FBI official picked to lead Chicago police
Mayor Richard Daley picked a Philadelphia FBI official on Thursday as Chicago's next top cop to lead a department tarnished by allegations of police misconduct and abuse.
J.P. "Jody" Weis, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia office, was named to replace Police Supt. Phil Cline, who announced his retirement earlier this year amid controversy surrounding allegations of misconduct by some officers.
Some officers had "fundamentally abused their trust" with the people of Chicago and it is Weis' job to fix that and fight the "gangs, guns and drugs" that plague some neighborhoods, Daley said.
"Jody Weis is uniquely qualified to both implement new strategies in our fight against crime and ensure that the conduct of our police officers meet the highest standards," Daley said at a city hall news conference introducing Weis.
The city council still needs to approve Weis' appointment. Weis is a 22-year veteran of the FBI whose work at the bureau has included stints in Chicago, Los Angeles and Texas. Earlier this year, he was part of the FBI's bust of men accused of plotting to kill U.S. soldiers in an attack on Fort Dix, N.J.
Weis, 49, would start in January and be paid $300,000 -- a salary higher than the mayor's -- because Weis would have a dual role as police superintendent and as the city's chief emergency officer, Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said.
Weis said Daley made it clear to him that the public's confidence in the department needs to be rebuilt. A number of high-profile incidents have put the spotlight on police officer conduct.
The department is disbanding an elite anti-street gang unit after seven of its members were charged with abusing civilians. One officer was also charged with plotting to kill another officer who may have testified in the case.
The city also got widespread attention earlier this year when an off-duty officer was charged with beating a female bartender, an incident caught on videotape that Weis called "horrific." Charges also were filed against other officers accused of beating some businessmen at a downtown tavern.
Declaring that "no one is above the law," Weis said officers would be disciplined or prosecuted if they break department rules or the law. But he said accused officers should be treated fairly.
"When one of my officers are called into question I believe they deserve the benefit of the doubt until we determine what all the facts actually were," said Weis, who has worked in the FBI's office of professional responsibility.
Flint Taylor, an attorney who handles police brutality cases, said it will take more than a new police chief to solve problems within the department.
"There has to be a new attitude from the mayor and the administration if these systemic problems of police misconduct and brutality are to be properly dealt with," Taylor said.
The way to stop bad behavior by officers is with "stern leadership," Weis said. "There have been some misdeeds by a few bad apples but I'd like to emphasize a very few," he said.
"I've got to set the tone right from the beginning ... that this type of behavior won't be tolerated," he said.