Why You Choose a Bench Trial

If you're on the inside, you get probation instead of jail time.

Judge John Fleming said he decided against jail time, explaining he did not believe the crime was serious enough and that throwing Abbate in prison would not be a deterrent to others.

Got that?

Men with badges don't deserve punishment. You only sentence them when it would serve as an example to others. Men, especially poor men, without badges are sentenced to exact punishment.

But ultimately this is the case crying out for an example. Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois in general have a well deserved reputation of corruption. The Chicago Police have a reputation for being excessively violent. Hear is another example confirming both of those reputations. Punishment is deserved in this case. But an example to others in power that they have to answer to the same laws as the rest of us is also gravely needed.