FOP chief, city IG slam quiet change to police merit promotions

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson has quietly changed the rules governing merit promotions, casting another cloud over a process condemned by officers interviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice as a "reward for cronyism."

City Inspector General Joe Ferguson and Fraternal Order of Police President Dean Angelo aren't happy they weren't informed about Johnson's decision to allow members of the five-member Merit Board to nominate their own candidates, provided they don't interview or vote on their own nominees.

Also troubling, they say, is the fact that Johnson made the change in a "verbal order" - and applied it to the last two waves of promotions - even though the change has yet to be finalized in writing.

In its report on the Chicago Police Department, the Justice Department said the "lack of transparency" surrounding the process of nominating and qualifying for merit promotions was "one of the major complaints from officers" interviewed.

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