Presumed Innocent

John Haleas, a Chicago Police officer, has been charged with multiple counts of perjury, obstructing justice and official misconduct.

Haleas had been recognized a number of times for being the top DUI cop in the state - he made the most DUI arrests a few years running.

But it turns out that Haleas was just another in a long string of corrupt cops. Haleas, the charges state, would arrest a person for DUI and then simply lie and fabricate evidence at their trial. Over 150 DUI cases that Haleas was involved with have been dismissed completely. And many of the cases where the defendant was found guilty are now being looked at as well.

We may never know exactly how many innocent people were put in jail by this lying, corrupt cop. But the city of Chicago will most certainly be sued for millions of dollars by the innocent people that this bad cop put in jail.

Please visit my Law Firm’s website: www.AppelmanCriminalDefense.com

In yet another blow to our dwindling civil rights, the Bush administration has decided they do not like the proposed law that would protect journalists from being compelled to name their sources.

Much to the dismay of the Bushies plenty of administration insiders have divulged information to the press over the last 8 years. These “leaks” have led to a number of embarrassing events for the administration. So they have decided that they can scare all potential information sources by forcing their names to become public.

The administration is demanding that every time a story about their corruption or failures comes out, the reporter who wrote it get hauled into court and be forced to name their sources. This is a direct attack on the ability of the free press to write about governmental abuses. This was the reason the First Amendment speaks about the right to a Free Press. Back in England King George didn’t want the truth about him put in the papers.

Now we have a new King George, but now we have laws that are supposed to protect us from him and his ilk.

Write or call your senator. Let them know that the freedom of the press is much more important than allowing Bush and his cronies to hide their abuses and criminal behavior.

Please visit my law firm’s website: www.AppelmanCriminalDefense.com

Well, I for one am extremely happy that the FBI is spending some of its limited resources investigating this dangerous criminal.

It is comforting to know that even though our country is currently at war; even though there are kidnappers, murderers, terrorist groups and many other assorted violent offenders out on our streets; the federal government has decided that a baseball player cheating merits a huge expenditure of funds.

Starving children? Can’t afford to help them.

AIDS epidemic? Kids on drugs? Too expensive to deal with.

Whether or not Roger Clemens shot himself full of HGH so he could pitch another no-hitter? Priceless.

(on a side note - I am not so convinced that Clemens actually took steroids.  It’s a case of a disgraced former trainer making claims to sell a book I am sure he is trying to hock right now) 

While there are plenty of very hard-working and very honorable police offers out there, the few bad ones really seem to create a big mess.

In this case a Fire Department Captain stops the fire truck on a highway to rescue a driver injured in a crash.

While he is in the middle of helping the injured driver a cop pulls up and tells him to move the fire truck.  The cop refuses to let this Fireman tend to the victim and proceeds to arrest him in the middle of him giving medical treatment to the injured driver.

The Fireman not only has all the charges against him dropped, but the cop gets fired.  Then the cop gets sued, and loses.  Badly.

The cop is ordered to pay the Fireman $18,000 in damages.

The best part of the story is that this cop had a history of being abusive, and was still on the police force.  Now the city (Taxpayers) will have to foot the bill for this man who had no business being a cop in the first place.