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Fire Chicago State Police Chief, University Police Officers Demand

By Andrea V. Watson | June 24, 2016 2:29pm | Updated on July 1, 2016 11:31am
 The Chicago State University Police Metropolitan Alliance of Police have no faith in Chief of Police Patricia Walsh and want her removed immediately.
The Chicago State University Police Metropolitan Alliance of Police have no faith in Chief of Police Patricia Walsh and want her removed immediately.
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CSU/Ted Cox

ROSELAND — The Chicago State University Police Metropolitan Alliance of Police have no faith in Chief of Police Patricia Walsh and want her removed immediately.

Union representative Ray Violetto said in an email that the officers have “lost the trust that the Chief of Police can manage the department."

Neither Walsh nor a university spokesman could be immediately reached for comment.

Prior to coming to Chicago State, Walsh worked with the Chicago Police Department, where she was the deputy chief of the Bureau of Patrol for Area South, the highest ranking female in the department in 2013, the Tribune reported. She was also a detective, a sergeant, a lieutenant and a commander.

The police union chapters at CSU issued a “Vote of No Confidence” document listing the problems they have with Walsh. They said that since her appointment in June of last year, the department has deteriorated “in terms of morale, performance, direction, vision and most damaging, the perception of the Department.”

Members — nine sergeants and nine officers — have attempted to work with the chief “repeatedly” without success, they said, yet the problems have continued to escalate.

“She has failed to disseminate pertinent information to the Supervisory and Patrol staff," according to the document. "The rank and file has been subjected to poor executive leadership, indifference, lack of integrity and poor and/or lack of policy decisions. Due to the severity of the circumstances, we feel that the damage is such that it is not repairable under this Chief.”

Other complaints they made were that Walsh offered no kind of plan for the department and that she has not communicated with them since taking on the role.

“She sequesters herself from the majority of the Department and has relinquished Department decisions deferring most to the former Chief Ronnie Watson. The Chief does not meet, engage or participate in discussions with her supervisory staff. The lack of structural cohesiveness has resulted in serious organizational problems.”

The group said they have made several attempts to meet with her to address their concerns, but after no results, they made the decision to vote. They are asking the university's board of trustees to take action.

A different chapter of the Metropolitan Alliance of Police expressed concerns about the police chief at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The union said the chief had allowed "dangerously low" staffing levels at times at the UIC campus.

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