Shielded From Public View, Misconduct by Corrections Staff in Illinois Prisons Received Scant Discipline

Written By Madelyn S

ProPublica, June 10, 2022: Shielded From Public View, Misconduct by Corrections Staff in Illinois Prisons Received Scant Discipline

…”When internal affairs investigated, another employee identified the officer in the video as Fike, who had already been suspended in 2014 for reasons that are not public, and again in 2015 for violations of ‘standards of conduct.’ This time around, Fike told investigators that he wasn’t sure if it was him and that ‘he did not recall losing control’ and that he had ‘kept it professional.’ But the prison investigators ruled that accusations of excessive force were substantiated based on the testimony of other officers and on the video. Fike received a written reprimand, which was then expunged from his record by the warden, according to documents from internal affairs — though no explanation for the expungement is given.

“What was remarkable about these cases was not the findings, however, but what happened next. Two years later, in 2018, Fike was promoted to lieutenant. How could a correctional officer disciplined three times in three years be promoted? WBEZ and ProPublica tried to find out.”

Madelyn S
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