Western Courier

Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Opinion

Skylar Patridge/cartoonist

In April, a drunk driver killed two men on Chicago's Dan Ryan expressway. Andrew Cazares, 23, and Fausto Manzera, 21, were parked on the side of the road to deal with a flat tire, when Joseph Frugoli, 41, crashed into their car, killing them instantly.

Frugoli left the scene and was apprehended shortly thereafter. He had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of more than three times the legal limit. Frugoli was a Chicago police officer.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, Frugoli, of the Bridgeport area, is facing charges of aggravated driving under the influence, reckless homicide and leaving the scene of an accident. The courts set his bail at $500,000.

The story doesn't end there. The Fraternal Order of Police held a benefit for Frugoli on Friday, Oct. 23 to support their man in blue and help with his bail.

Friends and family members of the victims in the accident stood outside the benefit holding pictures of their deceased loved ones.

There's irony in the fact that Frugoli was arrested for something he was supposed to be preventing while on duty. What kind of world is it when those in charge of throwing people in jail for breaking the law are being reprimanded for the same charges?

We recognize the irony of Frugoli's situation in comparison to recent events at Western Illinois University. For instance, former university attorney and ethical officer Bruce Biagini was suspended by the Illinois Supreme Court for an ethical lapse, an action that later forced Biagini to resign.

Furthermore, police arrested Justin R. Gilson, 23, after he struck and seriously injured a bicyclist with his vehicle early Saturday. Gilson had a BAC of .19, twice the legal limit. Frugoli's actions were strikingly similar, although the man Gilson hit survived.

There's no room here for sympathy since Frugoli was hired to serve and protect. One could argue that it takes a strong will to stay away from temptation and criminal behavior as a police officer and that one mistake shouldn't be weighted so heavily. But if one was so committed to serving as a police officer, he or she should have been fully aware of the nature of the beast.

The Fraternal Order of Police, known for holding benefits for officers in dire situations, should have realized that such a display of support for their criminal brother in blue would have hard-hitting repercussions within the families of those who were killed. Perhaps it would have served a better purpose if the order addressed the matter face-to-face, behind closed doors, because such a display has done nothing more than leave a bad taste in the mouths of every person involved.

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