Prosecutors detail case against Chicago's top DUI cop

Chicago, IL

With two fellow officers and two young prosecutors looking on, Chicago Police Officer John Haleas ignored numerous critical steps in making a legitimate drunken driving arrest in April 2005, a string of missteps that ultimately led to his own indictment, Cook County prosecutors say.

At Haleas' arraignment Tuesday, prosecutors released new details about the Northwest Side traffic stop that led to criminal charges against Chicago's top DUI cop and the dismissal of 156 of his previous DUI arrests by the Cook County state's attorney.

Haleas made 718 arrests in 2005 and 2006 and was the primary witness in hundreds of DUI cases, garnering for himself a "Top Cop" honor from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists for having more DUI arrests than any other officer in the state.

But according to prosecutors, Haleas didn't bother to perform a field sobriety test, and lied in his reports and claimed he had followed procedures. More >>

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