The Cook County sheriff’s office is moving to fire two correctional officers accused of punching inmates in separate beatings captured on jail cameras.
Reginald Roberson, 52, was charged with battery and official misconduct following a sheriff’s office investigation of an incident in December, 2021 in the jail, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Wednesday.
Richard Smith, 44, was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct after being accused of punching a detainee more than 30 times in September, 2022, an earlier statement read.
On Dec. 29, 2021, Roberson placed handcuffs over his knuckles and hit a 29-year-old individual in custody multiple times in the jail’s receiving area, according to the statement. The detainee was treated for minor injuries.
Both alleged beatings were spotted by staffers who were reviewing footage on jail cameras that were installed by the sheriff’s office over a decade ago.
The jail was provided with cameras throughout the jail to ensure the safety and security of staff and individuals in custody, the statement said.
Roberson turned himself in to investigators Wednesday morning, and a judge issued a $20,000 bond during his court appearance later that day, at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building.
Roberson, who was hired in March of 1999, was de-deputized and moved away from working with individuals in custody during the criminal investigation and the office is seeking his termination through the Sheriff’s Merit Board, the statement said.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office announced charges against correctional officer Smith, who allegedly “struck” a 24-year-old detainee in the jails’ residential treatment unit more than 30 times on Sept. 20, 2022, according to an earlier sheriff’s statement.
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Smith, 44, who has been employed with the office since 2010, was also de-deputized following the incident and removed from working with individuals in custody while the criminal investigation was pending.
Smith turned himself in to investigators Tuesday morning and appeared in bond court later that day, where a judge issued him a $50,000 bond, the statement said.
The sheriff’s will seek to suspend Smith without pay and will recommend his termination.
The Sheriff has put several processes in place to identify any instances of excessive use of force or misconduct.
In Smith’s case the misconduct was “immediately identified,” the statement said.
“Excessive or unlawful force is not tolerated,” Sheriff Dart said in the earlier statement.
“We have instituted a nationally recognized system to help prevent such abuse and prosecute it when it happens. Those who engage in this abuse completely disregarded their training, and they disparage the hardworking men and women who keep the jail safe and secure.”
