police Chief Jim Prandini wants fired, is accused of verbally and physically abusing peaceful female demonstrators, including using profanity, during a confrontation at a local abortion clinic on May 20.
Members of the Des Plaines Board of Fire and Police Commissioners conducted a public hearing in City Hall yesterday (Thursday) where the charges against patrol officer Dick Lalowski were first publicly aired. At the hearing, Lalowski's attorney revealed that his client recently filed for a police disability pension citing that he has been under psychiatric care for post traumatic stress disorder and depression due to his involvement in a police shooting in 1995 in Des Plaines. Because of his desire to receive a police pension, Lalowski's attorney Richard Reimer asked the board to delay the discipline hearing process pending the outcome of the Des Plaines Police Pension Board hearing into his client's case. Earlier, Prandini's attorney, Patrick Lucansky, asked the board to suspend the officer without pay pending the outcome of the public hearing. Lalowski is currently on administrative leave and is receiving his salary. Reimer argued against Lucansky's motion saying if Lalowski is suspended without pay, he cannot support his two 21-year-old children nor can he receive the same health insurance benefits as he would as an employed police officer. Board commissioners Thursday morning convened into a closed session to discuss the motions. Afterwards they announced that they will re-convene on Oct. 12 to announce their decisions on the motions. Testimony in the case may not be presented until November.
In Prandini's complaint against the officer, it says that Lalowski on May 20 observed four or five women preparing to demonstrate at the abortion clinic site at 110 S. River Rd. at about 6 a.m. It's believed that the women were going to protest abortion. Lalowski, without being directed to go to the clinic and without advising his superiors or dispatch that he was going there, proceeded there and parked his marked squad car in a driveway. The complaint says that Lalowski decided to aggressively confront the peaceful demonstrators and threaten them with arrest if they blocked any of the driveways or prevented anyone from entering the abortion facility. He also said, the complaint alleges, that if the demonstrators made contact with anyone they were going to be arrested.
"Officer Lalowski was both harsh and profane with the peaceful women demonstrating calling one of the demonstrators a "fat (expletive deleted)," said the formal complaint.
In addition, the charges state that after Lalowski ended his shift at 7 a.m., he returned to the clinic in his civilian clothes. There, he allegedly said to one of the women, "You're fat", "You're obese. That would be gluttony. As a Catholic you should know that." Then he started lecturing the woman on the need to exercise "and actually got down on all fours and began to demonstrate some particular exercises that she could perform."
Later, the complaint alleges, Lalowski accused the demonstrators of acting like Taliban terrorists and putting fear into people. "Officer Lalowski was in the faces of the women demonstrators while he was haranguing them, coming within a couple of inches of their faces." The complaint also said that the officer called the demonstrators psychos and that the Catholic church is full of pedophiles, telling one of the women that she was a man hater and referred to the women as "republicans".
At one point, the charges say, Lalowski walked up to one of the women and hugged her. He said to one of the demonstrators, "You'd be a beautiful woman if you weren't so fat." After Lalowski left the scene, the woman said she was emotionally drained, covered in sweat and was filled with fear."
A total of six charges are filed against Lalowski including that his conduct was unprofessional and that he failed to truthfully answer questions posed to him when he was confronted with the accusations by police investigators.
Lalowski said he was not harsh with the female demonstrators, but instead was "very direct." He denied using profanity and denied calling any of the women "Fat (expletive deleted)."
At yesterday's hearing, Reimer said that it is his client's belief that he is being "singled out" by Prandini because he is president of the local police officers union.
"If he's suspended he can't perform his union job," said Reimer. He also stated that his client should not be suspended without pay because he is innocent until proven guilty. Reimer said he and his client deny the allegations.
www.journal-topics.com/dp/06/dp060922.1.html
Members of the Des Plaines Board of Fire and Police Commissioners conducted a public hearing in City Hall yesterday (Thursday) where the charges against patrol officer Dick Lalowski were first publicly aired. At the hearing, Lalowski's attorney revealed that his client recently filed for a police disability pension citing that he has been under psychiatric care for post traumatic stress disorder and depression due to his involvement in a police shooting in 1995 in Des Plaines. Because of his desire to receive a police pension, Lalowski's attorney Richard Reimer asked the board to delay the discipline hearing process pending the outcome of the Des Plaines Police Pension Board hearing into his client's case. Earlier, Prandini's attorney, Patrick Lucansky, asked the board to suspend the officer without pay pending the outcome of the public hearing. Lalowski is currently on administrative leave and is receiving his salary. Reimer argued against Lucansky's motion saying if Lalowski is suspended without pay, he cannot support his two 21-year-old children nor can he receive the same health insurance benefits as he would as an employed police officer. Board commissioners Thursday morning convened into a closed session to discuss the motions. Afterwards they announced that they will re-convene on Oct. 12 to announce their decisions on the motions. Testimony in the case may not be presented until November.
In Prandini's complaint against the officer, it says that Lalowski on May 20 observed four or five women preparing to demonstrate at the abortion clinic site at 110 S. River Rd. at about 6 a.m. It's believed that the women were going to protest abortion. Lalowski, without being directed to go to the clinic and without advising his superiors or dispatch that he was going there, proceeded there and parked his marked squad car in a driveway. The complaint says that Lalowski decided to aggressively confront the peaceful demonstrators and threaten them with arrest if they blocked any of the driveways or prevented anyone from entering the abortion facility. He also said, the complaint alleges, that if the demonstrators made contact with anyone they were going to be arrested.
"Officer Lalowski was both harsh and profane with the peaceful women demonstrating calling one of the demonstrators a "fat (expletive deleted)," said the formal complaint.
In addition, the charges state that after Lalowski ended his shift at 7 a.m., he returned to the clinic in his civilian clothes. There, he allegedly said to one of the women, "You're fat", "You're obese. That would be gluttony. As a Catholic you should know that." Then he started lecturing the woman on the need to exercise "and actually got down on all fours and began to demonstrate some particular exercises that she could perform."
Later, the complaint alleges, Lalowski accused the demonstrators of acting like Taliban terrorists and putting fear into people. "Officer Lalowski was in the faces of the women demonstrators while he was haranguing them, coming within a couple of inches of their faces." The complaint also said that the officer called the demonstrators psychos and that the Catholic church is full of pedophiles, telling one of the women that she was a man hater and referred to the women as "republicans".
At one point, the charges say, Lalowski walked up to one of the women and hugged her. He said to one of the demonstrators, "You'd be a beautiful woman if you weren't so fat." After Lalowski left the scene, the woman said she was emotionally drained, covered in sweat and was filled with fear."
A total of six charges are filed against Lalowski including that his conduct was unprofessional and that he failed to truthfully answer questions posed to him when he was confronted with the accusations by police investigators.
Lalowski said he was not harsh with the female demonstrators, but instead was "very direct." He denied using profanity and denied calling any of the women "Fat (expletive deleted)."
At yesterday's hearing, Reimer said that it is his client's belief that he is being "singled out" by Prandini because he is president of the local police officers union.
"If he's suspended he can't perform his union job," said Reimer. He also stated that his client should not be suspended without pay because he is innocent until proven guilty. Reimer said he and his client deny the allegations.
www.journal-topics.com/dp/06/dp060922.1.html