Sun. August 30, 2009
Chicago, IL -
A Chicago police officer facing 20 federal civil rights lawsuits for allegedly targeting Lesbian and Gay motorists for false DUIs was subject to a resolution passed by the GLBT Subcommittee of the 23rd District on Wednesday.
Town Hall District Officer Richard Fiorito has worked in Boystown, the heard of the city's gay entertainment district, allegedly harassing Lesbian and Gay motorists, calling them "faggot" and falsely arresting them, in part so he court rack up overtime pay for attending court appearances.
During Wednesday's packed meeting, the GLBT Subcommittee passed a near-unanimous resolution demanding action from the authorities.
The resolution reads: "The GLBT Subcommittee of the 23rd District calls upon command-level Chicago Police staff to remove Officer Richard Fiorito's police powers pending resolution of the serious internal and federal civil rights charges pending against him. Furthermore, given the evidence of apparent criminal behavior, we believe that there is probable cause for the Cook County States Attorney's Office to file criminal charges against Fiorito for Perjury, False Arrest and False Imprisonment. We call upon them to file such charges immediately."
The Gay Liberation Network, an LGBT direct action group, reports that on two separate occasions Fiorito has given verbal field sobriety tests to deaf women, which is a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Last year Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honored Fiorito for being among the state's highest writers of DUI tickets.
The 20 suits against Officer Fiorito were filed by Erickson & Oppenheimer, P.C.
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