Original Article Officer in Meeks stop exonerated for pulling gun By David Heinzmann Tribune staff reporter Published September 1, 2005, 9:25 PM CDT The Chicago police sergeant who pulled over a car carrying state Sen. James Meeks acted appropriately when he pointed a gun at the minister and legislator, Police Supt. Philip Cline said Thursday. The sergeant was reprimanded, however, for using profanity during the July 13 traffic incident, Cline said. In announcing the decision, Cline said the investigation by the Office of Professional Standards found the officer was justified in pulling his gun because Meeks repeatedly refused orders to get back in the car. But Cline was careful to stress that he understands many African-American Chicagoans feel the police treat them more harshly than other citizens. Meeks, pastor of House of Hope Church on the South Side, said he disagrees with the decision. He said he got out of the car expecting the sergeant to extend him "professional courtesy" because of his status as an elected official and a well-known clergyman. He responded Thursday by demanding that a new outside body be created to handle investigation of misconduct by police. Cline said the decision was based on a sequence of events during the stop that all witnesses agreed was correct. The sergeant had stopped his patrol car to read a message on the computer screen when the car Meeks was riding in, an Oldsmobile, pulled around him, rolled through a stop sign and made an illegal turn, Cline said. The sergeant stopped the car immediately, and as he was getting out of his car, Meeks exited the Oldsmobile and started walking toward him. Cline said the officer told him to return to the car, but Meeks kept coming. The officer drew his gun and repeated the demand, but Meeks kept approaching him, and the officer pointed the gun at Meeks and told him to "get back in the [expletive] car." Meeks returned to the car, and the sergeant approached the driver--an off-duty police officer--and issued him four tickets. Last week, the driver was convicted of failure to stop at a stop sign, turning into oncoming traffic, failure to wear a seat belt and not having a valid insurance card. Cline said he made the details of the investigation public "to help the department and the community move forward" after a great deal of public debate and media attention caused by the case. Meeks, who is black, has accused the sergeant, who is white, of racial insensitivity. "The guy who was driving me that night was driving a '93 Oldsmobile with spinning rims," Meeks said Thursday. "Whenever a guy with spinning rims goes around a police officer, police automatically reject that. There is a climate in our society." The incident happened less than two weeks after a state report showed there was no pattern of racial profiling among Chicago police officers. Meeks said it would be "fruitless" to challenge the decision. Instead, he vowed to register 200,000 new voters in Chicago by the next city election in order to support leaders who will reshape the way internal investigations are conducted. --- dheinzmann@tribune.com http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090102227.html Chicago Sgt. Cleared in Racial Profiling By DON BABWIN The Associated Press Thursday, September 1, 2005; 10:13 PM CHICAGO -- A white police sergeant who pointed a gun at a black state senator during a traffic stop should not have used profanity but otherwise acted properly, Chicago Police Superintendent Philip Cline said Thursday. Cline said the sergeant was reprimanded for using profanity during the July 13 incident, but that he was justified in pulling his gun because State Sen. James Meeks twice ignored orders to stop approaching and return to his vehicle. Meeks, the minister of a megachurch on the city's South Side and head of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, disputed Cline's version of events. The sergeant "did not tell me two times" to stop approaching, Meeks said at a news conference. "He started with profanity and his weapon drawn from the moment I got out of the car." Meeks also reiterated his contention that he was a victim of racial profiling. He said the stop was triggered in part because the car his driver was operating is popular with blacks "and he went around the police and the police didn't like it and the police stopped him. End of story." Cline said the department's investigation determined that the sergeant pulled the car over because he witnessed a traffic violation. Meeks said he would push for legislation to create a civilian review board to investigate such allegations rather than leaving it to the police themselves. He said he also will push for the police department to equip all its squad cars with cameras, a suggestion Cline said the department is exploring.