Calumet City Officer who Beat Down Black Teen Suing the City

The city now will be targeted in a multifaceted lawsuit by a Calumet City police officer who said he was betrayed by officials after being accused of beating a teen detained on a jaywalking charge. The disciplinary action against Officer Louis Picicco escalated this month when he was ordered suspended without pay pending the outcome of an arbitration hearing set to convene April 29. Picicco was accused in August of beating Don Pennington Jr., then 16. The officer had been on paid administrative leave since September. Picicco has contended that he simply restrained the teen, who he said attacked him after becoming irate over being detained at the station. Picicco, through his attorney, Luke Casson, previously said he would file suit against City Attorney Burt Odelson. He alleged there was a conflict of interest when Odelson, who represented both the city and Picicco, negotiated a civil rights lawsuit with Pennington's family without accepting Picicco's version of the story. Picicco wanted to wait for the arbitration outcome before deciding if the city would be a target. According to Casson, that changed when the officer was suspended. The suit will allege legal malpractice by Odelson, defamation of character and civil rights violations, Casson said. [more]