June 24, 2009
Crime and Punishment Department
Not Much Punishment For Abbate, Even Less For Conspirators
Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate---caught on video beating up a young woman bartender---has been sentenced. He got probation.
Note that Abbate is still a police officer. The Independent Police Review Authority has recommended he be fired, and it sounds like he was convicted of a felony, which should disqualify him for the police force, but God only knows what the Police Board will do.
Chicago's Police Board is often described as the "civilian review" component of the disciplinary system, which sounds good, but as I understand it, the only thing they can do in police disciplinary actions is to either approve, reduce, or eliminate the recommended punishment. In other words, it's a way for the city political structure to protect officers who have connections.
My guess is that Abbate doesn't have any connections good enough to survive so publicly disgracing the department, but...this is Chicago.
The thing is, Abbate's not the real problem. He's just a drunken fool. Notice, however, that there's been no word in months about the allegations that other officers tried to cover this up and intimidate witnesses with threats of arrest. That would be a criminal conspiracy within the police department.
Nothing to see here. Move along.
3 Comments
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I think the case about officer Abbate speakes volumes about our court system and what we really think about the abuse of women. Even if you are caught on tape beating a woman half your size or your girlfriend in a car, you will get probation only. But on the other hand if abuse a animal of any kind....dog,cats,horses odds are, you will go to jail. When will we in respect women as much as we love and respect our animals. This is a sad day in our country when in the same paper on the same day we can read jail time for animal abuse and probation for woman abuse. This is just plain sad.
Frankly, I think it's the fact that he was beating a woman that made so many people turn against him. On the other hand, cops who hurt and kill animals rarely face any penalties at all. I have a whole Puppycide category for it.
I was raged at Judge john j.Flemming verdict on the cop beater ABBATE .. when its ok for drunk cops to beat the hell out of women with no acountability for his drunk actions you have just told the world its ok to continue to abuse all women. This just confirms polotics in chicago as usual.I pers onaly have been phyisically abused by my x husband Jerry Wooley. i have seen fist hand the way the system works against women and abuse. as he was asked to leave the residence the cops all gather toghter and voice there oponion on what a bitch she must be. Nothing was ever done to protect me. my oponionis all cops,judges and attorneys sleep together.I also had to endore having my 17y/o son being killed by a drunk truck driver with a record of 14 instances of drinking and no valid drivers license for a 18 wheeled truck. We nearly lost the case even with all the edevence and history. The culpert still got the minium sentence. there is no such thing as justice in this world its just a word used in the court system.It makes me sick to my stomach ever time I hear the words justice was served.at my close of these complaints dont forget to pay your taxes so you to can be served and protected.