Chicago mayor's ex-security officers file lawsuit

August 16, 2012 (CHICAGO) -- A federal lawsuit claims Mayor Rahm Emanuel replaced 11 Chicago police officers on his security detail with officers who had worked on the mayor's political campaign.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/NDoI2d ) that the demoted police officers are seeking their jobs back and unspecified damages. They allege in their lawsuit that the city violated Chicago's Shakman decree, a federal court order banning political patronage.

They also claim the job change lowered their ranks and shrank their pay.

The city's legal department says the lawsuit is groundless. A department spokesman says the hiring decisions for the security detail were made by Terry Hillard, who was interim police superintendent.

Hillard says he consulted security experts and the U.S. Secret Service as he was hiring the security team.

The lawsuit was filed Monday.

Get more Local »

local

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•