Column: Former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks out on city crime and his ‘moral mistake’

Chicago is losing the battle against violence, and more people are leaving. Homicide numbers skyrocketed in the past year, as did shootings including on the expressways. Carjackings increased by 138%, all across the city.

There was a carjacking at gunpoint just a short distance from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s home the other day, and more carjackings downtown.

In some other universe, you might expect public pressure to compel elected officials, not just the police superintendent, to hold a news conference and risk having to answer tough questions: Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and others.

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Columns are opinion content that reflect the views of the writers.

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But I don’t see the politicians standing up, do you? In the time of COVID-19, news is even more carefully managed.

So, I reached out to former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson for an interview on The Chicago Way podcast I co-host with WGN Radio producer Jeff Carlin.

I asked him if Lightfoot, who fired him, has lost the city.

“There’s a lot of anxiety right now, because the violent crime was down when I was there, and kudos to the rank-and-file police officers … Homicides have spiked dramatically in 2020. So, I think that the public is looking at her now with anxiety about how she’s attacking crime as well as a lot of other things. I won’t go as far as to say she’s lost the city, but there is a lot of concern.

“… You just have to let the people know you can keep them safe,” Johnson said. “You have to retool things, what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, and keep chipping at that rock, but people are not going to stick around (in Chicago) if our violent crime remains where it is and right now it’s unacceptable.”

Carlin and I asked him about many things, including the wave of carjackings and that deeply flawed no-cash bail police bill now sitting on Pritzker’s desk.

And those personal issues.

Remember Eddie Johnson?

He was once respected. He fought the Black Caucus in the state legislature to enact tougher laws for repeat violent gun offenders. But then his personal issues consumed him. He was found asleep behind the wheel of his vehicle after a night of drinking at the Ceres Cafe. Lightfoot fired and condemned him. I took a few hard shots at him, as did many others. Officers who didn’t process their boss as a potential drunken driver were tossed under the bus, accused of giving him preferential treatment.

Johnson was later accused in a lawsuit of an alleged sexual assault involving a subordinate — a charge he adamantly denies.

After avoiding interviews, he’s done a few, one with the Sun-Times, one with WLS-TV and one with me. Mark Konkol of the news site Patch.com dismisses all this as an apology tour. Konkol does make a good point. I might have made it myself.

But what’s wrong with an apology? For more than 30 years, Johnson was a good cop without a hint of misdoing. I had my say in my columns about him. Why shouldn’t Johnson get his say?

Johnson’s police career — and the possibility he’d land softly in retirement as director of security for some large downtown corporation — ended in October 2019. And later he was accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a subordinate. Some people forget to use the word “allegedly” when a cop is accused.

“It’s been rough,” Johnson said on The Chicago Way. “I was asked one day, ‘Why haven’t I spoken up before this point,’ and the real answer is I had to take time to reflect on myself and also take a lot of time to make sure that the people closest with me were OK, mainly my wife. I had to apologize to her again for even having to deal with this. I had to get my own emotional and mental health intact. I had to do some counseling. The job of superintendent is a hectic job.

“I’m hurt. I’m disappointed that these allegations were thrown out there. I can tell you truthfully that I’ve never abused anyone in my life. I’ve been on the planet 60 years now, 31 as a cop, I’ve never, ever, been remotely accused of something like this. So, it is hurtful. It took me a few days to even read the complaint, every line in it was hurtful to me. But I think at the end of the day, I’ll be fine. But getting to the end is the difficult part.

“I didn’t fail as superintendent. I think I did a pretty good job as superintendent. But I did fall short of being a person and a husband. I reflect on how to get better. That job is never done. As far as the other person goes, I still pray for them, and I hope they get the help they need, because let’s face it, they have a family too … But I did make a mistake. A moral mistake.”

One mistake was having a relationship with a subordinate, I told him.

“We had been involved in a close friendship since 2013,” Johnson said. “It evolved into an intimate relationship that ended in about 2018. As far as the legal part of it, I’ll let the lawyers figure it out.”

Did you sexually assault her?

“No,” said Johnson. “Absolutely not. I absolutely did not. I’m not that guy.”

To hear the whole thing — including his criticism of the no-cash bail police reform bill on Pritzker’s desk — listen to The Chicago Way podcast — when it’s posted online on Monday.

Listen to “The Chicago Way” podcast with John Kass and Jeff Carlin — at www.wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/thechicagoway.

jskass@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @John_Kass