CJP’s investigation in to the misconduct history of Fraternal Order of Police President and former Chicago Police Officer John Catanzara continues. This FOIA request seeks to obtain copies of the investigative files for every sustained complaint against Catanzara. According to the Catanzara has managed to rack up 50 complaints against him during his time with the CPD, 10 of which were sustained following investigations. Many if not most of those complaints were filed against him by fellow officers or supervisors. If you have any understanding of the impact of the blue wall of silence in Chicago then you know just how rare it is for fellow officers and supervisors to file complaints against one of their own. In Catanzara’s case he seems to be a magnet for this very rare type of complaint.
If you want a deep dive in to Catanzara’s misconduct history and his horrific history of social media posts you can find them in our recent report
here.
Our first attempt to gain access to records related to every single complaint against Catanzara was denied by the CPD because they claimed it was overly burdensome. So, we have decided to file a request for just the sustained complaints to start and then we will move to the unsustained complaints. If this request for Catanzara’s sustained complaints is denied by the CPD we will certainly be filing a lawsuit. There certainly doesn’t seem to be any motive for the CPD to protect Catanzara other than this just how they operate. Somewhere between in a perpetual state of coverup and incompetence. Regardless of the motive the residents of Chicago suffer as the information is not made public.
FOIA Content
To: Chicago Police Department
Re: CR Files & Investigations
In accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, I request that your office provide the following public records:
FOIA A
Please provide in digital format all records related to the complaint registry numbers detailed below and all records related to any subsequent investigation of any allegations found within. This should at a minimum include:
-
- the initial complaint filed
- all statements from victims
- all statements from witnesses
- all findings
- all records related to any grievance filed by the accused officer with their union including any documents related to any arbitration process
- all records related to the final discipline served by the officer
- all records collected in support of or against the allegation(s) contained in the complaint registry
- all records related to communication with the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department or any member of the Chicago Police Department regarding the Department’s review of any sustained findings and the recommendations for discipline. This should include any communication to or from the Chicago Police Department regarding their agreement or disagreement with the findings or discipline recommendation.
Complaint Registry Numbers
- 287661
- 287850
- 287880
- 300954
- 307999
- 1003083
- 1013430
- 1017379
- 1062978
- 1063679
FOIA # B
- Records sufficient to show Your efforts to locate and produce the records requested in FOIA A above. This should include:
-
- Where you searched for responsive Records and Documents.
- Who searched for responsive Records and Documents.
- Who was requested to produce responsive Records and Documents.
- The identify of any Records and Documents that were located but not produced for any reason.
DEFINITIONS
“Document” and/or “Documents” means any documents or electronically stored information of any kind—including writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, sound recordings, images, and other data or data compilations—stored in any medium from which information can be obtained either directly or, if necessary, after translation by the responding party into a reasonably usable form.
“You” or “Your” means the {Public Body}, and all attorneys, employees, officers, directors, bureaus, offices, divisions or subdivisions of same.
INSTRUCTIONS
If the agency withholds any document or information pertinent to the requests made herein, please identify the document or information in as much detail as is possible, and detail in specific language why each document or piece of information is being withheld.
If any information requested herein is withheld on the basis of a claim of privilege or other protection as material prepared in anticipation of litigation or trial, then that claim shall be made expressly in a writing that describes the nature of the Documents, Communications, or Things not produced or disclosed in a manner that will enable us to assess the applicability of the privilege or protection. With regard to each claim of privilege or protection, the following information should be provided in the response or the objection:
(a) the type of Document, e.g., letter or memorandum;
(b) general subject matter of the Document;
(c) the date of the Document;
(d) such other information as is sufficient to identify the Document for a subpoena duces tecum, including, where appropriate, the author, addressee, and any other recipient of the Document, and, where not apparent, the relationship of the author, addressee, and any other recipient to each other; and
(e) the nature of the privilege or protection;
(f) if applicable, the litigation or trial of which he document was created in anticipation.
If any Document identified herein has been lost, discarded, or destroyed, each such Document should be identified as completely as possible, including as to each such Document, its date, general nature (e.g., letter, memorandum, telegram, telex, photograph, computer printout), subject matter, each author or originator, each person indicated as an addressee or copy recipient, and its former custodian(s). In addition, as to each such Document, the following information shall be supplied:
(a) date of disposal, loss, or destruction;
(b) manner of disposal, loss, or destruction;
(c) reason for disposal or destruction, or any explanation of loss;
(d) persons authorizing the disposal or destruction;
(e) persons having knowledge of the disposal, destruction, or loss; and
(f) persons who destroyed, lost, or disposed or the Document or Thing.
I look forward to hearing from you in writing within five working days, as required by the Act 5 ILCS 140(3). Please direct all questions or responses to this FOIA request to this email address by responding to this email. I can be reached at tsiska@chicagojustice.org
