Union votes 'no confidence' in top cop

CHICAGO, March 18 (UPI) -- Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis received a vote of "no confidence" from nearly 200 rank-and-file members of the 11,000-member Fraternal Order of Police.

The officers, all below the rank of sergeant, gave Weis an unflattering performance review during a monthly union meeting Tuesday night, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The newspaper said the vote came up unexpectedly following a discussion of a number of issues ranging from staffing to the handling of police brutality complaints.

Since he started a year ago, Weis has upset officers by shuffling the top command staff and referring police brutality cases to federal authorities, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

A former FBI agent, he is only the second Chicago police superintendent to receive a no-confidence vote in the memory of union members, the Tribune said.

The union vote has no legal impact on Weis, who essentially serves at the pleasure of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.