Police Misconduct Charges Awaiting Resolutions
Police Misconduct Charges Awaiting ResolutionsBy TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter | 0 comments
The cases of two Niles police officers, one fired and facing criminal prosecution, and one suspended without pay and in arbitration, are still unresolved after years of uncertainty.
An unidentified woman came forward civilly charging that Niles police officer Fotis Markadas sexually assaulted her in the basement of a bar in Niles in January 2010.
Her complaint was civil, made to the Niles Police and Fire Commission. Criminal charges were never filed. Attorneys for Markadas vehemently deny the charges.
In March 2010, police and fire commissioners set a date to hold a hearing on the issue but Markadas sought arbitration as an alternative allowed in the police union contract. At that March meeting, Markadas was suspended without pay.
In late October, attorneys for the village and Markadas filed final briefs with the arbitrator. At the time, the Journal was told a ruling could come within 60 days.
Last week, Metropolitan Alliance of Police Union Attorney Richard Reimer said he and village attorneys were both still waiting on the decision of the arbitrator.
Reimer said he has seen cases where arbitrators take more than a year to make a decision and said, “You never read into it (how long a decision takes), it goes both ways.”
Reimer said the contract between the village and police union says arbitration should be decided within 60 days but said arbitrators are not bound by the union contract.
The other lingering case of alleged police misconduct involves former Niles officer William Christie.
Christie was dispatched to the Leaning Tower YMCA in late 2009 to conduct a death investigation where he allegedly stole $1,700 in cash and coins from the dead man’s room.
Shortly before Niles police and fire commissioners were to consider Christie’s termination in November 2009, he tendered his resignation.
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez criminally charged Christie in early 2010 with felony charges of theft and official misconduct.
Last week a state’s attorney’s spokesman told the Journal Christie’s case remains in pretrial motions and has yet to come to trial. If Christie were convicted, he would lose his pension.
Last summer, Niles Civilian Police Service officer Gary Amato was charged with staging his own armed robbery while transporting $44,000 in village deposits to a bank. That case is also pending in the courts.