CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Cook County Sheriff's Office said an Illinois Supreme Court ruling Thursday could cost taxpayers millions of dollars in backpay for sheriff’s officers who were suspended while facing disciplinary proceedings.
In a 4-3 decision, Supreme Court justices sided with officers who sued Sheriff Tom Dart in 2017 after they were suspended without pay while they faced disciplinary proceedings before the office’s merit board.
The Illinois Supreme Court decided that a lawsuit brought by the officers may continue through the court system.
According to the Sun-Times, Sheriff Tom Dart’s office complained about the decision saying it will make it harder to fire bad officers and rewards officers who engaged in criminal, unethical, and despicable behavior.
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“Today’s Illinois Supreme Court decision is a catastrophic blow to law enforcement accountability,” sheriff’s office spokesman Matthew Walberg said in an emailed statement. “The decision rewards employees who engaged in criminal, unethical and despicable conduct at the expense of Illinois taxpayers.”
Lawyers for the disciplined officers said the court is saying their clients are entitled to due process.