Democratic Legislator To Sue Chicago Police Department Over An Illegal Firearm-Related Arrest
Rep. Curtis Tarver II (D-25th) plans to sue the Chicago Police Department following an illegal firearm-related arrest that was later dismissed by the Cook County State's Attorney office. The incident, which took place in November 2019, originated from a clerical error, which the CPD acknowledged.
Tarver alleges that the police violated his Constitutional rights after they allegedly detained the legislator for several hours and denied him the opportunity to make phone calls. The democrat also claims that the police tried to coerce him to "take the charge." Additionally, he alleged that the officers drove his car to the police station instead of using a tow truck.
"Although the possession of my disclosed firearm was legal, I was subjected to unjust treatment by officers, which included being pulled over by six police cars in my district and being handcuffed to [sic] bench for nearly seven hours," Tarver claimed.
The African American legislator was stopped for a malfunctioning light when the officers discovered his expired carry permit. Authorities had withdrawn his carry permit because of an expired Firearm Owner's Identification Card (FOID), which was renewed two days before the encounter with the police. However, the changes had not propagated through the CPD's computer system, leading to his arrest.
"While I had no way of knowing, this renewal purportedly was not yet reflected in Chicago Police Department records. The department acknowledged that my FOID was valid as of November 16," Tarver said last year. "This was two days prior to the traffic stop, indicating that the concealed carry license should also be valid."
Tarver pointed out that his sister's arrival at the scene changed the charge from a felony to an individual bond (I-Bond) release.
"It's feeding into that same screwed-up narrative," Tarver said. "It should not take having a sister who's a lawyer to show up for me to talk to somebody."
Tarver also claims that his arrest was due to his race, adding that a white woman would have been treated differently. Unfortunately, his racial discrimination claim doesn't cut it, considering that the information on CDP's system informed the officers' decision to arrest him.
The legislator can only blame himself for supporting unnecessary and convoluted gun laws that transform gun licensing into a nightmare. Tarver's case should serve as a precautionary tale for other Democrats, enacting such laws to hurt gun owners. The convoluted gun control laws they enact could trap them and other law-abiding citizens into felons overnight.
Coincidentally, the legislator was right about having a lawyer sister to solve the situation. Many ordinary, law-abiding Americans go through untold financial woes to clear such unwarranted charges originating from their need to keep their families safe.
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