Last year, Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate was sentenced to two years probation stemming from his assault on a female bartender in February 2007.
The attack occurred at Jesse’s Shortstop Inn on Chicago’s Northwest Side after bartender Karolina Obrycka refused to serve Abbate any more alcohol. The case made news around the world after a security camera tape of the incident circulated via YouTube.
Not for the feint of heart, the video shows Abbate’s attack was unprovoked, as he throws Obrycka into the bar, then onto the ground where he pummels her with his fists.
However, Cook County circuit judge John Fleming ruled that the attack did not warrant jail time. Instead, he gave Abbate two years probation. He also court-ordered alcohol treatment, anger management counseling and 130 hours of community service.
Fleming cited the following reasons for handing down a probationary sentence: Abbate had no previous criminal record; his punches did not cause serious injury; he was off-duty and, therefore, did not abuse his power as an officer of the law .
“The fact that this 30-second video has probably been seen by more people than any other crime in the world does not make it a greater crime,” Fleming said.
Karolina Obrycka prepared a brief statemnt for the court stating that the attack has left her fearful, unable to trust other, and has affected her marriage.
Two years later, Obrycka still carries the trauma with her. “My world still feels changed because of this beating. I have a hard time trusting other people, including my husband…. I’m working very hard to recover from this beating, but it is harder than I could ever imagine,” Obrycka said. (Chicago Breaking News.)
The Abbate case was just one of several cases that have tarnished the CPD’s image. Between 2002 and 2004, more than 10,000 complaints were filed against Chicago police officers, many of them for assault and brutality (CNN.) Shortly after the Abbate video surfaced, the acting Superintendent of Chicago Police, Phil Cline, resigned. Current police Superintendent Jody Weis was appointed by Mayor Daley to replace Cline.
On Dec. 15, 2009, the Chicago Police Department officially released Abbate. While the news came as a welcome relief to Obrycka, her attorney Terry Ekl asserts that Abbate would have kept his job if not for the telltale video and its wide media circulation.
“What strikes both Karolina and myself is but for this video and the fact that the media ran with it the way they did, Anthony Abbate…would still be a police officer today,” said Ekl. “There is such an obvious code of silence to protect officers who commit acts of misconduct.”
Obrycka and Ekl filed a $1M civil suit in 2007, but that suit is still pending. The suit names Abbate and the City of Chicago as defendants, and alleges that the city fails to investigate and discipline its officers.
Meanwhile, Abbate has filed a wrongful termination suit that accused the Chicago police board of 12 violations in his termination decision. However, even if Abbate wins the suit, it’s not likely he will return to the beat. The CPD doesn’t hire known felons.
–Steven Flores