Ex-Daley security officers sue over transfers

Replacements had worked for Emanuel’s campaign, cops allege

By Annie Sweeney, Chicago Tribune reporter 6:51 a.m. CDT, August 16, 2012

Eleven Chicago police officers who were removed from Mayor Rahm Emanuel‘s security detail when he took office have filed a federal lawsuit alleging they were replaced by officers who had volunteered on the mayor’s campaign.

The officers, who are white or Hispanic, also alleged discrimination, saying African-American officers on the detail with less seniority were not demoted at the time.

The lawsuit contended that police Cmdr. Brian Thompson, in charge of the security detail, and the city violated Chicago’s decades-old Shakman decree, which prohibits political considerations in most city hiring decisions.

Ex-Daley security officers sue over transfers