2nd Chicago police sergeant accuses department leaders of retaliation
CHICAGO - A Chicago police sergeant is suing the department, accusing leaders of retaliating against him after the civil unrest last year.
Sergeant Mark Vanek is now the second Chicago Police Department member to accuse then-acting Commander Jason Brown of pivoting officers from looted areas to guard his home and neighborhood instead.
Sergeant Vanek says that afterward he was removed from the Internet Narcotics Enforcement Team he created and forced to work overnight shifts by himself in a car.
In June, a separate sergeant filed a complaint with the Inspector General over the same incident. That investigation is still underway.
Sergeant Vanek said in a recorded statement that things need to change at the department.
"I’m filing this lawsuit because those above the rank and file continue the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude, and try to silence those who voice concerns. The culture of the Chicago Police Department must change in order to protect us all," Vanek said in a statement.
Chicago police say they cannot comment on pending or proposed litigation.