The Chicago Sun-Times reported the following:
… a high-ranking officer was recently demoted and placed on paid administrative leave after being charged with drunken driving and possession of a handgun following a traffic accident.
By voluntarily resigning his $147,000-a-year job as deputy district chief — and returning to the lesser rank of battalion chief — Loyal Nichols Jr. now has union protection, officials said.
That’s significant because the union contract includes a policy of “progressive discipline,” with specific steps that must be followed before union members can be punished for transgressions.
Nichols’ criminal case, meanwhile, still is wending its way through the court system.
“CFD member Loyal Nichols was arrested on charges concerning an accident in his personal car while off-duty,” fire department spokesman Larry Langford said via email. “The Police Department tells us he was charged with leaving the scene, driving under the influence and having a weapon in the car.”
The complete article which goes well beyond the scope of this incident can be found HERE.
