From the Sun-Times:

Hired Truck scandal interviews to be taped

October 26, 2006
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
The former federal prosecutor hired to root out City Hall corruption said Wednesday his office will start recording interviews Nov. 1 to strengthen criminal and disciplinary cases and prevent the accused from recanting legitimate confessions.

City Inspector General David Hoffman called recording a "growing trend" and "the wave of the future" in law enforcement and said he sees "no reason to oppose it." The inspector general's recordings will be audio -- not video -- and will be made only when the accused gives his or her consent.

"What often ends up happening when you attempt to introduce a [handwritten] confession at a trial or [human resources] hearing is there's a dispute about whether the confession is actually correct. The defendant sometimes says they didn't say that. When you have a recording, it ends most of those disputes," Hoffman said.

"Old-school police don't like recording. They're concerned [subjects] will be turned off when the recorder is turned on. But investigations should be about the truth. Recording preserves the truth and is the best protection for an investigation that follows the law and is based on the truth."

Last year, a Chicago Police Department that had spent years recording confessions in murder cases started digitally recording homicide interrogations to comply with a state law approved after former Gov. George Ryan declared Illinois' capital punishment system "broken" and emptied Death Row.

Chicago Chief of Detectives Michael Chasen billed the mandate as the "most significant change in policing" in his 37-year career -- bigger than the 1966 Miranda ruling that requires police to advise suspects of their right to remain silent and have an attorney present during questioning.

Higher budget proposed
Besieged by the Hired Truck, city hiring and minority contracting scandals, Mayor Daley appointed Hoffman last year to root out corruption from the inside. Hoffman replaced Alexander Vroustouris, who was forced out in June 2005 for allegedly allowing investigations to languish.

Nearly six months ago, Hoffman set up an independent and encrypted Web site and a hotline staffed into the evening to field information he hoped to receive from tipsters willing to tell what they know about wrongdoing that has federal investigators crawling all over City Hall.

From May 5 through Sept. 30, the hotline and Web site together fielded roughly 880 complaints, according to the mayor's 2007 program and budget summary.

Daley's proposed 2007 budget would increase the inspector general's budget by 47 percent, or $1.7 million, to create a team of forensic accountants to audit departments and programs.

For the first two quarters of 2006, Hoffman's office had 81 sustained cases -- culminating either in the filing of criminal charges or disciplinary action or other sanctions. The 40 sustained cases-per-quarter average is nearly double the rate under Vroustouris, officials said.