Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Video Disputes Officers DUI Arrest Report


An attorney representing several individuals suing a Chicago Police officer in Federal Court for what they claim were false DUI arrests has revealed a video which contradicts the officer's DUI report. The officer is Richard Fiorito. The camera was mounted inside Fiorito's squad car. On June 21, 2009, Fiorito pulled over Michael Vaughn for suspicion of drunk driving. Fiorito had Vaughn perform a field sobriety test. The video shows Vaughn walking in a straight line with his arms at his side. However, Fiorito's police report indicates that Vaughn couldn't keep his balance and raised his arms from his side more than six inches. In addition, the video shows Fiorito being very rude and mean to Vaughn who was cooperating with the officer. The attorney representing the individuals in the federal lawsuit claims that Fiorito made up DUI against his clients so he could rack up overtime when he appeared in court.

Part of the lawsuit alleges that Fiorito would harass gay and lesbian motorists. Fiorito has been with the Chicago Police since 1999.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it possible to question an "off-duty" cop about how much overtime he gets paid per year to testilie in court?

Some cops get paid $200,000 a year that way, forcing muni govts to file bankruptcy to renegotiate contracts with police unions in CA.

James G. Dimeas said...

Today, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that this officer has been taken off the streets and placed on desk duty while the department conducts an internal investigation.

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