JPD Lt. Harrison's 2018 Crash: No Discipline, No Reports

JOLIET, IL — Five months after Joliet Patch reported that Joliet Police Lt. Jeremy Harrison was involved in an off-duty late night crash in a Shorewood subdivision on April 22, 2018, Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner's administration has not imposed any disciplinary measures against Harrison for his role in the suspected hit-and-run incident.

An eyewitness who saw Harrison's black Chevy Trailblazer collide with the parked car on Wildflower Drive around 1 a.m. informed 911 emergency dispatchers that the hit-and-run driver appeared to be intoxicated. The eyewitness also told 911 dispatchers that Harrison's fleeing and damaged Chevy Trailblazer stopped several blocks away, where Harrison switched positions with his front-seat female passenger, reports obtained by Patch indicate.

A few minutes later, the damaged SUV arrived at the Joliet Police lieutenant's driveway. Harrison, a blonde female passenger and a child went inside. The distance from the crash to Harrison's house is about eight blocks.

Since the hit-and-run occurred in The Fields of Shorewood subdivision, Shorewood Police responded to the call and Shorewood Police Sgt. Brian Poulsen showed up at Harrison's house, reports show.

On Sept. 2, Patch reported that the Shorewood sergeant notified WESCOM emergency dispatchers to call a Joliet Police Department supervisor to respond to Harrison's house.

Joliet Patch has learned that Joliet Police Sgt. Darren Prochaska responded even though the hit-and-run was in Shorewood, not the city of Joliet's jurisdiction. Prochaska was notified of the incident at 1:11 a.m.

He arrived at Harrison's house 15 minutes later. He remained on the call involving his fellow Joliet Police Department supervisor until 2:23 a.m., documents obtained by Patch show.

After Prochaska arrived and became involved in the investigation, a Shorewood patrolman issued Harrison one traffic ticket for improper lane usage-crossing lane boundary unsafely. Harrison was not asked to perform any field-sobriety tests and no criminal charges were filed.

Harrison paid a $120 fine within a couple weeks of the incident and his case was closed.

On Dec. 20, Joliet Patch submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Joliet's Police Department requesting "access to any and all written reports of Joliet Police Sgt. Darren Prochaska in reference to that incident call" from 1 a.m. April 22, 2018.

Joliet Police provided Patch with the dispatch logs from the call, which were the same logs Patch already obtained from a confidential source several months ago.

Based on Joliet Police's FOIA response, there is no written record indicating Sgt. Prochaska produced any written reports regarding his activities pertaining to the hit-and-run investigation at Harrison's house.

Prochaska's brother, Brian, is also a veteran officer with Joliet's Police Department. Brian Prochaska and Harrison serve together on the city's police pension board.

On Dec. 16, Patch submitted a FOIA requesting access to any documents, memos, correspondence and emails to related any disciplinary measures taken by the Joliet Police Department Internal Affairs unit against Lt. Harrison during calendar year 2019.

Patch sought access to any oral reprimands, written reprimands as well as any work suspensions or work-place demotions.

On Dec. 23, Joliet Police responded to Patch's inquiry of Harrison by stating "No records exist."

The issue of internal affairs discipline disparities at the Joliet Police Department is one of the key issues raised in November's federal lawsuit against Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner and the city of Joliet by Detective David Jackson, who is president of Joliet's Black Police Officers Association.

Jackson's lawsuit in U.S. District Court accuses Roechner's administration of having Jackson arrested in March on phony misdemeanor domestic battery charges. Last summer, a special prosecutor dismissed the entire case against Jackson rather than take it to trial.

Jackson has been on the Joliet Police force since 1995. He has a reputation of being an outstanding detective.

"Jackson's is also a race discrimination case and unfortunately, it is only the tip of the iceberg," write Jackson's lawyers, Stacey Vucko and Joseph Vucko, of Vucko Law in Oak Brook. "Minority Joliet police officers have long sought redress from state and federal courts, complaining of Joliet administrative level police officers' resistance to affirmative action, use of ethnic slurs, abuses of power, discriminatory promotional practices, frivolous internal affairs charges and other acts that have humiliated and embarrassed them and held them back in their careers."

Patch's original story: Lt. Jeremy Harrison's Off-Duty Crash 'All Covered Up:' Source