Police official says she sought felony charges in videotaped beating
Source: Chicago Tribune
Police official says she sought felony charges in videotaped beating
By Annie Sweeney
Tribune reporter
1:37 p.m. CDT, October 30, 2012
high-ranking official with the Chicago Police Department denied on Tuesday that she pushed for misdemeanor charges for an off-duty officer who attacked a female bartender in a beating that was caught on videotape and went viral.
Debra Kirby, who was the head of Internal Affairs Division at the time of the 2007 beating, testified she wanted to seek felony charges against the officer, Anthony Abbate.
Kirby appeared tense on the witness stand in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse as she answered a series of questions by attorney Terry Ekl, who is representing the bartender, Karolina Obrycka, in her federal suit against Abbate and the city.
Kirby is currently the chief of the department's Bureau of Organizational Development and formerly served as general counsel under former Superintendent Jody Weis.
Kirby's testimony is central to Obrycka's allegation that the department tried to cover up or minimize the 2007 beating.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-police-official-says-she-sought-felony-charges-in-videotaped-beating-20121030,0,3545916.story
KansDem
(28,498 posts)Dash87
(3,220 posts)All cowards.
christx30
(6,241 posts)On a cop, no matter the reason, you are looking to get killed or spend the rest of your life in jail. They have too much power, and are too well protected by the justice system. I don't know what I would do in a situation like this. Attack the cop, he blows my ass away, then goes back to beating up a woman while body achieves room temp?
Or hope my testimOny puts the animal away for good?
Asshole cops like that don't need much of an excuse to kill someone.
Bill USA
(6,436 posts)girls less than half their size? this guy should have been charged with assault.
recommended.
whathehell
(28,941 posts)Gawd...Watching that big ape beating that girl is AWFUL!...You notice the other
brave boys coming to her rescue, too, right? Total Scum.
May she sue their asses and get EVERYTHING!!.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)at least in this case. This asshole who beat the woman barkeep is no doubt "well connected"
with a whole network of other sadistic creeps who would be more than happy to help him get
revenge from a jail cell. No wonder she's a little slow on the draw.
Not really an excuse, but just sayin'.
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)The guy got probation the first time. If someone beat an officer like that, they would get 5 years in jail.
"In opening statements last week, Ekl maintained that Kirby soft-pedaled the attack in a phone call to a high-ranking prosecutor."
^^^ The prosecutor relied on a phone call instead of watching the video? This is why it is so important that we vote for the right district attorneys. Looks like Chicago needs to replace theirs.
Macoy51
(239 posts)What gets me is this is not just a guy who lashed out once. He had the woman on the ground and kept beating her. The cop, and every one who protected him, needs to go to jail. And his story needs to be told in every police academy in the nation as a warning to cops who think they are above the law.
/but to be fair, I understand why cops feel they are above the law
Macoy