Feb. 17--The Chicago Police Department is seeking to fire a veteran officer for allegedly hitting his wife several times while off-duty in 2012, but his wife testified Tuesday at a police board disciplinary hearing that the abuse never took place.
Officer Jose Alvarez, 44, was a tactical officer before being suspended without pay after then-Superintendent Garry McCarthy decided to fire him in July.
Daniel Myerson, an assistant corporation counsel who represents the superintendent, alleged the incident took place after Alvarez and his wife, Dora, returned to their home in the Hegewisch neighborhood after attending a party early on the morning of July 4, 2012. Alvarez accused his wife of drinking too much alcohol and flirting with a man at the party, Myerson said.
As the couple argued in bed, Alvarez straddled his wife, held her down and struck her in the face several times, Myerson alleged. She managed to flee out of the house, running to a neighbor's residence as her husband gave chase, he said. She then grabbed onto a railing as Alvarez, clad in only a shirt and underwear, tried to drag her away, Myerson said.
A neighbor who saw the incident from inside her home called 911.
Alvarez's wife, 34, suffered severe bruising to both sides of her face, according to the testimony. Myerson said her eyes were "swollen and purple."
"This is not the type of person who should hold the star of a Chicago police officer," Myerson said.
Both Alvarez and his wife testified Tuesday. Both acknowledged that they had argued but denied he ever struck her. She contended she had been drinking and tripped on a staircase in their home, fell and hit her face.
Alvarez, a nine-year department veteran, testified he did not see how his wife was injured and did not realize she was hurt until he saw her in the bathroom minutes later.
The wife also testified that she ran from the home because she was angry, not because she was trying to flee an assault.
She also testified she did not remember telling officers at the time that her husband had hit her.
"I was very upset with him," Dora Alvarez said. "If I said something like that, I don't remember. But I wanted him to go away. I just wanted them to take him away from me."
Alvarez's attorney, Daniel Herbert, said none of the city's witnesses could definitively say the assault occurred. Herbert also noted that criminal charges against Alvarez were dropped and that his wife never signed a criminal complaint.
Several character witnesses testified that Alvarez, whom they called "Tony," was family-oriented and a hard worker who they never knew to be violent.
"He's highly regarded and respected by his peers," testified Sgt. Franklin Paz, who said he's assigned to the Grand Crossing police district.
The Alvarezes have been married 15 years and have two sons, according to their testimony. Jose Alvarez also has an older son from a previous relationship, he said.
After Alvarez's arrest, the Independent Police Review Authority, which probes allegations of police misconduct, opened an investigation, police spokesman Frank Giancamilli said. It was not immediately clear why it has taken so long for the case to come before the Chicago Police Board.
Testimony will resume in the matter next month. A hearing officer will decide if he agrees with the superintendent's recommendation that Alvarez be fired. The nine-member police board then weighs in.
cdrhodes@tribpub.com
