3 Replies to “This car was buried with over 40 tickets. At what point should Chicago Cops Stop?”

  1. The son of former North Side Ald. Bernie Hansen (44th) will be allowed to return to his $97,760-a-year city job on Monday after an unpaid leave triggered by a DUI arrest that stripped him of his driver’s license, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

    Paul Hansen is an assistant district superintendent in the Department of Water Management at the center of the Hired Truck and city hiring scandals.

    A valid driver’s license is essential to his job, which calls for supervising water and sewer projects, deploying personnel and equipment and inspecting job sites.

    On April 11, Hansen lost his driver’s license.

    According to the police report, he was driving west on Route 20 in Galena when he was pulled over for speeding. When the officer got behind him, Hansen allegedly kept going and increased his speed to more than 75 mph in a 55 mph zone. He also was observed repeatedly crossing the center line, police said.

    After pulling Hansen over, the officer reported, he smelled alcohol on Hansen’s breath and that he had glassy eyes, slurred speech and a “slight stagger” or “sway.”

    Asked if he’d been drinking, Hansen acknowledged having “about four or five beers at a bar,” police said. He twice refused a field sobriety test and was placed under arrest. At that point, he asked if “something could be worked out” stating that he knew Terry Kurt, the state’s attorney for Jo Daviess County, the police report states.

    At the sheriff’s office, he refused a Breathalyzer test. That refusal carries an automatic, 12-month suspension of driving privileges for first-time offenders.

    Hansen was charged with speeding and driving under the influence, but pleaded guilty June 9 to a lesser charge of reckless driving. He was fined $1,500 and sentenced to a one-year probation.

    It was not clear whether the June 9 plea wipes clean Hansen’s 12-month suspension for refusing the Breathalyzer or whether that penalty kicks in automatically.

    Without identifying Hansen by name, Water Management spokesman Tom LaPorte would only say that the employee in question requested an unpaid, 30-day administrative leave on Monday, only to present a valid driver’s license on Friday.

    Hansen will be allowed to return to work on Monday while his bosses attempt to sort out the details.

    “We’re going to monitor the situation. If we get any new information, we’ll act on it,” LaPorte said.

    Hansen’s unpaid leave began after the Chicago Sun-Times raised questions about his arrest and reports from co-workers that the former alderman’s son was having foremen and laborers chauffeur him around and take him to and from work. Inspector General Joe Ferguson is trying to determine how Hansen did his job without a license, sources said.

    “It appears he arranged for his own transportation to and from work and was able to travel to job sites by catching rides with crews who were traveling to those sites. He was not assigned a driver by this department,” LaPorte said.

    © Copyright 2009 Sun-Times Media, LLC

  2. Couldn’t have happened to a more arrogant person! Bravo! But as always clout will get him out of this, while other mere mortals would have been terminated.

  3. What about Joe Gill formally with Streets & San Bureau of electricity who received only a 30 day suspension for being involved in at least 2 unreported accidents ( one with injuries) with a city car.

    No he is with General Services and sits in a chair a North & Throop.

    Gill who lives on North west side and close to North Park village drives his vehicle there in morning and proceeds to drive a city vehicle to his work location at North & Throop

    He probably swipes in out there also

    Oh Did I mention that his brother in law is Pat Harny , Chief of staff for Mayor ( Ex- CTA and aviation (DUI)

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