Inspector general's report also cites more defiance of other agencies by county assessor

Editor's note: General Blanchard and Com. Preckwinkle show some guts and go after the crooks in the Probate Court of Cook County. Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com

Inspector general's report also cites more defiance of other agencies by county assessor


By Hal Dardick, Chicago Tribune reporter



9:30 PM CDT, October 16, 2012



Advertisement



Investigators caught overnight workers at the Cook County morgue sleeping and watching a martial arts movie before determining that those were not isolated incidents, according to a report released Tuesday by county Inspector General Patrick Blanchard.



"Certain intake attendants working the overnight shift routinely watched movies on county computers and certain intake attendants slept or 'nodded off' while on duty," the report concluded.



During the May 3 surprise inspection, investigators also found thousands of hidden documents dating as far back as 2004. They were supposed to have been entered into a computer but had not, the report stated.



The inspection came at a time when the morgue was under intense scrutiny because workers there had publicly distributed photos that revealed overcrowded conditions that included stacked bodies. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has since replaced the medical examiner and administrator responsible for overseeing the morgue.



Of the three employees caught sleeping or watching a Bruce Lee movie, one was suspended for 25 days and another for five days. The third has yet to be disciplined, Blanchard wrote.



Preckwinkle on Tuesday also noted that a supervisor has been put on the overnight shift. Dr. Stephen Cina, the new medical examiner, has "a lot of work to do cleaning up there, and he's gotten started," she said.



Blanchard's report also notes that Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the inspector general's office as part of an investigation into an employee who allegedly took multiple property tax exemptions when only one is allowed.



Berrios handled the matter internally by suspending former Markham branch manager Lewis Towers for two weeks without pay, said Kelley Quinn, Berrios' spokeswoman. Lewis also paid back the $4,400 he owed in taxes, she said.



It was the second time Berrios has asserted he is not beholden to other county offices. Last summer he ignored a county Ethics Board order that he pay a $10,000 fine for allegedly violating nepotism rules that barred him from hiring relatives. Berrios is relying on multiple legal opinions that he does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ethics Board or its rules, Quinn said.



Blanchard's report also revealed details about the following investigations, which all occurred during the three months ending Sept. 30:



A doctor with the Cook County Health and Hospitals System allegedly received months of county disability payments after a surgery even though he was working in private practice at a local hospital during that period. Blanchard recommended that the health system fire the doctor.



A former top Environmental Control Department official promoted a woman with whom he had a relationship to a manager's post. He and the promoted manager then allegedly lied about it. The official was fired and the manager suspended for 15 days.



An unnamed county commissioner contacted a department head to ask about the promotion of someone who had done political work on the commissioner's behalf. The employee, who allegedly admitted doing the political work to persuade the commissioner to intervene on his behalf, has since resigned.



An autopsy technician in the medical examiner's office called in sick, but then allegedly went to work at the office of a private forensic pathologist. The employee resigned before the inspector general's office could interview him.



hdardick@tribune.com



Twitter @ReporterHal




http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cook-county-morgue-report-1017-20121017,0,3667567.story