COP VS. COP

Whistleblower's Actions Have Sparked Controversy In Police Department

Several Willow Springs police officers have broken ranks to alert officials
and residents to a fellow cop's positive drug test, and in recent weeks the
administration appears to be turning against the whistleblowers.

Now, police officers are pitted against each other, dividing the small-town
department against itself.

About half of the full-time sworn police officers in the village signed a
petition telling village officials they do not wish to work with a fellow
officer accused of using cocaine.

One officer has been questioned by village attorneys, fingerprinted and
quizzed about his home computer after being accused of trying to publicize
allegations another officer failed a drug test.

Today, a second officer faces similar questioning.

The discord comes at a time of change in Willow Springs.

Home to more than 5,000 people, Willow Springs is trying to outgrow its
image as a town shadowed by mob ties and the infamous Diane Masters murder.
With efforts under way to build $1 million houses and $300,000 townhomes in
Willow Springs, the department of 15 full-time sworn officers and 14
part-time officers must provide service to an increasingly upper
middle-class populace.

It appears the Willow Springs police chief and village administration are
going on the offensive to find out who distributed flyers to residents
about the officer's failed drug test, according to a transcript of a
hearing obtained by the Daily Southtown.

The officer is not being named because he has not been charged with a crime.

Police Chief Jerry Schultz and two Willow Springs village attorneys
questioned one patrol officer at length about his involvement in a petition
circulated through the department and a flyer distributed to a few hundred
homes, according to a formal investigation transcript.

Steve Muscolino, a village trustee and the chairman of the Police and Fire
Commission, said the hearing was designed to root out officers "spreading
rumors" about the department.

Muscolino acknowledged no disciplinary action was being taken against the
officer who tested positive for cocaine.

"He's on duty," Muscolino said. "I don't believe there are any inquiries
going for him."

Trustee: There is no 'cover-up'

If an officer comes forward and confesses a drug or alcohol problem,
Muscolino said, he or she cannot be penalized for seeking help if the
officer agrees to get treatment.

Muscolino said a person who tests positive for cocaine cannot be charged
with possession of the drug - a felony - unless the person is caught
carrying the drug.

A copy of the Willow Springs police contract states an officer must come
forward and ask for help before he or she is asked to submit to a drug test.

The flyer circulated to some homes in the village states the officer did
not ask for help until after the drug testing was under way. The flyer
states the drug test was conducted as a requirement for promotion.

Muscolino said he could not comment on the circumstances of the officer in
question because the procedure and test results are private personnel
matters. There is no "cover-up," Muscolino said, expressing resentment
about the attempts to make the matter public.

"The only thing that's been going on is trying to find out who's been
spreading rumors," he said. "(The letter) was way out of line.

"There were too many accusations that were thrown out that were
unsubstantiated."

Muscolino said the policy allowing officers to request help for a drug
problem without retribution is in place to encourage good officers to seek
help and give them a chance to keep their jobs.

The accusations of drug use have also proven troublesome in Cook County
Circuit Court.

In June, misdemeanor charges against four men accused of possession of
cannabis were thrown out when prosecutors learned the arresting officer was
the Willow Springs cop who tested positive for drugs.

A defense lawyer threatened to question the officer on the stand about the
positive drug test if the case went to trial, so prosecutors agreed to drop
all the charges, according to two sources close to the case.

What the petition said

A petition signed by nine Willow Springs police officers declares they knew
of the positive drug test and do not want to work with that officer anymore.

"We will not tolerate illegal substance abuse among our police officers and
will not voluntarily work with any such person," the petition reads. "(The
officer) has not only disgraced himself but has compromised himself by
buying and abusing cocaine."

The petition was forwarded to Schultz, Mayor Terrence Carr, village manager
Chris Limas and all village trustees, according to a heading on the document.

The village denied a request made by the Daily Southtown under the Freedom
of Information Act seeking drug test results for village police officers.

Carr and Schultz did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

One of the officers suspected of circulating the letter and petition was
ordered by Schultz to answer questions at a June 7 hearing, according to
the transcript.

The officer was asked how he spells "tolerance" and the make, model and
color of his car, despite objections by the officer's attorney.

"I don't know the relevance of these questions," said Thomas Radja, the
lawyer for the officer being questioned.

"We have an investigation under way and we intend to pursue (any) area that
may relate to our investigation," said village attorney Donald Rothschild.
"Personal questions, as uncomfortable as they may be, are part of what we
intend to seek in this morning's proceeding."

The officer admitted writing the petition but denied writing the flyer
titled, "Willow Springs Police Officer tests positive for cocaine and
remains on the payroll. Your tax dollars at work?"

Trying to shed reputation

Willow Springs was home to bars, strip joints and mob hangouts in the 1940s
and 1950s.

The village later earned a reputation for corrupt policing after the former
police chief was convicted of accepting $8,000 to submerge a car with a
dead body inside.

In 1989, former Willow Springs Police Chief Michael Corbett, along with
former Cook County Sheriff's Lt. James Keating and the late Summit attorney
Alan Masters, were convicted of conspiring to murder Masters' wife, Diane,
a Moraine Valley Community College trustee, seven years earlier.

Her body was found in her Cadillac at the bottom of the Sanitary and Ship
Canal in Willow Springs.

Corbett later admitted to accepting bribes throughout his career in the
police department.