New allegations surface against rogue Chicago police officers in SOS unit

New lawsuit by teen targets members of the Special Operations Section, who have been convicted of illegal searches, stealing money and trumped-up charges

By Annie Sweeney, Tribune reporter

On a summer evening six years ago, Jose Fematt and his younger sister did what most kids do as the day fades — they changed into their pajamas and planted themselves on the front-room couch to watch television.

Outside the three large windows of the first-floor apartment, Jose, 13, who was baby-sitting his sister, heard a commotion and saw the glow of flashlights in the dark. Suddenly, the family’s apartment door crashed open, and plainclothes Chicago police officers barged in with their guns drawn and yelling at the stunned children, according to a recently filed lawsuit.

The officers were part of the Special Operations Section, or SOS, an elite squad that investigated drugs and guns. They were also rogue cops who were later convicted of terrorizing numerous residents with home invasions, illegal searches and trumped-up charges in one of the department’s most infamous scandals. The unit was disbanded in 2007.

via New allegations surface against rogue Chicago police officers in SOS unit – Chicago Tribune.