FBI refers questions to Joliet Police Department

An FBI spokeswoman referred questions about the agency’s activity in Joliet on Aug. 24 to the Joliet police.

Joliet police have confirmed that the FBI was at the station concerning a lawsuit brought by one of its officers but said the agency was there at the city's request to provide resources and expertise in preserving information.

“The FBI does provide assistance to local law enforcement upon request,” FBI spokeswoman Janine Wheeler said Tuesday on a voicemail. “We do not comment on the techniques that may be entailed in that assistance. And, in regards to this matter, I must defer to the Joliet Police Department.”

Wheeler could not be reached for further comment but indicated in the voicemail that she would not comment beyond the statement.

Interim Police Chief Al Roechner said Monday that the FBI activity at the police department was requested for the sake of preserving information related to a federal lawsuit brought by Officer Cassandra Socha.

“We the city brought the FBI in to partner with us for full disclosure,” Roechner said. “They have resources that we don’t have to access information and allow us to continue to serve as an investigative unit for the city of Joliet.”

Socha has filed a federal lawsuit contending that Joliet police violated her constitutional rights after obtaining her cellphone with a search warrant related to a criminal trial involving her fiancee, Officer Nicholas Crowley, who was found not guilty of reckless discharge of a firearm.

She accuses police of finding nude photos of herself engaging in sex acts with Crowley and sharing the photos.