Anthony Abbate gets off with probation!!! (Chicago, Niles: how much, felony, neighborhoods)

[lenniel]

Cop gets probation for beating bartender - Chicago Breaking News (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/cop-to-be-sentenced-for-beating-bartender.html - broken link)

What an Fing joke! This fat tub of lard needs to be behind bars and experiencing a little bit of what he inflicted on that poor bartender.
I don't know how this judge is going to look at himself in the mirror and feel like he administered justice.

[Ron.]

Why are you surprised? The Feds don't convict their own.

[IllNoize]

Originally Posted by Ron.

Why are you surprised? The Feds don't convict their own.

This dirty mother f*in cop Abbate was a CPD not a Federal Agent but I get your point.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Ron.

Why are you surprised? The Feds don't convict their own.

1) He was not a fed.
2) He was not being tried by feds.
3) He was convicted.

Those details aside, one has to wonder how much payoff money was involved in this sentence. But at least this cynical show trial actually led to a conviction rather than the outright acquittal typical of when the system wants to protect one of its own. I suppose that's a tiny bit of progress, but it sure doesn't do much to assuage your average citizen's concern that many cops aren't a big improvement over the thugs they're supposed to protect us from.

[scottl333]

OH MY GOD!!!! A drunk person didnt go to jail after slapping someone around!! OH MY GOD!!!! THE TWO GANGBANGERS WHO SHOT AND KILLED Officer Alejandro Valadez EARLIER THIS MONTH WERE ON PROBATION FOR GUN CHARGES AND NEVER SERVED JAIL TIME!!!! OH MY GOD!!!! THEY VIOLATED THEIR PROBATION NUMEROUS TIMES AND WERE NEVER SENT TO JAIL!!!OH MY GOD!!! I THINK THESE TWO WORTHLESS AND PENNILESS GANGBANGERS PAID OFF THE JUDGE!!!!!OH MY GOD!!!!! Seriously, you people need to get you priorities straight. Why dont you talk about something that actually is worth talking about.

[Drover]

While you may not think so, most of us think systematic corruption is something worth talking about. Most grown-ups also don't live in a zero-sum world where if a cop gets killed by low-life thugs, well then it's perfectly OK if armed cops beat the ever-loving crap out of defenseless, innocent civilians and get away with it, nothing to see here, move along...

[PokerPlayer1]

I've posted my general thoughts on "cops" a bit. I think if anyone has read them, they know I'm the furthest thing from a mindless cop supporter. I'd admit I incline harsh towards them.

With that said, I don't think this sentence is all that out of line.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but he had no prior criminal record, correct?
There wasn't any permanent damage done to the victim, and he's now a felon? Correct?

Punishment enough. If I had to choose between a year in prison on a misdemeanor or a felony conviction with probation, give me the year all ****ing day. Felonies are usually life ending- unfairly so- especially for someone whose career prior to the conviction was as a police officer. What he is now saddled with is punishment enough for getting drunk and slapping someone around.

Yes, it was pretty bad and yeah, the guy is an *******, but given the circumstances involved- emotions aside (which is hard to do in cases like this) probation and a felony tag is adequate, even though the ancillary consequences of the felony conviction aren't fair. The best way to judge cases like this is to step back from the aggrovators and ask yourself how a jury should vote if all things were equal, but the person being judged was a loved one?

Be objective and consider the totality of their life. Is what they did so bad that they deserve the worst possible punishment? Or did they make a single, drunken bad decision- the consequences of which weren't 'life altering' in any way- that isn't reflective of who they otherwise are as a person?

With that said, it works both ways. Cops can't be mindlessly hard-assed dicks and keep a "THROW THE BOOK AT 'EM!" mentality about everyone else, but considerate of the minutiae when it's one of their own in the wrong, just as people who recognize the flaws in the justice system can't be considerate of the details and compassionate when it's Joe Sixpack in court, but out for blood when it's a cop.

[PokerPlayer1]

Originally Posted by scottl333

OH MY GOD!!!! A drunk person didnt go to jail after slapping someone around!! OH MY GOD!!!! THE TWO GANGBANGERS WHO SHOT AND KILLED Officer Alejandro Valadez EARLIER THIS MONTH WERE ON PROBATION FOR GUN CHARGES AND NEVER SERVED JAIL TIME!!!! OH MY GOD!!!! THEY VIOLATED THEIR PROBATION NUMEROUS TIMES AND WERE NEVER SENT TO JAIL!!!OH MY GOD!!! I THINK THESE TWO WORTHLESS AND PENNILESS GANGBANGERS PAID OFF THE JUDGE!!!!!OH MY GOD!!!!! Seriously, you people need to get you priorities straight. Why dont you talk about something that actually is worth talking about.

LOL!
Talk about spinning the argument.

A) This is worth talking about. It isn't to you because you seem to be an unthinking cop supporter and whenever a cop is clearly in the wrong (like, there is clear-cut video tape that can't be ignored; the offending cop can't just throw up a series of prepackaged lies for you to mindlessly get behind, since no one knows what "really happened") well, then, it's "NOT WORTH TALKING ABOUT!" L O ****ing L.

B) Alejandro Valadez has nothing to do with this, nor does the earlier sentences imposed on his killers for unrelated charges have anything to do with this case either. If anything, the position you're taking suggests that you would support a prison sentence for the cop, since judges being considerate of 'the big picture' during sentencing seems to be something you're against, correct? Mandatory minimum? This cop goes to jail without consideration for anything else?

Yeah, there are always the epic failures. The guy who is sentenced to probation only to go out and kill someone a week later, but those are huge outliers.
Remember this. Cops should be judged by the standards applied to everyone else. If you think that judges should always take the hardest line, then so it should be for this guy, too.

[scottl333]

[quote=Drover;9433246]While you may not think so, most of us think systematic corruption is something worth talking about. Most grown-ups also don't live in a zero-sum world where if a cop gets killed by low-life thugs, well then it's perfectly OK if armed cops beat the ever-loving crap out of defenseless, innocent civilians and get away with it, nothing to see here, move along...[/QUOT]

Actually he wasent armed and he didnt beat the crap out of her. He was off duty and she didnt even know he was a cop. Why dont you look at pictures of her face after the incident. He never even got a clear hit on her. Have you seen pictures of Rhianna when Chris Brown beat her up??? Thats getting the ever loving crap out of someone or whatever you call it. He got the sentence he deserved. He got the sentence any other first time offender would have gotten for slapping someone around. You want to talk about misjustice. Look at the sentence Cozzi got for slapping some drunk as#hole in the face. Thats misjustice. When you have people pulling guns out and shooting at people and not getting jail time and this guy gets over three years in a federal jail for that?? Also I was being sarcastic. There was no payoff. The system is corrupt but the judge gave him the sentence any first time offender would get.

[scottl333]

Originally Posted by PokerPlayer1

LOL!
Talk about spinning the argument.

A) This is worth talking about. It isn't to you because you seem to be an unthinking cop supporter and whenever a cop is clearly in the wrong (like, there is clear-cut video tape that can't be ignored; the offending cop can't just throw up a series of prepackaged lies for you to mindlessly get behind, since no one knows what "really happened") well, then, it's "NOT WORTH TALKING ABOUT!" L O ****ing L.

B) Alejandro Valadez has nothing to do with this, nor does the earlier sentences imposed on his killers for unrelated charges have anything to do with this case either. If anything, the position you're taking suggests that you would support a prison sentence for the cop, since judges being considerate of 'the big picture' during sentencing seems to be something you're against, correct? Mandatory minimum? This cop goes to jail without consideration for anything else?

Yeah, there are always the epic failures. The guy who is sentenced to probation only to go out and kill someone a week later, but those are huge outliers.
Remember this. Cops should be judged by the standards applied to everyone else. If you think that judges should always take the hardest line, then so it should be for this guy, too.

Ah no its the position some of these people make. Instead of rising up and saying how unjust it was for those scumbags from englewood to even be on the street, these left of the left people come out and talk about how unjust it was for someone not to get jail time for pushing someone to the ground and not even getting a clear hit on her. They honestly believe that this guy should have gotten 5 years for it. Its called priorities. Theres a reason why there are so many murders in this city and there all in the same neighborhoods. I wonder why.