Chicago cop files suit saying he faced retaliation after blowing whistle on superior who allegedly directed resources to his street during 2020 unrest

A Chicago Police Department sergeant has filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation for reporting on then-acting Cmdr. Jason Brown for allegedly redirecting department resources to his own block during last summer’s civil unrest.

Sgt. Marc Vanek alleges he reported on Jason Brown for sending a team of officers to the block of his Bridgeport home in early June 2020.

In the lawsuit, Vanek alleges that in retaliation, he was removed from his position heading the department’s Internet Narcotics Enforcement Team and instead detailed to working midnight shifts as a patrol sergeant in the 11th District.

This June, Chicago police Sgt. Cassandra Williams filed a similar complaint with the city’s inspector general. Her complaint is under review. Unlike Vanek, Williams did not file a lawsuit.

Vanek’s complaint says he reported on Brown after hearing that Williams and other officers were sent to Brown’s block.

Brown has been promoted to commander since last summer, according to Vanek’s suit.

“Commander Jason Brown has not been punished or reprimanded, for misuse of police resources,” Vanek said in a statement. “He has been allowed a free hand to punish me and ruin my reputation and others, such as Sergeant Cassandra Williams. I am filing this lawsuit because those above the rank and file continue the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude and try to silence those who voice concerns.”

The lawsuit is a four-count complaint alleging violations of the Illinois Whistleblower Act, violations of free speech and due process under the Illinois constitution and defamation.

Named in the lawsuit are the city of Chicago, Brown, police Superintendent David Brown and other police department officials.

Jason Brown did not immediately respond to request for comment Tuesday. A Chicago Police Department spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the department did not comment on pending litigation. A City of Chicago Law Department spokesperson said the department would review the lawsuit after receiving it, and that it also did not comment on pending litigation.

Vanek alleges he reported Jason Brown to Superintendent Brown on June 4, 2020, well before Williams came forward and only days after Williams’ team was told to report to Brown’s block.

Vanek also alleges he was prevented from bidding out of the 11th District or to another shift because he was not officially assigned to the district or shift, only detailed there. He alleges that defamatory statements were made accusing him of misappropriating funds and “disparaging his name and character” and that his prospects both within and outside the Chicago Police Department were damaged.

In her complaint, Williams alleged that she, along with a team of officers, had been assigned by Brown to a post on the block. Williams said Brown told her not to discuss the assignment, and that she was later reassigned from narcotics investigations street duty to the unit’s main desk. Williams said her hours also changed, despite her seniority.

Williams has continued to feel isolated in the narcotics unit.

People are cordial, but distant and her friendships have suffered, she said.

When asked by the Tribune on Tuesday if she regretted filing her complaint, she said no.

“I don’t regret it at all. It is something that needs to be addressed,” she said, referring to a culture that deters officers from speaking up. “Either you are with the culture, or you are not. If you are not with the culture … if you speak out, you are ostracized, you are blackballed, you get a brick on you. I have been on the job a long time, and I have always tried to do things the right way.”

Williams said she welcomed Tuesday’s lawsuit.

“It gives me hope because it lets the mayor, the superintendent, it lets them know that something is going on, and it needs to be addressed,” she said.

Williams’ attorney, Tom Needham, has not ruled out filing a similar whistleblower lawsuit on her behalf.

Needham said Williams chose to speak up to point out the inequities: While Brown allegedly ordered a detail to his home, Black and Latino neighborhoods were not getting the attention they needed.

“The whole experience of last summer just festered within her and part of it is just the injustice of it,” Needham said. “This white police commander in Bridgeport getting protection that was not afforded to people who needed it.”