Head of Chicago Fraternal Order of Police could be fired over inflammatory Facebook posts including one in which he said Muslims 'deserve a bullet'
The head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 could be fired over a number of inflammatory social media posts.
At Thursday's monthly meeting of the Chicago Police Board's disciplinary panel, it was ruled that John Catanzara will face an evidentiary hearing to determine whether or not he keeps his job.
Catanzara is accused of making seditious and profane posts on his Facebook account between November 2016 and February 2018.
In one post, he advocated killing people. In another, he referred to Muslims as 'savages' and suggested they should be shot.
John Catanzara (pictured) is accused of making inflammatory posts on Facebook between November 2016 and February 2018
In one post, Catanzara advocated killing people who had murdered police officers (above)
Catanzara also posted a photo of himself in a police uniform making a political statement (pictured), which is violation of department policy
There are 17 posts cited in the request for review document provided to the Office of the Police Board.
In one post, on November 22, 2016, Catanzara advocated killing people by stating: 'Wtf its [sic] seriously time to kill these motherf*****s.'
The officer claims this comment was in reference to Americans who have killed cops, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
In another post, from January 22, 2017, he referenced a member of the public, writing: '[T]he stupidity of some humans like her only prove the saying…the best part dripped down her moms [sic] leg.'
Just eight days later, Catanzara described Muslims as 'Savages they all deserve a bullet.'
On December 15, 2017, he posted a photo of himself in uniform, making a political statement, which is in violation of department policy.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Catanzara was one of the most frequently disciplined officers of the department before becoming union president.
Since becoming an officer in 1995, he has been the subject of 35 complaints, has been suspended several times and two past police superintendents have tried to fire him on separate occasions.
Sydney Roberts, the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), had called for Catanzara to be fired.
Meanwhile, the police superintendent, David Brown, suggested that he be suspended for one year.
In another post, Catanzara (pictured) referred to Muslims as 'Savages they all deserve a bullet.' Courtesy of Fox News
The Chicago Police Board said Catanzara (pictured), the head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, will face an evidentiary hearing.
Their disagreement triggered a process in which Police Board member Andrea Zopp was randomly chosen to review the case, and made the decision about the evidentiary hearing.
The case will then be decided by the eight other board members at a future date.
'The timing is beyond suspicious. It was rendered by a Rahm Emmanuel disciple which was supposedly 'random,' Catanzara told WGN-TV in a statement.
'Our members have not received any fairness from COPA or the Police Board for several years now. To think I will get a fair hearing is beyond ridiculous.'
COPA praised the decision of the hearing and said it hopes it will end in Catanzara's firing.
'The conduct by the officer expressed bias and animosity toward various minority groups which is especially problematic in a city as diverse as Chicago and negatively impacts the Department's ability to effectively serve its residents,' Ephraim Eaddy, COPA's spokesman, said in a statement, according to the Tribune.
