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Following is a summary of professional courtesy among police officers for viewers and members of GCA Forums News. This response explains the concept and its connection to the “unwritten code of silence,” its occurrence, including that of Chicago policemen, the legal implications, and the possible repercussions such as discipline, suspension, firing, or arrest. The evaluation is based on basic assumptions, practices, contemporary context, and legal vernacular as of March 22, 2025, while avoiding made-up details on evidentially unsustainable claims.
GCA Forums News: Professional Courtesy Among Police Officers: The Blue Shield
What is Professional Courtesy Among Police Officers?
- Professional “courtesy” in law enforcement describes an unofficial practice where police officers show leniency towards fellow officers or their family members, as well as other law enforcement-affiliated people (e.g., those who ‘name-drop’ a cop) during normal encounters, such as traffic stops or petty crimes.
- This could mean letting go of a speeding citation, disregarding a minor traffic infraction, or, more drastically, choosing not to arrest someone for offenses such as drunken driving (DUI).
- It is often framed as a gesture of trust.
- This is because of the shared appreciation and understanding of the unique stresses and dangers of the job – the “we take care of our own” attitude.
- It is not inscribed in official police manuals or laws.
- Still, it is instead an unwritten rule practiced in several police departments.
- This is different, yet mistakenly intertwined, with the “blue code of silence,” which describes the tendency of officers not to disclose unethical behavior of fellow officers.
- While the code of silence usually protects the most serious abuses like brutality and corruption, silence in ‘professional courtesy’ tends to surround less serious infractions bordering on perks associated with police authority rather than criminal behavior.
Is Professional Courtesy a “Get Out of Jail Free Card”?
- The assumption that these guys extend police courtesy to every offense and, therefore, offer a “get out of jail free card” is an overgeneralization.
- Even if not entirely so, in reality, it is with more discretion than systemically absolved:
Traffic Offences:
- An officer might overlook a fellow police officer or their spouse’s ‘forgiveness’ for an infraction like speeding or failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, more so when the infraction is trivial and doesn’t pose a serious risk.
- Depending on the situation, claiming “My brother’s a sergeant in x department” has some weight and can be used to shorten the conversation.
DUI Cases:
- The gravity of a DUI offense and its impact on public safety makes extending courtesies to these cases rare and riskier.
- Courtesy is seldom shown.
- That said, a few stories suggest this has occurred.
- Perhaps an officer might take an intoxicated co-worker home instead of arresting and processing them.
- Or they could choose not to do any sobriety tests.
- Family members or people with connections are not likely to receive this courtesy unless they’re directly related to the officer and the officer has a personal incentive to help them.
- There is some history behind this in Chicago.
- Veterans and local lore claim that long ago, a culture among the CPD extended courtesy beyond colleagues.
- Professional courtesy was even extended to officers from other Illinois and out-of-state departments.
- It was common practice to flash a badge or assert some affiliation to CPD as enough of a pass for traffic stops.
- While this is not as readily accepted now due to so much scrutinization and accountability, some loose forms still survive, particularly among older cops or small suburban police forces.
Prevalence and Examples
- The term’ professional courtesy’ is not confined to Chicago or Illinois.
- It exists throughout the United States, albeit with differing degrees of tolerance.
Chicago Context:
- With a considerable force (historically over 12,000 officers) and a powerful union presence (Fraternal Order of Police).
- Professional courtesy was rampant in the CPD in the 20th century.
- Countless accounts from the 1980s and 1990s of officers in less guarded environments letting off their peers for minor infractions, particularly during periods with less dashcam or bodycam oversight.
- Sparse hard data on courtesy-specific incidents makes systematic study difficult due to their informal nature.
- Still, an investigation into CPD misconduct by the Invisible Institute in 2017 suggested such leniency exists.
Illinois and Beyond:
- Professional courtesy is extended to a CPD officer from other smaller departments in Illinois, such as those in Cook or DuPage Counties, as a nod to Chicago’s regional influence.
- On a national scale, most officers, including those from other states, do not have the same bias.
- A 2004 survey conducted by the National Police Foundation found that 70% of officers surveyed admitted some willingness to numb the rules of engagement with fellow officers.
- This includes even including traffic violations.
High-Profile Cases:
- One example is from New Jersey in 2011, where a state trooper was not charged with DUI after crashing his car, supposedly due to courtesy from the responding officers.
- Or LA in the 1990s, where an off-duty LAPD officer was drunk in public.
- But instead of arresting him, he was driven home.
Is Extending Professional Courtesy a Crime?
- In the legal realm, courtesy is within a professional gray area.
- It doesn’t constitute a crime unless some conditions are met.
Not a Crime Per Se:
- Under discretion, law enforcement can dismiss minor traffic infractions, like exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph.
- In most states, including Illinois, law enforcement is not obligated to issue a ticket for every violation they observe.
- VV verbal warnings are acceptable. It is fundamental to the nature of policing, meaning minor courtesies are permissible without legal consequences.
Criminal Threshold:
- When courtesy ignores serious crimes such as Driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration far over the limit (for example, 0.25 in the Wysocki case), the charge moves to misconduct or obstruction of justice.
- Illinois law under 720 ILCS 5/31-1 defines obstructing justice as willfully interfering with an investigation.
- It would apply if an officer covering a fellow officer’s back lies in a report or does not give a breathalyzer because the officer does not want to implicate a friend.
- For lesser felonies or greater endangerment, the offense could escalate to **unofficial misconduct** (720 ILCS 5/33-3), a Class 3 felony, meaning a 2 to 5-year prison term.
Practical Risk:
- Officers have a range of defenses.
- They may claim discretion or “lack of probable cause” to justify criminal intent.
- Thus, charges of professional courtesy crimes are extraordinarily uncommon unless there is gross misconduct, such as bribery or tampering with evidence.
Disciplinary Actions: Suspension, Dismissal, or Charges?
- Prosecution is rare, but a courtesy may invite internal disciplinary measures, especially in modern accountability frameworks.
Discipline:
- Internal handles most… even CPD has policies against exercising favoritism or exercising undue control.
- The Rules and Regulations (for example, Rule 2: “Any conduct prejudicial to the efficiency of the Department”) might do in an officer’s head for the courtesy extended on grantable terms.
- How about a drunk officer driving away from work unattended?
- Repercussions range from reprimands to short (1-30 days) suspensions, more or less, based on how serious the offense is and how well it is documented.
Suspension:
- For cover-up DUIs, especially those that have not gone viral on bodycams or yelled by bystanders, longer suspension (30+) is possible.
- There is COPA in Chicago that investigates misconduct allegations.
- When findings are sustained, they can lead to suspension recommendations.
- Over 3,000 complaints were worked on by COPA in 2022.
- Though courtesy data isn’t isolated, many, if not most, are likely tied to favoritism.
Firing:
- Termination of courtesy is rather difficult.
- Only in the case of utmost enablement dance does obedience to required outside boundaries occur, like a courtesy pulled for someone who gets into a fatal crash.
- These are the kinds of things the Chicago Police Board—custodians of the major… some would say ridiculous cases—have fired officers in the middle of by courtesy already granted attending unmarked leave.
- There are 81 decertifications between 2001-2021, per the Pulitzer Center.
- Still, courtesy is unlikely to be brought this far without justified reasoning unless it is routine or serious compliance.
Arrest:
- An officer could be arrested if courtesy turns into provable crimes, such as bribery, in exchange for ignoring a DUI or record tampering.
- Still, much like in other jurisdictions, the “blue wall” seems to protect these behaviors from prosecution unless they are perpetrated by whistleblowers or supported by irrefutable evidence, such as video footage.
Chicago in Context and Today’s Focus
- Following the 2014 reforms, including the killing of Laquan McDonald and the use of body cameras in 2017, Chicago’s history of professional courtesy has significantly diminished.
- CPD’s consent decree with the Illinois Attorney General entered in 2019 increased controllable courtesy and courtesy without clear justification, increasing the risk of overt courtesy.
- Nonetheless, stubborn cultural lag remains—older officers may continue to perceive courtesy as an entitlement.
- In comparison, newer officers have been trained under closer supervision and are more cautious.
- Illinois suburbs and other states such as New York and California exhibit similar trends: courtesy survives without oversight.
Social Impact and Ethics
- Some analysts state that professional courtesy erodes trust in law enforcement, claiming, “What message is sent to the public when a police officer’s spouse receives preferential treatment for a ticket?”
- It certainly doesn’t help the perception of a dual system of justice, particularly with DUIs where risk to the public is involved.
- Supporters argue that classifying it as a courtesy is more of a morale booster, similar to the complimentary meals awarded to officers at many diners, rather than an offense.
- Reality exists somewhere between these two positions.
- Customary etiquette is a part of people’s behavior, but covering for more serious wrongdoings goes too far.
Final Remarks – Is a Tradition Disappearing?
- Unlike Hollywood’s “code of silence,” professional courtesy is not left unexplained or blanketed.
- It exists within its context, which is socially constructed by the bonds and risks involved in a given situation or relationship.
- It has undergone some changes due to technological advancements and restructuring.
- For now, it persists in the background as part of police culture.
- Still, it does pose hard questions.
- Is this a justified fringe benefit for a thankless duty, or is it a betrayal of sworn duty and an equal application of the law?
- It demonstrates, for the GCA Forums News audience, that professional courtesy, regardless of scale, is dangerous for the integrity of law enforcement officials.
- Too much courtesy and not enough accountability marks the police force and not upholding the promises made.
This summary combines understanding history, considering the law, and reviewing the culture. Ask for more detailed analyses of particular cases, Chicago’s reform attempts, or comparisons to other states.
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Cops are no longer above the law anymore. I remember in rhs late 1980s through the 2000s any cop who ticketed another police officer or charged the other police officer with drunk driving or arrested the cop would be black listed. Extending professional courtesy was the norm. However, things have changed.
This is one of those stories where you can dig forever and never reach the bottom.
For starters, Ben Opelt is a now-former lieutenant with the Camden Police Department in Arkansas. On December 1, 2019 he was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence. Eight days later, Opelt was fired.
Sort of. Because terminating a police officer is often the start, rather than the end of a process.
Despite his having been terminated in December 2019, that firing is only now approaching finality. And it could have easily been reversed. In the wake of his termination, Opelt contested his dismissal in a proceeding before the Camden Civil Service Commission. That hearing concluded on February 22, 2020, resulting in a 500+ page case record, the revelation of signfiicant new information, and ultimately a decision upholding Opelt’s firing.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. On March 20, 2020, Ben Opelt filed a civil lawsuit appealing the determination of the Camden Civil Service Commission. That lawsuit was finally resolved on June 18, 2021, after Opelt requested voluntary dismissal without prejudice. His request was granted and the case was terminated without prejudice — meaning Opelt can refile if he wishes.
Wondering why he voluntarily dismissed his appeal?
Because he finally pleaded guilty to the criminal charges. From 2019.
In early June of this year, Ben Opelt was adjudicated guilty of driving while under the influence and refusal to submit to breath alcohol testing. A separate charge of failure to maintain control of his vehicle was dismissed.
Opelt was sentenced to six months probation and a mandatory DWI class. If he fails to attend the class within 90 days, he could face a ten day jail sentence. Opelt’s drivers license was also (finally) suspended and he was ordered to pay $850 in fines.
The “finally” is because Opelt had originally prevailed at a hearing before the “Office of Driver Control,” where he argued that he had been exhibiting signs of a concussion — not intoxication — at the accident scene, and there was no evidence of intoxication.
At the Civil Service Commission hearing the police department was represented by Chief of Police Boyd Woody. There was no attorney present on behalf of the agency, which makes their having prevailed all the more significant.
Notably, in 2016 Opelt was demoted from sergeant to officer and suspended for an unclear number of days after he failed to complete and submit multiple reports to the prosecutor’s office. One such incident resulted in a person suspected of having raped a young girl being released from jail after he was held for more than 60 days without charges… because Opelt didn’t provide the prosecutor a copy of the case file. In a curious twist, Opelt’s demotion only came out during the Civil Service Commission hearing because his own father brought it up during his testimony as a character witness for his son. (He testified that he had encouraged Opelt to appeal that demotion, but Opelt had not done so.)
A less significant note: the reason Opelt had a beard, per Chief Woody’s testimony, was “no-shave November.”
A more significant note: when Real World Police filed an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request for the State Police dash and in-car camera videos capturing Opelt’s arrest, Arkansas State Police responded that they were unable to locate the videos. Making that all the more odd, records from the Civil Service Commission hearing clearly show that the video existed.
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Unbelievably cute little baby monkey 🐒
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The Trump administration is working to reduce the size of federal workforce, ordering federal agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees. The move could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of workers.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by
Sapna Sharma.
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A great day for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich today, getting a Presidential pardon and a potential job offer as the U.S.job offer as the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia.
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https://youtu.be/yDX-1_NT_0E?si=E1Cq3uwoVLYqYLcQ
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This reply was modified 1 month ago by Sapna Sharma.
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