if he wasn't a cop, he would be in jail!!!!!!

Bad bad call judge!!! He was a cop! Plus, his felony charges could be removed from his record after probation? What the heck.

Absolutely ridiculous. If it was a civilian they would of had the book thrown at them and been made a public example. A minimum sentence for permanently injuring someone is appauling.

Felony charges should stick... even a DUI follows you all your life now...he'll probably be a repeat offender after this slap on the wrist.. shameful sentencing... he probably thought he'd get away with it by fleeing and it looks like he has in a sense. I hope I'm not the next person he leaves for dead. Prayers go out to the victims.

Probation and classes seem like an extremely light sentence for a felony. The parents of the party in the other story got a misdemeanor charge and received a stronger sentence. Guess it's all 'who ya know.'

This is not just a guy that got arrested and convicted for his first DUI,but he is a drunken (convicted DUI) police officer that struck another car and left the scene of the accident disregarding the condition of the victims. Also, putting his fellow officers at risk that pursued him and he gets probation.WHAT????? I guess boo hoo works for cops,not so much for the victims.
Is this an electable judge?If so, he needs to be removed.

Are any of you people here free of sin? What skeletons do you have in your closet? You have no right to make such comments (cast stones), because no person is sinless. And to assume that he would be a repeat offender? How would you like people to "assume" things of you?

Also, I recall hearing stories of how it took second and third offenses before someone finally got jail time. So to give non-cops probation and give jail time to a cop is a disparity in justice.

Must be a tinley park thing. My niece Rosie was killed when her husband, John Haberkamp, drove their SUV into a light pole while he was drunk. No charges there either!

@SR, Social judgement as opposed to religious judgement.Good reason for the separation of church and state.

Jail or not, this has forever changed what I think of the Leonard's. I think you know what I mean, changed forever not for the better. I would be walking with my head down if I were John. Jerk.

@SR, I don't think that people are claiming to be without their own sins. This case generated special awareness because not only was Leonard a cop, he expected other cops, his peers, to stoop to his low level once caught. When they did not cooperate with Leonard's sense of entitlement, he went off on them, lied to them and also left injured victim's behind. I also think that all cops should not be viewed as Leonard just because they have the same career he just threw away. Somebody has enabled this man. Somebody, friends, maybe family have led John to believe this was ok behavior. This does not happen overnight. Cop or not, John acted like a real scum bag and this act will not be forgotten.

@SR, instead of taking the time to defend Leonard, why don't you take a few minutes to share your thoughts about what Mr. Murphy has been through, what he is now suffering from and how it impacts him and how you would feel if you were in Mr. Murphy's shoes???!!! How would you feel if you yourself were hit by John Leonard and permanently injured? Next time someone steps on your toes, injures or insults you, keep this in mind before you say anything or think anything of them - thank you.

i bet that most of the persons on this forum have driven drunk sometime in their lives-smoked some weed- cheated on their wifes or girlfrieds - shop lifited at a store- drove 85 miles a hour in a 45 mph speed zone- etc. most of you need to look in the mirror and take a good look at yourselves.

Thank you Kevin. Yes, most people do not do these things. Well, they don't threaten to sexually assault another cop for not letting them go from and lie about car damage they caused while also having a dumped out glass of Guinness beer in their car. Also, if some people don't realize that when they condemn people for supposedly casting stones against another, they are casting their own stone. Above all, Mr. Leonard was a cop. Someone who not only should have known better but was trained and paid to know better.

Now what friends he has left will get to hear him whine and bitch about having to go to his victim impact classes! Every time the poor guy looks at a bottle of Guiness he will be reminded that he didn't get away!
What about Mr. Murphy? Who is going to do all the tasks that he is now left unable to do? This guy should have to pay for services!

While Leonard has escaped jail time, he and his family will never fully escape this incident and the impression it has left. That is probably the worst punishment. Heck, if he went to jail, people could say he served his time. What can they say now?

To those who are convinced a civilian would get jail time in similar circumstances, I can tell you this is not true. I was a police officer for over 35 years, and I arrested several people in very similar circumstances. They did not get jail time. People usually only get jail time for repeat offenses. I'm not defending what happened here. Leonard has to live with this, and that will not be easy for him or his family.

And many do get jail time. I'm not saying he deserved the max, but getting the minimum sentence is what I think many on here have a problem with. C'mon, it's bad enough with the DUI and the victim having permanent injuries, but let's add hit and run and the other BS stuff concerning Leonard and his then fellow police officers. The icing on the cake is that he was a police officer, paid to protect and serve. Let's not even get started with the possibility in having the felony removed from his record. Thank you for serving as a police officer for so long. I don't know when you retired, but we are suppose to be in an age of being much tougher against drunk drivers.

Baba Wawa, It's a little more then just a DUI!

As for the felony being removed, his lawyer would disagree with you.

ALL of the punishments for DUI are ENTIRELY too light in this state. I have a relative in a LARGE police force, for over 3o years...he has had the 'battle of the bottle' himself...YET, he told me that a big reason why the laws are so slack on DUI type cases is that "Lots of cops drink, lots of them drink too much, and they both know how it is, AND feel like hypocrites for busting people too hard for it. Better to give them a seatbelt ticket and tell them to be careful or have them even call to get a ride. Judges hate putting cops in jail, so unless they kill somebody with witnesses and on purpose, you never see cops go to jail."
Now, I don't KNOW this to be true firsthand, but he told me this with seven or eight of his cop-buddies, all nodding in agreement or saying 'Yep" or something similar.

Having said THAT, I was run down ON purpose by a drunk Cubs fans on opening day a couple of years ago. The OLPD did a great job, got the guy a few blocks away...perfect. He was charged with Aggravated Manslaughter, a felony. He could have gotten seven years, but had no record and was sentenced to three. I got a letter that he was due to be released early. After ten months for trying to KILL somebody, he was out. Because it was criminal, his insurance didn't cover anything.
So, do cops get special treament? It CERTAINLY seems so. DO 'regular' criminals get off too lightly in these cases? It CERTAINLY seems so.
You don't get drunk on accident. Everyting else after that is on you.

People commenting on here need to learn about forgiveness and need find something better to do than make nasty comments about John. I am sure if he could go back in time and do things differently, he would have. The weight and burden he has to carry for this for the rest of his life is punishment enough. Leave the man alone and focus on your own life.

Sorry SR, the real attitudes of Leonard have been exposed. That is something Leonard and family can no longer hide from the public. John held a sense of entitlement to the point that he expected to be let go. As if the officers and society owed it to him and his family. Now the Village of Tinley Park is using public funds to pay their legal fees for the suit Mr. Murphy has filed against them. Therefore, the public has a right to state their comments on this public forum. Amazing, you want everyone to just immediately forgive John on his comments of "So What?", personal injury he caused, expenses incurred etc. but you want to slap the hands of others for making comment on this situation. Amazing. Just amazing. Well, you must be someone who helped build this man's sense of entitlement.

This whole situation is disturbing. Could have been avoided had Leonard just not been so arrogant. This is more than a cop or average citizen pulled over for a DUI. No 38 old drinks and still has the ability to drive and then goes off on a rant like he did without knowing what they are doing or saying and who they are saying it to. God Bless Mr. Murphy. I hopes he fully recovers and hope Mr. Leonard has to pay for all his services.

... Judge Edward Burmila, Jr., called Leonard’s actions “unsettling, almost reprehensible” for having “dishonored himself and (police) officers generally,” he found the maximum penalty too severe in light of “the totality of facts.”

"almost reprehensible” ... really, what does a cop have to do... for his actions to be deem reprehensible ?

Leonard has no criminal background, the judge pointed out...
Yes, no criminal background... that wouldn't be because he is a cop, and is above the Law, now would it ?!

So, when Leonard completes probation without any violations, and the felony charges are vacated from his record, will he be allowed to pursue a law enforcement position in a different city or state ?

Need to look at several things here. 1st and foremost Mr. Leonard messed up. I think he got what he deserved. I work in a courthouse and can tell you that most people with no criminal history get probation. Its just a fact. Cop or no cop. Second, if this man was not a cop this would not even be news. Nobody would be talking about it. Third, if this man was not a cop, he would still have his job. If he was a garbage man, electrician, plumber etc. his union would have paid for his lawyer and he would have kept his job. I for one am glad he lost his job. He deserved that because you people are right he should have known better. But with that said shouldn't every adult know better? Lastly, I remember reading that Mr. Murphy had just had back surgery a week prior to the accident. So do we really know the extent of how much damgage this cop caused? I am sure it did not help but he already had severe back issues. Let's hope Mr. Murphy gets better and lets hope Mr. Leonard has learned a lession and never does it again. I don't know either man I also don't know the whole story. Unless you know either guy you people are listening to the media and I know from working in a courthouse how much they mess up the truth!

Shouldn't the people (Police, Judges, Teachers Mayors etc.) who asked to be placed in a position of public trust and where given that opportunity to serve the Public, be held to a higher standard ?

If they don't uphold the laws, rules and regulations, how can you punish the regular citizen who errs so severely ?

As an retired police officer it saddens me to see how most people resent and wish the worst for police officers when they screw up. In my 20+ years of service I arrested approx. 100 DUI drivers but also gave dozens breaks. And a great majority of the breaks I gave were to normal average citizens who were given rides home or picked up by a family member. And of the 100+ arrests, maybe 5 received jail time. The 95 or so that got probation were mostly do to them being first time offenders and not causing a fatality. I agree that cops need to be held to a higher standard because of the oath they take but I do not believe they should be punished in extreme just because they are cops. The punishment he received may not satisfy the bloodlust in this room but he has already paid a price. He lost his career which a great majority of DUI offenders don't have happen. From what I read it appears his financial situation is in ruins as well. I'm sure he's paying the price as well with his marital relationship. I feel sorry for the injured victim but what good would it serve to jail a non violent ex-cop and father of two young daughters. For everyone who thinks they know what goes on in courtrooms but have never been, I encourage you to sit in on some misdemeanor and felony hearings at the Joliet courthouse. You'll be surprised to see what really goes on. Ok ,let the fireworks begin.

Everybody raise your hand if you are SHOCKED that an officer would stand up for another officer. Sorry Matthew, not to outright dismiss your service or the things you saw and did, but I also DO know personally both what relatives who ARE police (and his cop-friends) told me, AND I know how lightly DUI is taken in general in this state (since I can't speak to other states).
Just for conversation-sake, I'll give you the possiblity he DIDN'T get special treatment. He didn't get enough time, even if he WAS a 'regular' citizen. He could have KILLED people. Why do drunks and their defenders always overlook this fact. People who drive drunk rarely do it once. If you want to play Russian Roulette with YOUR life, and those of YOUR loved ones, you feel free to magically zap all the drunk drivers and yourself and those who want to keep cutting criminals (BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE) a 'break' because THEY have suffered enough, to a secluded land. They don't deserve a 'hardship license' because we all know they abuse that all the time. They deserve a sentence. We keep being told driving is not a right, but a privledge (the argument from law enforcement of why it is constitutional to make seatbelts on adult drivers mandatory, for example). So, I can get a ticket for my seatbelt, which harms NOBODY but me, but vehicular manslaughter, KILLING somebody is five years? Why? Because tickets are revenue, prison costs the state money. I'll bet the man he hit felt he was hit violently, though.

Dave, Don't mistake my saying that he should be treated fairly, which it appears he was, as saying I support DUI drivers. I've seen first hand the devastation drunk drivers cause, far two many times. Having to give parents notice that their 18 daughter was killed in a accident, caused by a drunk driver, is one such incident that is burned in my memory for the rest of my life. Personally I don't consume alcolic beverages except at special occasions and then only in moderation. I am for harsh punishment for DUI drivers as long as it is dished out equally. If the standard is 1 years in jail for a first time offender, then that's fine as long as everyone get that. The problem I have is that everyone here thinks cops get breaks in court but it's usually just the opposite due to the pressure and media attention. There are 1000's of DUI arrests across Cook and Will County each month but we only hear about the ones involving tragic fatalities or the ones involving cops. And most of the fatality ones never get media attention again but the ones involving cops get reprinted over and over. I'm not saying Leonard doesn't deserve to be punished, cause he does, but only in accordance with general practice.

Personally I was embarrassed by his actions and statements upon being stopped and arrested. That is one thing i hated the most when arresting people. That alone deserves a couple nights in county jail. I wish I had a dollar for every drunk that MF'ed and threatened me while intoxicated only to sober up and be a decent human being. Obviously they are a-holes when their inhibitions are removed..

Funny how the cops on this board are so lenient with the entitled drunk. I most certainly do not want someone who has such intimate first-hand knowledge of laws and consequences flouting them in my face and endangering my family.

Judiciary is lock-step with the po-lice. There should at least be a facade of justice here. Did this misfit get a Blow-n-Go interlock on his car? Why not, your Honor?

AGGRAVATED DUI - You know- when you are too drunk to give a hoot that you just smashed into another car and keep 'on drinkin' an drivin'? Playing with his service revolver while drunk? Oh, yeah- he's a trained professional. Even tried to use his official position as a cop to shirk his civic responsibilities. But this is the Republik of Illinois. Vomit.

No, he most certainly wasn't punished like joe citizen would have been. Run through the system.

A comment was made here that most probably don't know Mr. Murphy or Leonard. True. I don't know Mr. Murphy but know Mr. Leonard from town and school. Worst person in the world -no. Head too big for his shoulders - definitely. Now after this incident, I am disgusted and disappointed to know how far the ego was out of control.

He'll do it again they always do!

If you look at statistics in Cook County, the punishment fit the crime. This man had no previous record. The court buildings are filled with DUI offenders the overwhelming majority of whom receive no jail time. In Cook County. I would venture to guess nearly everyone on this board knows a person or two who has a DUI in their past and has not done jail time.

It's not just a DUI and the statistics won't break it down into was it just DUI, was it hit and run also. etc... Look at everything that happened in this situation. Why should he get the felony removed from his record? That would not happen to you or me.
The problem is that he received the minimum sentence and he is a cop. To the normal civilian it just looks like another cop getting a free ride after braking another law. Sorry, cops break many laws, I see it everyday.

I am disappointed in the Village of Tinley Park and the Tinley Park Police Department for kicking Mr. Leonard to the curb. Yes what Mr. Leonard did was wrong, but he has an addiction problem by the looks of it. All I can say is SHAME ON YOU Tinley Park Police Department and the Village of Tinley park for not supporting him. As one of the highest statistically rated professions to become alcoholics I would think that there was something in place to help employees overcome this. Instead, Mr. Leonard is unemployed, filing bankruptcy and has a long haul ahead of him to rectify this error in judgement. The sentence the judge meted out to him was typical for his case whether any of you that are out for his "lynching" know this or not. If you choose to comment about my own OPINION in this.....go ahead. But don't slam me because I have a different opinion than you. If this was your husband/brother/son/father you all would be the first one to yell at his employers for not offering him help!

All I can say is SHAME ON YOU Tinley Park Police Department and the Village of Tinley Park!

My opinion on this incident has been previously posted but I disagree with Joann condemning the Tinley P.D. or the Village on this matter. It's one thing to offer a police officer help for a drinking problem but Leonard took it to the next level when he fled the scene. In committing that felony he sealed his fate. If he would have stayed at the scene, attempted to render help and faced the music like a man, he could have possibly saved his job and career. As soon as he made his decision, even though it was impaired, to flee the scene he lost all hope of support from his department and village.

And for everyone making up their own statistics about how cops get breaks when the average person does not, here are real statistics on DUI's for 2008.

• More than 48,000 people were arrested for DUI in Illinois in 2008 — an average of 130 every day.
• The "Average" Illinois DUI Offender:
-Male (79 percent of DUI arrests)
-Age 34 (more than 60 percent are under age 35)
-Arrested between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on a weekend
-Caught driving with a BAC of .16 (twice the legal limit)
-A first-time offender (83 percent have no prior DUI
Conviction)
•The Criminal Charges
— 31 percent resulted in convictions (23 percent of first
offenses and 75 percent of repeat offenses).
— 63 percent received court supervision (probation).
— 6 percent received other dispositions, including
dismissals, acquittals or convictions for lesser charges
such as reckless driving.

•Other Notable DUI Stats
-12,000 — Annual deaths attributed to drunk driving
nationwide
-400 — Fatal alcohol-related crashes in Illinois each
year
-1.4 million — Drunk driving arrests in the U.S. each
year
-50 to 75 percent — Estimated people who continue
driving while suspended for DUI
-64 percent — Estimated reduction in repeat DUIs from
ignition interlock laws
-65 percent — Americans who support ignition interlock
-87 percent — Americans who support sobriety
checkpoints
-49,527 — Three-time DUI offenders in Illinois
-5,659 — Five-time DUI offenders in Illinois
-5.6 percent — Motorcyclists who are under the
influence (.08)
-0.3 percent — Minivan drivers who are under the
influence
-$16,000 — Total average cost of a DUI conviction,
according to the Illinois Secretary of State

Thanks for the stats Matt. I appreciate your service with the Police Department.

@ Matthew - Thank you for all the stats. I agree with you, this whole scene changed when Leonard fled (mistake #2 - mistake #1 is the DUI itself), had dumped open beer in his car along with a gun and box of bullets out in the open (mistake #3), said "So What?...." (mistake #4), Lied about the car damage (mistake #5), told the officers they should be "taking care of him" (mistake #6) and threatened to sexually assault his fellow officers when they did not comply to his requests (mistake #7). It is just disturbing. And ultimately, Leonard is just getting back what he gave unfortunately. You dish it, you have to take it. Sorry "SR", not everyone just forgives so easily just because he is "a Leonard". No one cares about that. As John likes to say "So What?".

@dash - while everyone here may not know Leonard, it is a lot to assume that no one here does not know him from Tinley Park or from school. He has lived in the area for 38 years.

People need to realize that not everything the media/news reports is true. Information is often twisted, exargerrated, or left out and then there are plain lies. It is foolish for anyone to believe everything they hear or read.

@Matthew, thank you for your comments, insight, statistics and especially your service. You seem like a knowledgeable and caring police officer, the kind of professional that the public needs for their protection. I understand that a good officer should have some latitude in making arrests, but I can’t help cringe, when you speak of letting DUI offenders off, at times. The statistics that you gave show the gravity of this crime. I would rather see more arrests, convictions and jail time considering the terrible consequences that can be caused by drunken drivers.

Great points, Dave. Forty some years ago when I started driving the tolerance for drunken drivers was higher and thought to actually be funny when it occurred.Over the years laws have become stricter and awareness of drunken driver disasters have heightened.I am dismayed when reading the accounts from Patch and other news sources about the continuing dui problems in our area, considering all the supposed awareness about the hazards of drunk driving. If you put together all the comments and experiences of police arrests, non arrests, coverups, light court sentencing, apathy for the victims, people that side with dui drivers, it might explain the high frequency of duis.

I'll never forget a few years ago some friends and I were leaving a Blackhawks game. We were all very drunk, including a local suburban police chief. I was staying downtown with my date so we took a cab to her place. My other friends drove home in one car. That car was driven by the police chief even though it was not his car, but he drove because he said if they get pulled over, he would talk to the that cop and we will be on our way again. Note: This police chief is known to be a stickler against drunk drivers.

Mike jones:

I'll give you an example I saw last week. I'm driving on a residential side street (25 MPH speed limit in Tinley Park) I'm driving along and this cop car (no lights or sirens on) comes flying by me (scared the shit out of me, since I didn't even know were it came from) Must have been driving 60mph street that is lined with houses on both sided with front lawns facing the street. I just figured something must be up. I caught up to him since he was stopped at a very long red light. The light turned green and we both turned onto the intersecting street. His lights or siren never did come on. HHHmmmmm... if it was an emergency or something he had to get to, why no lights?, why stop at the red light? No, he was just doing 60 or so on a side street lined with residential houses and kids living in these houses. I was able to get the car# while at the stop light and I called the police station and got transferred to the police chief. He apologized for what he saw and said that he would talk to that cop about it. lol Yeah, that conversation really happened.

The thing is I see cops going way over the speed limit with no lights on, I see cops making illegal u turns many times and they never turn there lights on. I know a few cops and have for most of life and have long conversations with them. They all feel they can get out of any traffic stop, since they are a cop

HB: So I have read through all the comments. And in trying to get a quick answer to a very detailed response, I’ve incorporated comments I’ve already read and agreed with. What disturbs me most is how people who don’t know the whole situation, know the individuals, are guessing as to if this is his first offense and predicting that there will be more, the sheer hatred that this being voiced and how people would really love to have a public hanging of this man and to have the balance of justice swing far to the other side. All I’m saying is what if it was you? What if it was your first offense and you made a really bad mistake, hoped to learn from that and hope to be given a second chance but people wanted their pound of flesh from you, felt you were unredeemable?

I agree too that we’re forgetting the victim in this case and my heart goes out to him as well and I wish him a speedy recovery and thankfully he survived that crash and can go on with his life.

First, I agree, that the punishments for DUI offenses in this state are taken entirely too lightly.

HB continued

But that being what it is, I know some civilians who did not get jail time for first or second offenses so just because John is a cop that he should get a harsher sentence than what is dictated by the law seems to be a disparity in justice. Obviously, John Leonard has to live with this, and that will not be easy for him or his family. Their lives too will forever be changed because of this serious lack in judgment, one to drink to that extent, then to get behind the wheel and obviously his judgment was so impaired he did the one thing you shouldn’t do after a crash, leave the scene.

He messed up. But I think he got what he deserved. Also I agree with a previous statement: Second, if this man was not a cop this would not even be news. Nobody would be talking about it. Third, if this man was not a cop, he would still have his job. If he was a garbage man, electrician, plumber etc. his union would have paid for his lawyer and he would have kept his job. I for one am glad he lost his job. He deserved that because you people are right he should have known better. But with that said shouldn't every adult know better?” Ultimately since he was in the position he was in (and to have the public’s trust) and for him to leave the accident like he did that maybe his returning to that line of work would not be the best even if he had been afforded the opportunity of rehabilitation.

HB Continued:

In the public sector someone with dependency problems gets the chance to go to rehab without losing their jobs. Should our public servants not have the same opportunity, especially if that police officers are one of the highest statistically rated professions to become alcoholics. The situations and stressors that they are put in their line of duty. Obviously, what John did was severe enough to be labeled not just a fluke but a problem and to have a problem like that and to have the Village of Tinley Park and the Tinley Park Police Department to fire him without having him seeking treatment, seems wrong. But we’ll never know if he could have sought treatment, found a second chance. I agree that the punishment he received may not satisfy the bloodlust in this room but he has already paid a price. He lost his career, he’s losing his home, his ability to take care of his family. A great majority of DUI offenders don't have happen.

To say that people who are not in public service never get let go due to substance abuse or any other chronic physical or mental issue is not true. It is true that public service positions do get more media attention due to the very nature of the job, who they serve and who contributes to their salaries - the tax payers. The press could be good or it could be for the worse. When John's father passed, he received great well deserved positive media credits for the time he gave to the law enforcement profession. Not everyone receives that credit in the news upon their death regarding their years of hard work. So for better or for worse, the Leonard family has fortunately and unfortunately received media regarding how they contributed to this profession. The most recent mentions of course are obviously much harder to swallow.

Mike, fair enough with the what you learned from the ride along, that may explain some of the stuff I see. But that does not offset what I have heard in discussions with friends of mine who are cops. It does not offset the story (mentioned in a previous post) that I witnessed first hand about a local police chief. I don't think my cop friends they lying to me or trying to act cool and exaggerating the truth, they are telling me some of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on. I don't think the cops on ride alongs would tell you any of that. No, I don't have any problems with police officers in general, I have had quite a few as friends. I have a problem with the decent handful of them that use their position as police officers to act arrogant, entitled and above the law. There are some of those on every police force. To think there is not, is completely naive.

Let me add, that Mr. Leonard is one of the cops I speak of, who is arrogant, has a sense of entitlement and acts above the law. Because of this he does not deserve the minimum sentence he received

Kevin, you opinion of most cops is pretty poor, which is your right, and yet you have a lot of friends that are cops that you hang out with. And from what I've been reading in your posts their personalities are not much different than the bad cops you speak of. So why are you hanging out with these guys? Are you hoping that if you ever get in a jam and you pull out 10 cops business cards, that you too might catch a break. You know I also feel the same way but about lawyers. But guess what I don't hang out with lawyers. Talk about arrogant, self entitled people. They get more breaks in court than the cops do. ; )

Matthew, you really need to stop making poor assumptions since you don't know me. I'm talking on here about a very few cops in number on police forces. I believe there are a couple of these guys on every police force. Again, you would be very naive to nto think so. This is not most cops as you say. MOST cops are wonderful people. The cops I am friends with recounted their own personal stories that they have seen on police forces they work for or have worked for, They did not mention any names and I didn't ask. I really doubt my cop friends have not done any of these things.
My cop friends are few in number, not many like you're assuming. They are friends that go back along time. You assume that I would call on my cop friends to help me out of a jam. Incorrect, I have never have asked one of my cop friends for any kind of favor, that is not my style. You must have missed the post were I say that I own up to my mistakes I make in life, something Leonard does not. I have the guts on here to say what many already now is true about some cops. So no, my opinion on SOME cops is not poor at all, it is spot on, an opinion that is based on incidents I have witnessed first hand, incidents told to me by other cops, incidents that are reported on the media and just some common sense.

Matthew re; lawyers
There are some lawyers who are not arrogant or self entitled people, but I will agree that most fit in that category you have them in. I have only one lawyer as a friend as it is smart for everyone to have a lawyer as a friend.

Kevin, I will retract what I said now that you made it more clear. But in several of your posts it sounded like you where painting most cops with the same brush. During my career I have met 100's of other cops. A small percentage were total a-holes, sober. But the vast majority were decent family oriented people. I would trust most with my life as I did for many years on a daily basis. I have spoke to several of my friends on the Tinley PD who have told me Leonard was a decent guy that was well liked by most of the other officers. I am not sticking up for him because what he did and the way he acted afterwards was reprehensible. He has scarred the reputation of the Tinley Park police department and has tarnished police officers in general. But to treat him more harsh than the average offender is not fair. With that said I agree DUI offenders in general get off too easy. First offense should be automatic ignition Interlock system installed at their own expense and minor jail time. If that's not a wake up call enough then second offense should be minimum 3 months in jail. 3rd offense they should get the book thrown at them. The problem is our jails are overcrowded and jailing non violent people takes a backseat to other criminals. I'm glad the media keeps things like this alive only to help deter or make some young officers out there, with a big heads, see that with one mistake their entire career can be over in the blink of an eye.

Sorry, I don't believe this was only caused by the influence of alcohol and a potential problem with booze. I think their is some underlying sense of entitlement in this incident with Leonard.

Thank you to the New Lenox Police for not giving in to this man and doing the right thing. Thank you also to the Village of Tinley Park for not keeping him on the force. Leonard clearly does not know how to behave when he does not get what he wants.

@ Ron, you are so right, good call on commending the New Lenox Police !
As for Village of Tinley Park, i don't believe they were left a choice !

@ Ron, Sorry meant to say... "I believe they weren't left a choice !"

Just do not see this as all related to a personal problem with alcohol. Sorry.