Feb. 14--As the trial date nears for the last of three former Schaumburg police officers charged with stealing from drug dealers and selling narcotics, the suburb continues to try to repair and contain the damage the scandal caused.
In a village known more for its shopping scene than its crime, lawyers are still wading through a legal morass the officers left behind. Fifteen lawsuits have been filed by people who allege at least one of the officers violated their rights. The lawsuits have cost the suburb some $500,000, a sum certain to rise because eight of the cases are still pending, records show.
And the Cook County state's attorney's office has dropped 22 criminal cases that involved the officers, while three people who had pleaded guilty in cases involving the officers had their convictions thrown out, an office spokeswoman said. That's several more cases than authorities initially said would need to be discarded because of links to the three officers, two of whom already are serving lengthy prison terms.
The Schaumburg Police Department, meanwhile, is still tweaking its practices as it works under new leadership. The road map has been a consultant's report that faulted the agency for poor communication and for giving vice officers little supervision.
Two years have passed since Schaumburg residents learned that the village, which suffers relatively little serious crime, was employing police officers who were allegedly running an armed drug ring. New Chief James Lamkin said the department has worked to change a "culture of dysfunction," and the agency has closed gaps in supervision, communication and accountability that might have allowed corruption to germinate.
"For the people of Schaumburg, they should know that we've changed our attitude," Lamkin said. "We've made huge strides in getting ourselves back to where we were before any of this happened."
The drug scandal broke alongside a second unflattering sideshow -- a criminal investigation into then-Chief Brian Howerton, who was accused by an ex-girlfriend of harassment. Howerton, who was cleared of criminal wrongdoing, announced his retirement two months after the three officers were arrested.
Two of the officers charged with selling drugs -- Matthew Hudak, 31, and Terrance O'Brien, 48 -- are in downstate prisons after pleading guilty to corruption and narcotics charges, among other counts. Hudak is expected to be eligible for parole in 2027; O'Brien in 2026.
The third, John Cichy, 32, has pleaded not guilty, and he intends to go to a trial, said his lawyer, Jay Fuller. There were plea negotiations, but prosecutors wanted him to serve more time than he was willing to accept, Fuller said. The trial was due to start in early March but on Friday was pushed back to April.
"We've alleged from the beginning that Mr. Cichy was not as involved as the other co-defendants," Fuller said.
The bombshell dropped on the department in January 2013, when DuPage County prosecutors accused the trio of stealing cash and drugs around the suburbs and using an informant to resell the narcotics. The ring traded in cocaine and marijuana, but the officers were caught after police nabbed the informant, who cooperated, paving the way for a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting, authorities said.
In a statement to investigators, O'Brien said Cichy and Hudak had discussed using cocaine and the pair referred to the period after work on Fridays as "coke Fridays," according to court records.
Lawsuits allege the officers routinely violated people's civil rights. One man accused Hudak of pistol-whipping him; other suits accuse one or more of the officers of raiding homes without search warrants, taking cash and guns and making arrests without probable cause.
Hudak, one lawsuit alleged, was caught fitting a tracking device to the bottom of Justin Holmstrom's car in broad daylight in 2011. After acknowledging he was a police officer, Hudak said he'd make sure Holmstrom went to prison if he didn't work as an informant, said Holmstrom, of Bartlett. Holmstrom agreed to buy drugs from an acquaintance under O'Brien and Hudak's surveillance, he said. After Holmstrom made the deal, Hudak told him the home would be raided and Holmstrom would get a cut of proceeds, he said.
"As we've all seen on TV, we must do what cops say or there will be consequences," Holmstrom said.
Holmstrom said he's not sure how he first caught Hudak's attention, though he had a prior drug conviction, according to DuPage County court records. Holmstrom said he settled his suit for the relatively small sum of $5,000.
The lawsuits have cost the village $490,357 in settlements and legal costs as of late January, according to village records. That total is sure to rise, because eight of the 15 suits are still pending while the other seven were settled, dropped or dismissed, according to James Sotos, an attorney hired by the village.
The village had paid all the costs as of late January, as the municipality's insurance only kicks in once an individual lawsuit's costs climb above $100,000, said Rita Elsner, a village attorney. No case had yet reached that mark, records show.
The village also paid $148,000 to Chicago-based law enforcement consultant Hillard Heintze for a 140-page report exploring the department's failings.
The department, the report found, had been weakened by ineffective leadership, poor communication and a command structure that left gaps in supervision. In 2012, for instance, the department eliminated the rank of lieutenant, thinning supervision in parts of the agency including the Special Investigations Bureau, where the three arrested officers worked, the report said.
The department's officers told the consultants that past chiefs appeared more concerned with their images than the department's function, the report said.
Since the scandal broke, the village has made dozens of changes. It reinstated the rank of lieutenant and disbanded the drug-focused Special Investigations Bureau, replacing it with a tactical unit that pursues narcotics and gangs but also helps investigate other crimes, said Lamkin, a former St. Charles police chief who took over the Schaumburg department in late 2013.
While the indicted officers roamed beyond Schaumburg's borders, village police are now to focus on crimes within village boundaries, Lamkin said.
With tighter supervision and more active communication, it's more difficult for officers to "go rogue on you," Lamkin said.
Two years after three of their colleagues were arrested, the department's officers want to rebuild the agency's reputation among residents and fellow police, the chief said.
"Honestly, I think that most people here would prefer that we just moved on," he said.
dhinkel@tribpub.com
