Joliet police disciplinary case ‘resolved,’ no details available

The first of three disciplinary appeals scheduled for hearings before the Joliet police board apparently has been resolved.

Attorneys involved in the excessive force case did not return calls for comment Wednesday, the day the hearing was to be held.

But the chairman of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners said he received an email from City Hall on Tuesday informing him the hearing was canceled and no longer needed.

"I was told in an email that the situation has been resolved, and no meeting is required," Chairman Herb Lande said Wednesday.

Details of how the matter was resolved were not available.

City Attorney Sabrina Spano, who advises the board, did not return calls. Neither did attorneys for the police union and police administration.

The board was to hear an appeal from Officer Joshua Sawyer, who had been suspended for 10 days in 2017 on an allegation of excessive force.

His case was among three police disciplinary appeals the board agreed to hear after administration argued the officers had missed their appeal deadline and the union contended the administration failed to file the appeal papers.

Next on the schedule is an Oct. 28 hearing for Joe Clement, who was suspended for 25 days after an investigation into claims by Clement and Mayor Bob O’Dekirk that an officer was drunk while working security during a downtown festival in September 2019. Clement has since retired.

On Nov. 18, the board is scheduled to hear an appeal from Officer John Perri, who was suspended for 12 days in 2019 concerning whether he had responded to a call.