Fired Top Cop Drove Drunk, Lied About Ordering Probe: New Report

CHICAGO — Former top cop Eddie Johnson got a police escort on a boozy drive home after officers found him slumped behind the wheel of his vehicle last year, according to a new inspector general report released Thursday.

Inspector General Joe Ferguson's investigation determined Johnson drove a city vehicle under the influence of alcohol, committed various traffic violations and lied — to the public and Mayor Lori Lightfoot — about driving while intoxicated and launching an investigation into the Oct. 17 traffic stop that ultimately got him fired, according to the summary report.

Johnson also allowed his former driver, a female police officer on his security detail, to drive a city vehicle after the two he had been drinking "several large servings of rum" at a downtown restaurant, the report said. Video shows Johnson drove from the restaurant, dropped the woman off at police headquarters at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 16 and allowed her to drive away, according to the report.

When asked if Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx office is considering pursuing criminal charges against Johnson, a spokeswoman told Patch the prosecutor's office has contacted city Inspector General Joe Ferguson and is "determining the next steps."

Private security footage showed that at 10:39 p.m. the former police superintendent parked his car illegally at 34th and Aberdeen, the location where officers found him about 2 hours later, following a 911 call reporting a man asleep behind the wheel of running vehicle, the report said.

Police body cam video, which was released last month, showed Johnson appeared to wake up when officers knocked on the vehicle's window.

Sir? Sir? You Alright? You good?" the officer can be heard asking on the video. "Got your ID?"

About 45 seconds later, Johnson lifted an ID card up to the window. The officer asked Johnson, "You just sitting here or you wanna go home?"

Johnson said, "I'm good." The officer replied: "You good? Alright, sir. Have a good night."

Police did not perform chemical or field-sobriety tests at the scene, according to the inspector general's report. The video shows the officer walking away from the vehicle as Johnson drives off.

The inspector general's summary report, the most detailed account of the incident released so far, stated that police followed Johnson as he drove away at 12:49 a.m. The former top cop turned right on 34th Street, "the opposite direction" of his nearby house, rolled through a stop sign, and made a "slow, wide right turn" into the wrong lane on Racine Avenue, the report said. GPS records showed two police vehicles that were on the scene of the traffic stop traveled to "the area of the superintendent's residence" at 12:51 a.m., according the investigation summary, which was released as part of the inspector general's quarterly report.

Johnson spoke to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her chief of staff after the incident. During those conversations Johnson "admitted in passing" to having a "couple drinks with dinner." He also claimed to have pulled over because he felt ill due to an "issue with his medication earlier in the week," and stated he instructed responding officers to "initiate a complaint against him," the report said.

The investigation determined Johnson inaccurately portrayed the circumstances of the traffic stop at a news conference when he claimed it was due to a"medical episode" while omitting the key detail that he had been drinking before driving.

The report also said Johnson made two false statements to the public:

• Johnson falsely claimed he was "out with a group of friends for dinner," when he was alone with the female police officer.
• Johnson claimed he had instructed the police department's bureau of internal affairs to investigate the incident when, in fact, he did not.

Johnson twice declined to be interviewed by the inspector general's office, according to the report. Ferguson's office recommended that Johnson be fired and placed him on the city's do-not-rehire list. Mayor Lightfoot fired Johnson on Dec. 2.

On May 29, the inspector general's office provided the police department with two summary reports related to the conduct of Johnson's former driver and how police handled the Oct. 17 traffic stop. The police department has until July 28 to respond.

Details of those findings, recommendations and any disciplinary actions taken will be released in the future, according to the inspector general's office.