John Catanzara—the controversial head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, Chicago’s largest police union—said Nov. 15 he will retire from the Chicago Police Department, The Chicago Tribune reported.
He made the announcement after he took the stand in a disciplinary hearing that could have ended with his firing.
Catanzara also said he will run for mayor in 2023, alluding multiple times to his combative relationship with current Mayor Lori Lightfoot. He added he went through the first day of the hearing because he wanted to get his claims on record that his former commander, Ronald Pontecore, was “obstructing justice” when he canceled a police report Cantanzara filed against former Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
Police Superintendent David Brown filed charges in January to fire Catanzara, citing a long list of alleged infractions that brought discredit to the department and impeded its mission.
The full article is at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-fop-president-chicago-hearing-20211115-fj7mvorxrfea7h44eezrfvm23u-story.html.