EX-OFFICER CONVICTED IN DRUG PLOT

CHICAGO (AP) - A former police officer praised for breaking up street gangs
was convicted Monday of joining gang members in conspiring to sell $2
million worth of cocaine.

Joseph Miedzianowski, a 22-year police veteran, faces a maximum of life in
prison after conviction on 10 counts including racketeering, conspiracy to
sell cocaine, selling cocaine and wire fraud.

The defense said it would appeal. Four Miedzianowski associates were also
convicted.

As a gang-crimes specialist, Miedzianowski, 48, was free to roam the city,
developing informants. He testified that his seeming friendship with
Imperial Gangsters and other street gang members was designed to gather
information.

But government witnesses, mostly gang members, claimed Miedzianowski had
secretly become part of a cocaine pipeline.

Prosecutors say Miedzianowski provided protection for pushers and gang
members while shaking down other drug traffickers who had been caught by
police with false promises of help with their cases in return for cash.
They say he even provided them with guns and ammunition.

Miedzianowski attorney Randy Rueckert said more than 250 secretly recorded
tapes in which Miedzianowski was heard discussing drugs and police business
with gang members may have been decisive with jurors.

"It's hard to fight the tapes," he said. "But I think we gave a good
explanation for it. ... I can't believe that they would believe those
witnesses beyond a reasonable doubt."

Another lawyer, Tom Breen, claimed his client was a hard-nosed cop who got
results even if he used unorthodox methods. "Give me a break, his tactics
worked," Breen said.