Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Police officers in Chicago and across the country are required by oath to uphold the law. Because of this, they are often held to a higher standard of personal conduct than average citizens.

But on occasion, when officers find themselves on the wrong side of the law, there have been instances of reported preferential treatment.

That is alleged to be the case in a Chicago car accident involving an off-duty police officer accused of a fatal hit-and-run DUI that tragically resulted in the death of a young teen.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the future of a veteran Chicago Police Officer Richard Bolling is in the hands of a jury in Cook County, following a crash that killed a 13-year-old on a bicycle.

The newspaper reports it was two years ago when Bolling, who was off-duty, wrapped up a night of drinking at a nearby bar and got behind the wheel. That's when he allegedly struck the young bicyclist.

But instead of immediately administering a blood alcohol test, the other officers who arrived on scene delayed it by several hours, resulting in a lower test result measuring just under the legal limit.

One officer testified that her superior ordered her not to give the test right away. Instead, police took their fellow officer to a nearby bathroom and allowed him to wash up before requiring him to take the test.

Our Chicago car accident lawyers believe everyone should receive equal treatment under the law. The law is clear: No one should be immune to the consequences of his or her actions.

Car accidents and other cases involving police or other public officials accused of criminal actions require a law firm with the expert knowledge and resources to tackle what can turn out to be a complex and high profile situation.

Taxpayers expect that police, with the primary function of upholding the statutes set forth by lawmakers, will conduct unbiased investigations in their every day work. And our Chicago accident attorneys recognize that most police officers do this with integrity.

But when law enforcement officers are charged with investigating their own in a car crash, it becomes even more important to have an independent analysis of a crash scene.

Much has been written about what is known as the police "Code of Silence," which refers to police helping police by not talking when one of their own finds themselves in trouble.

A comprehensive study in 2000 by The National Institute of Ethics uncovered some disturbing facts about this unspoken code.

Of more than 1,000 full-time police officers who responded to a confidential questionnaire, 46 percent reported witnessing misconduct by a colleague which they concealed. Of those, 8 percent said the misconduct was perpetrated by a superior.

According to the Tribune, Bolling was a veteran narcotics officer. Evidence presented at trial included a video recording in which a high-ranking officer at the scene of the fatal crash told Bolling he would try to help him out as much as possible.

For his alleged actions that night, Bolling is facing charges of aggravated DUI, leaving the scene of a fatal crash and reckless homicide.