Plaintiff:
Jennifer Cafferata
Incident date:
05/15/2012
Location:
5954 W. Higgins Ave.
Allegations:
Cafferata was working as a bartender at a Norwood Park establishment where off-duty Officer Schuler was a patron. Schuler had been drinking for some time and was severely intoxicated. He had been a regular at the bar for several years and had been drunk on many occasions. Because of his status as a Chicago police officer, he had rarely, if ever, been removed from the bar. That night, Schuler began to act abusively toward another patron at the bar. Cafferato refused to serve Schuler any more alcohol. In response, Schuler picked up a full beer bottle and threw it directly at Cafferata's head. He then left the bar. Shortly afterward, Cafferata went to the police station to file a criminal complaint against Schuler and was told to speak with Sergeant Vergara. Throughout their encounter, Vergara made numerous attempts to dissuade Cafferata from filing a complaint. Vergara suggested that an investigation into Cafferata's complaint could potentially have negative effects on her employer or employment at the bar. Intimidated by Vergara, and concluding that the charge was not going to be investigated in a fair manner, Cafferata was forced to forgo her right to press criminal charges against Schuler. Instead, she filed a complaint with the Independent Police Review Authority.