Unauthorized Access And A False Report Alleged

The Illinois Administrator has filed a complaint alleging misconduct by a former public employee.

In July of 2017, after completing a six-week training program, Respondent began her employment as an investigator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (“COPA”), then known as the Independent Police Review Authority (“IPRA”), which served as the oversight agency of the Chicago Police Department (“CPD”). COPA was responsible for receiving and investigating complaints against CPD members alleging domestic violence, excessive force, coercion, or verbal abuse.

Alleged unauthorized access and misuse

At the time Respondent began her employment at COPA, she was in a romantic relationship with CPD officer Joseph Rasso (“Officer Rasso”).

Between December 2017 and December 2018, while still in a romantic relationship with Officer Rasso, Respondent searched and accessed the CLEAR database records pertaining to investigations into Officer Rasso 32 times without authorization.

And

Between December 2017 and December 2018, Respondent searched for her brother, also a CPD police officer, in the CLEAR database 13 times and accessed his records pertaining to investigations into him 10 times.

A later alleged violation

Between July 2018 and December 2018, Respondent improperly accessed 12 times in the CLEAR database case log #1087843,2 which was an investigation into Chicago Police Department (“CPD”) officers who responded to an incident at a bar during which an off-duty CPD officer was involved in an altercation with two other patrons. One of the officers dispatched to the bar was Respondent’s then-boyfriend, Officer Joseph Rasso (“Rasso”).

Respondent was not among the investigative staff assigned to case log #1087843.

COPA concluded its investigation of case log #1087843 and issued a summary report of its findings on October 25, 2018 (“Summary Report”).

On or about November 14, 2018, Respondent accessed and read the Summary Report and discussed its findings with her co-worker, [a fellow] COPA investigator…

She came to believe [the fellow investigator]  had reported her and allegedly

On December 28, 2018, Respondent submitted an anonymous complaint to OIG from her work computer which stated the following:

[A fellow] COPA Investigator…has been carrying a firearm to the office. He is not allowed to have a gun at the office. Even if he is legally registered. He has been planning on carrying out a mass shooting here. He has also told me that he plans on shooting everyone in the Intake area first because of the way the office is designed. The people that work in that section would have no way to escape. He last told me about his plan on Christmas Eve.

In that complaint, Respondent listed another COPA investigator, Emily Pierce (“Pierce”), as a witness.

As a result 

On February 13, 2019, a Cook County Grand Jury indicted Respondent on three felony counts: official misconduct by committing disorderly conduct, in violation of 720 ILCS §33-3(a)(2); official misconduct by committing an act in excess of her lawful authority, in violation of 720 ILCS §33-3(a)(3); and disorderly conduct, in violation of 720 ILCS §26-1(a)(4). The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County docketed that matter as People v. Yohanna, 19 CR 2254.

In March of 2019, Respondent received notification of termination of her employment due to her unauthorized access to the COPA computer system and was offered the opportunity to voluntarily resign.

In April of 2019, Respondent resigned from her employment at COPA.

The criminal charges were resolved  by a deferred prosecution agreement. (Mike Frisch)