Mugshots: Bill Hanhardt - Crooked Chicago Cop | Forensic Files

on mug shots tonight Bill hanhardt the most famous Chicago cop since the Untouchable Elliot Nest one of the
toughest cops in Chicago brought more bad guys to the Justice shot more guys it was phenomenal just phenomenal he was
that good and he was that strong and he was that powerful but the FBI is accusing bill hanhart of abusing his
power and going from Big Time cop to Big Time crook hard to believe super cop could have been working with him I would
have to describe him as Sinister he was just a person that was too deeply rooted
uh with organized crime figures probably the highest ranking Chicago police officer to ever been indicted
[Music] Chicago a tough rugged Midwestern town and this man is one of its most famous
cops a man said to be as mean as the icy winds that blow off Lake Michigan a man
whose legendary reputation has been challenged by a Federal indictment charging that he orchestrated a massive
Jewel theft ring both while he was a cop and after his retirement in 1986 the charges have left many in this
city wondering what to make of his fabled career Bill hanhart became a police officer in 1953 and was soon proving
himself by catching robbers and burglars Jewel thieves and stickup men hanhart shot up the ranks made
detective and in just a few years was leading an Elite Squad called the criminal investigation unit or CIU the
detectives that he uh handpicked to work in his unit were very good they could solve crimes they could not only solve
crimes but often prevent them and in some instances they would be laying in wait uh for burglars and robbers to show
up first time I heard of bill hanhart was prior to the time I was a police officer I was in college at the time
there was a series of home invasions in 1962 hanhart made the bus that would go a long way towards establishing his
reputation a ruthless gang of robbers had pulled off more than two dozen heists in an upscale neighborhood on
Chicago's north side those guys were tying up people in their sleep burning them with cigarette butts keeping them
up all night asking where the money was you can't let that happen hanhart and his crew got information on which house
the gang was going to strike next they set up an ambush and waited bill was going to pose as the person who lived
there and answered the door you're dealing with vicious guys who would kill you in a heartbeat eventually the five
heavily armed robbers made their way to the house one of them went for the door when bill went to open it it required
more of a pool than one would be accustomed to and that tipped off the robber that something was up and that's
when the shooting started it was a real shootout uh in the house down the street
few blocks away chases and a couple of the offenders were killed two gang members were killed one was wounded and
caught and two others escaped to Michigan only to be apprehended a few months later when asked about the
shootout one of the two Nick gaido had this to say it was not a flight to avoid prosecution well what was it the flight
to avoid Chicago Police bullets a corrupted police force the most corrupted police force in the world
is in Chicago you think they wouldn't have given you a chance no never they would never give a man a
chance gido may have criticized the cops but to the citizens of Chicago hanhart and his men were nothing but Heroes they
lived it they worked it they uh they were an intelligence Community they knew they had informance all over the city of
Chicago they knew when a score was going to go down before it went down so and it
was a very crack unit not not all that you just couldn't get into that unit you had to you had to prove yourself before
you got into that unit only the uh only the sharpest coppers were in CIU they weren't directing traffic and they
weren't handling little Mickey Mouse gas stations cars they were they were you know grabbing the big guys I remember
sitting in the office one time and a bank robbery took place out in the western suburbs and a phone call came in
from one of our units out on the street uh giving uh giving us the information of the bank property taking
place and a general description of a vehicle and as soon soon as he heard the description of the vehicle he says
that's so and so's car that's the kind of information he had no computers in those they receiv it
was all in his head it was phenomenal just phenomenal hanhardt got his information from working the street and
over time he knew all the players and all the angles everybody knew how each other worked you'd make an investigation
of a score and you knew right away who did it the guy's got the MMO how he cut the save the jewelry guy everybody had
their own specialty here's a veteran policeman who's a cop cup StreetWise he came up the he know the street he knew
the good guys he knew the bad guys because he associated with the people uh who were known to be criminals and
underworld figures he was avoided by some federal investigators because they thought he was U his background and his
activities were a little bit over the line for law enforcement however he would tell you that this was necessary
to cultivate informance I've done it myself I I'd sit and talk to stickup guys and burglars and send over a drink
and you know but you got to you got to draw the line how far you'll do you'll go with them you're not going to spend
time at their houses you you're not going to go out you know with him but if you see him out in public you send him a
drink you talk to him you know it's only business you're a cop they're a burglar
it's only business she can't take it personal hanhart and his crew the criminal Investigation Unit were
constantly buding heads with the crooks of Chicago and his Quick Draw mentality even earned him the nickname Wild Bill
by the late 60s and early 70s hanhart was in his prime a real cops cop and the leader of a powerful law enforcement
unit in a tough City in 1976 when fellow police officer Terren Loftus died of a gunshot wound while breaking up a fight
on the Chicago Street Corner hanhart Tracked Down the Killer and in 1981 when Deputy superintendent James Rearden was
shot and killed hanhart personally took charge of the case he was the best in the country and he understood the Ive
work he understood what it was all about Canard has a tremendous following there
are many policemen that just love this guy when I was on the street as a cop hanhardt had a hell of a reputation
probably one of the toughest cops in Chicago bill hanhardt is a fair man he's a courageous man his tough guy persona
inspired Fierce loyalty among his men and his arrest record was unparalleled but to the US attorney in Chicago he had
a dark side that would ultimately lead to one of the the biggest scandals in the city's history when we return
hanhart and the Chicago mob bill hanhart was born in Chicago he was a child of the Great Depression who
hung out on the street corners and saw Mobsters driving around in their fancy cars and living the High Life the cops
and theab in Chicago been very unique uh and it all started basically probably even before the days of Capone but
Capone put a finishing touches to it uh he realized that he could not operate without police protection and he also
knew he could not operate without the political figures under his control with prohibition gambling and prostitution as
its main businesses the mob made millions of dollars meanwhile the public felt that
the mob was just giving the people what they wanted pops panso an oldtime Chicago
Thief recalls his days in the speak easys and the fierce competition Among The Gangs I was 15 14 years old I went
across the street I bought a half a pine of whiskey I used to buy Up Bugs Moran on the South Side Al Capone had the
north side said that's how the gang fight for the out started how come you don't come by no more over here you know
I said I go bugs morand on the southide is cheaper there you know so that's how they have gun fight F taking our
customers away it was the mob wars during prohibition that caused the St Valentine's Day Massacre when Capone
took out most of his Rivals Capone was able to consolidate his power and Chicago has operated under one crime
family ever since there's one family in Chicago so it's very easy for the mob to
control who's operating in their town by the 1950s when hanhart became a cop the
department was still struggling with corruption that was the oral of the 1950s in Chicago that Chicago quote
wasn't ready for reform that changed as the years went by you look back historically this uh Department this
city fought reform tooth and nail whether it was in the political structure or in the uh law enforcement
structure well back then before Civil Service came around uh you had to know somebody so you grabbed the hole of an
alderman a PRI and Captain he may you know you always had to leave him an envelope somewhere and uh you had a you
had a pull some strings uh you want to be in a police department worked for the city everybody had a guy you want to be
a cop you want to be a fireman go see this guy and you know back in the 40s 50s that's how guys came on a job when
hannard joined the police department in 1953 a lot of the people in the department their idea is you got to go
on the take a little to get a little honest graph there was opportunities for police officer to grab things it was
simply with f people said nothing wrong with honest graft as long as they're not
involved in drugs give a break to a Tavern owner maybe they got a kid in their young the guy gambling everybody
does it the guy's running Hooch after late hours don't worry about it so there was that or prostitution people want
that one a police officer of the 1950s who led a life of crime gave a statement to the authorities that from his first
day on the job he made $500 in gratuities I remember as a young agent working undercover in a uh in a gambling
establishment which was a very large scale operation some police Lieutenant came in while was at the bar saying hey
the are coming uh you know close everything down hanhart CIU detectives were allegedly taking protection money
as well according to Pops panco they all shook me down I had to go out stealing for
them they didn't make I to get this one hey you didn't see us for two weeks I had to give him my half on it all the
time so I don't get pants pants go in in true Chicago ask him when you ask him his occupation he says I'm a thief
what's the thief's obstacle the police now who else arrested panso only the CIU people only hand H hers people so now
he's saying they're shaking him down 40 years later in the old days some people may have questioned the cop's honesty
but never their toughness if you're messing with tough guys you got to be a tough guy and you know you uh you got to
break some necks and back in those days they were tuning up guys in in a police department they were they were whacking
a few guys and you know but that's what you had to do back then now you can't get away with it now cops be going to
jail for what they did back in the' 60s and 70s let's face reality those who are
StreetWise cops will tell you hey look we're not dealing with clergymen we're not dealing with nuns we're dealing with
scum we're dealing with underworld figures we're unscrupulous to get these people you have to bang higher at the
body maybe sometimes have to bend the rules a little bit that's the only way you're going to get those guys to the
bar of Justice you can't treat him with good gloves it can be law of the Jungle when you're dealing with people like
that in the 60s Bill hanhart had more to deal with than just bad guys the entire
city was coming apart at the seams [Music] [Music] [Music] hanhart CIU cops were the best in
Chicago and they worked Around the Clock if you're going to be a good cop and a smart cop you got to hang on the street
with the people you got to understand how they talk how they react what they say and those guys from ciou did that
they were Rush Street guys they hung around they partied with with people but that's the only way you can do it you
cannot do it from an ivory Tower somewhere and expect to get on the same level so you have a lot of friends that
are burglars and stickup guys the line between cops and Crooks has always been thin according to
[Music] [Applause] [Music] Rizzo cops and bad guys are basically the same only one guy's on the side of
the law the other guy isn't but your mannerisms your speaking where you grew up it's the same
every city in America has a neighborhood where the Wise Guys live work and play in New York it's Little
Italy a mecca for Mobsters since the turn of the century and where John Gotti operated
out of the ravenite social club in Philadelphia the mob controls South Philly and in Chicago it's a place
called the patch the guys that came out of the patch are Taylor stre half of them
became cops half became burglars well the patch of course is its own colorful history the patch seemed to be where all
the organized crime leaders in Chicago were born uh where they were trained and where they went on to bigger and better
things there were a lot of good honest policemen that came from the patch and uh I think it was just one of which how
you moral values were that basically one went into crime the other one went into
law enforcement you saw a good fellas and you saw a casino it's basically the same you grow up you you you start
respecting the people around you that drive the nice cars and have the money and sooner or later you got to make a
decision do you go left do you go right you know and uh some guys go left some guys go
right hanhardt was able to cultivate sources in the patch and all over the city a lot of people were jealous of him
he knew how to develop informational sources he knew how to develop performance it's the most difficult
thing in the world to develop sources of information whether he intimidated somebody into becoming an informant
because the way he looked at him or because of his Charming personality he had more knowledge than most Chicago
policemen did about Jewel thieves about burglars and people like that on the other hand there was an element of
people with the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies particularly those who were involved in organized
crime detection working with organized crime figures that took a dim review of Bill H's career they told me without any
question and without any reservation keep an iron like the away from do was a person that was too deeply rooted with
organized crime figures how involved was he with Mobsters coming up Han Ard and the Vegas
connection Chicago is a city that has always operated in the shadow of larger than life mafia figures like Al Scarface
Capone and Sam Momo ganana in the 1960s chanana ruled the Chicago mob also known
as the outfit and feared no one as the head of CIU hanhart was supposed to be watching giancana's Street Crews but
there were rumors within the department that some Mobsters had hanhart in their pocket when I first was going to attempt
to make uh Bill hanhart a u Source I was surprised by Chicago Police intelligence
unit to be aware of his background and that is the he was alleged by them to me to be a very close associate of high
level organized crime figures if I did attempt to make a source of him that he'd be using the information that I
would be exchanging with him to his advantage and going back to uh his uh Associates within organized crime let
them know what I was doing hanhardt wasn't the only cop in ciou that may have been too close to Mobsters look at
his partner uh the guy he was real close with John henchy a mob guy gets blown up
and killed and he gets hundreds of thousands of dollars in this guy's will you know come on there's more to it than
Mei speculation about hanh Hart's relationship to the Mob followed him throughout his career even as he
ascended to the top echelons of the department while raising his seven children with his wife Angie when hanh
hard retired uh there was a large party thrown for him at a Suburban banquet facility and a number of police
officials who attended the retirement party were shocked uh to find known organized crime people occupying some of
the tables at the retirement party but hanhart never seemed troubled by his image and his reputation as a top-notch
detective always overshadowed the rumors of mob ties he became so famous in Chicago for catching burglars that
Hollywood hired him as a consultant on the movie Thief hanhart was still on the police force when Michael man made a
movie in Chicago about a thief that's being being manipulated by the mob and the police you've been putting down two
three scores a month months in months out you want to put down contract scores all over the country working directly
for me I am self-employed icy lice no Furs no coin collections no stock certificates no treasury bonds no
nothing just diamonds of cash I'll make you a millionaire in four monthy in an ironic twist Man cast real cops as bad
guys and real bad guys as cops don't you know you got to come up was amazed at that movie that they allowed this
cracked Chicago Police Unit to be photograph the story line was that they were running these Jewel thieves and
taking a 10% uh Kickback from them we got a problem I come here to discuss a piece of business with you
what are you going to do you going to tell me fairy tales what's wrong with you now whether it was Michael man's idea
and the coppers went along with it to get parts in movies I don't know but in the movie everybody in there is a
burglar or a cop the set of thief was a unique atmosphere the usual barriers separating cops and Crooks had been
Stripped Away what's really amazing is back in the 60s and 70s the same guys that were shooting at each other killing
each other cops and burglars are now making movies together and that that amazed the hell out of me come on every
morning I walk in for 5 months say hi what the hell do you think that I do I'm a thief go and I think that movie Thief
put cops and burglar together on a whole different level that they never were on
before and I'm listening to guys in the bars here on Rush Street talking about what's your motivation what you know and
cops telling burglar how to act and uh being Consultants on these films hey I'm talking to you hanh Hart's interaction
with burglars as a consultant on the movie Thief is an eerie foreshadowing of the federal allegations against him
today either life imitates the movies or movies imitate life because what they're
now accusing Hanah har of is what the whole movie Thief was about Federal authorities have had their
eye on hanhart for over two decades in 1981 it was made public that the feds called hanhart before a grand jury
investigators wanted to know who leaked sensitive information to Anthony Shola a
cop under investigation for ties to organized crime during a title 3 wire tap on Shola Shola says that the G is
watching me the government the other person in F how do you know says H hanhardt told me he had a relationship
with a man by the name of Irving Wier of Niles Illinois who was a baale bondsman
Wier had a lot of ties and friends with outfit he was his name was also surfaced
with the with the death of Ellen Dorfman alen dman was a insurance executive was
convicted in 1982 along with some crime syndicate figures uh in federal court and was murdered in Gangland style in
1983 Han ard's name apparently surfaced when investigators found his name in uh darman's address book friends of hannard
will say why he had contacts like people with Dorfman or Wier was that they could
be sources then there was the case when hanart testified at a Las Vegas trial of
a man by the name of Anthony spalatro who allegedly looked after the Chicago mob's interest in the gambling Mecca he
testified Under The credibility of a key government witness hanhart was subpoena
to testify at Tony spalatro trial because of Frank colada a former outfit member and spalatro friend who entered
the witness protection program hanhart had known Cola and spilatro from their days as Chicago burglars I was brought
up to hanh Hart's office he says sit down Frankie and I sat down and he said get
him a cup of coffee you want a sweet roll you want to anything I said yeah no just coffee's good and he says you know
he says uh I'm really shocked he says I couldn't believe my ears when I found out that you were on
that score downtown the Big Jewel robbery so I looked at him and I said I don't even know what score you're
talking about and he said oh you know he everybody knows about that score he's but not everybody knows who was on that
score he except me colada was surprised by hanh Hart's inside information and his high level of contacts within the
Chicago mob I come to find out later that uh it came from Tony's boss uh who told him see because the diamonds that
we robbed out of that jewelry score went to the outfit and that's how we got our
money theart and that crew were constantly on spalatro he had a temper he had uh he was kind of crazy he uh
little guy for some reason those little guys are always tough spalatro toughness was the reason
the mob sent him to Las Vegas to ensure they got their cut the power would come out of Chicago and Tony would get these
messages and he would relay it to me what needed to be done in the casinos there was the skimming there I didn't
have anything to do with that but I was informed that the money was being skimmed out of the casinos my presence
was known that if you were steal and you worked in the casino you had a little problems if you got caught spilatro
began to operate without approval from Chicago and when the bosses got upset he tried to blame colada Tony had put a
contract out on me he made it look like I was the maniac that was running around killing
people and everything and robbing everything in Vegas when in fact he was the one that was directing all these
orders Cola turned government witness and spalatro went on trial in 1986 his heavy-handed style had gotten
him in trouble and he relied on hanhart to shoot down Kat's testimony hanhart would argue that he was subpoena to
appear there he didn't have any choice I didn't know until he was done testifying that he was up there and he
testified on me and I got a laugh at and I said this guy's nuts as he's fronting
himself off hanh heart's testimony may have given spalatro a hung jury and a second chance but the mob wanted to
cover their tracks and before there would be another trial spilatro was found beaten to death in an Indiana
cornfield next on Mugshots the feds Indi hanhart and Chicago's toughest cop faces
his biggest case [Music] ever by 1986 Bill hanhart had done it all he had risen from trollman to Deputy
superintendent and when Hollywood came calling again he hung up his gun and his badge and went to work on a TV series
about his life bill hanhardt um and Michael man were fairly close for a while Bill uh was a
consultant for Michael man on developing scripts for uh Crime Story some of the scripts that were developed were
developed based upon some cases that hand was personally involved Michael man apparently bought most of the real cases
that the CIU handles then it's finina who started it he was a CIU copper finina played Hanah Hart's part cuz he
was the head of that unit but um all of crime stories was basically Chicago scores after a short stint as a
Hollywood consultant hanhart seemed to have vanished but according to Federal authorities he was far from inactive
Thursday October 19th 2000 Federal authorities announced that they have broken up one of the most sophisticated
and prolific jewelry theft rings in the country operating for over a decade and netting $5 million in Jewels the FED say
these criminals got the help of Chicago policemen over the years the city has struggled with corruption ranging from
street cops committing robberies to the superintendent of police resigning from the force in 1997 for close ties to
organized crime figures what shocked the people of Chicago this time was that the
feds arrested Bill hanhardt the former Chief of detectives and one of the highest ranking cops ever to be indicted
in federal court in the Federal indictment hanhart is described as the ring leader of a daring and
sophisticated group of Thieves they arrested Joseph bazinsky as his Lieutenant Sam Deano who owned a
nightclub on Rush Street guy alello who worked at a jewelry store in in the suburbs of Chicago Paul Shiro was picked
up in Arizona and William Cherry no Brown is still at large once you start developing these friendships and start
sharing proceeds of crimes with people then you've step way over that line it's no longer law enforcement you're one of
the bad guys I have never known bill hanhardt as a police officer to compromise his Integrity or his
reputation for honesty as a police officer that's what's so amazing about uh this indictment hard to believe that
uh uh you know super cop could have been working with [Music] them4 let's go with Bill hanhart Rose through the ranks
on his strength as a detective the feds claim he switched sides and used his experience at catching Crooks to become
one of the top Jewel thieves in the country we covered stories involving outfit burglars that were sophisticated
but I don't anything compared to this each allegations that came out recently the Hallmark of this jewelry theft ring
was its extreme sophistication and planning this was a nationwide theft ring that ranged not just in the midwest
we're talking about montere California we're in occurred Columbus Ohio Dallas Texas and so on and so forth in fact the
feds accuse hanhart of orchestrating eight jewelry scores as far back as 1984 culminating in a daring Heist of
$1.5 million in jewels from hotel safety deposit boxes during a jewelry convention in
Ohio traveling jewelry salesmen were hanh hard's targets according to the feds the thieves pocketed $5 million in
stones and watches they would also according to the government now were able to put e
dropping devices in those Vehicles transmitters they could follow those cars they wiretap some of the
conversations involving these wholesale jewelry salesmen they were able to follow them they make duplicating key
equipment so keys that could make for get their way into a car so it was a widespread operation they would get
information about these fellows from the law enforcement computers they would go
to trade shows that not normally aren't open to the public get to know who who some of these jewelry salesman were what
their travel patterns were things like that and how much swag so to speak they might be carrying with them well the
activities that that bill hanhart and some of his associates are accused of at this point it's not rocket science it's
not rocket science it's it's just rudimentary thievery it's uh stealing uh targeting people it's doing your
homework a little bit but there have always been professional thieves and this is a professional crew and I would
have to liking it to an organized crime Crew That's the Way jewelry scores usually go down watch a guy for a little
while uh sooner or later the jewelry salesman is going to put the stuff in his trunk uh go to get something to eat
stop somewhere else and you you hit the trunk there's there's a million ways to do it when you investigate things when
you're in law enforcement for 20 30 years you know how to do something like that if you get to a point where you
want to turn into a thief you're going to know how to do it the Federal indictment against hanhart contains a
detailed account of the last Heist his crew is accused of pulling in October of 1996 the salesman was followed prior to
the theft to get the car's vehicle identification number with that a duplicate key was
made then the salesman was followed on a trip to [Music] Indiana what hanhart and his crew did
not know was that the entire scheme was allegedly caught on camera by the FBI [Music]
when the salesman stop to eat they set up Lookouts [Music] and then they stole $58,000 in
watches all under the watchful eye of an FBI surveillance team according to Media
reports [Music] once the thieves saw how little there was they returned the watches presumably
to wait for a better score but there were no more scores the FBI had been listening to hanh Hart's
phones since January of 1996 and the tap stayed active but the action stopped according to the
indictment hanhart knew his phones were tapped before the FBI told them before the FBI sent out the inventories to
people like me whose conversations with him were overheard he knew that ahead of time
they never would have put this thing together I really don't think they had the Smoking Gun uh in this case I mean
for 5 years uh apparently there was leaks that there was going to be an indictment in
this case and statue of limitation almost ran out down the last couple of weeks so I think it was a Do or Die
situation Ernie Rizzo was working working a divorce case that eventually gave the feds everything they needed Sam
Deano an alleged member of hanh heart's crew and nephew of a notorious outfit member was getting a divorce from his
wife Karen we started looking for assets which uh led us to safe deposit box her
attorney suggest that we open a safe deposit box uh photograph everything in the Box um we wound up uh going to the
safe deposit boxes photographing uh a lot of jewelry that were in the boxes uh some ID um apparently phony ID and uh
some wir tap equipment and um um car bugging devices but no one reported it uh I knew about it for two years and you
know it's not my job to help the FBI put their case together so we just left it in the safe deposit box and it stayed
there it came to light when Sam's attorney uh started filing motions in his divorce proceeding demanding the
jewelry back if you've got a client uh that the FBI has been looking at for 5 years looking for jewelry and evidence
it's really kind of a silly move to keep mentioning these names in open court and
talking about jewelry and safe deposit boxes and apparently a couple months ago fell on the years of the
FBI um C case was a couple weeks ago FBI grabbed her put her in protective custody gave me a grand jury subpoena to
turn over anything that I may have taken out of the box and confiscated all the jewelry in a box coming up have the feds
built a solid case or did they make the evidence fit the crime to settle a grudge against
hanhart in 1998 the FBI tried to jumpstart the investigation against hanhart by tipping the media the story
first broke in the spring of 1998 when it was revealed that the Federal Bureau of investigation other federal agents
had put a wiretap on the Suburban home of Bill hanhart wir Taps Are Not Unusual many wir Taps being conducted at all
times but this was one of the longest the wire tab on Han ard's house according to Federal documents ran for
almost a year prior to that wiretap a former burglar who was well known in outfit Circles by the name of Bobby De
Beek seagull had been cooperating with Federal authorities he and possibly some others that they were using now in the
witness protection program begin quot to speak spilling the beans according to Media reports seagull was in prison for
pulling a heist in Florida where he shot up a sheriff's car while making his getaway he approached the FBI with
information on a corrupt Chicago cop if Bobby to be seagull is saying anything uh against hanhardt I
personally think it's concocted and it's retaliatory and keep in mind that seagull is part of a network of thugs
and hoodlums in a Penitentiary that over the years hanhart has put there some of
the men arrested with hanhart had low-level connections to organized crime and criminal records according to the
Chicago crime commission bazinsky the man accused of being hanh Hart's Lieutenant had been on the crime
commission's radar in the past but it was his bizarre behavior after his indictment that Drew headlines bazinsky
is known for his in taxic for his disregard for all the mandates set forth by the court thank God they finally
locked them up I think it was ludicrous all the chances he was given repeatedly leaving home confinement to go to a
Tavern near his house groping women there hitting his girlfriend this guy really needs a good slap himself to
shake him out of it he's he sounds like a real goof hanhart was arraigned with his alleged cohorts but was bailed out
by family members who found the charges hard to believe if he uh was involved in
a jewelry ring why is he broke I mean he had to borrow in his house to pay for the attorney 's friend Richard breik
also could not comprehend the allegations I knew of binski because he doesn't live that far away from here uh
I do not know the other people at all in fact there are people in that indictment
that bill hanhardt does not know the picture of Bill hanhart that the feds have shown to the public is far
different from the modest yet proud man Richard breik knows as a friend and former colleague his home is comfortable
people are always welcome there they treated very special when they come there by his wife and himself bill is
nothing more than a husband a father a grandfather and a retired cop with a great reputation breik feels that the
feds have a history of making the facts fit the theory and that playing hard ball is a routine part of their practice
in the parking lot of Lake Forest Hospital he uh was grabed so to speak by three FBI
agents and uh not inconsistent with the history of the FBI uh they lied to him they said they
had a warrant for his arrest they had no warrant for his arrest it will take more than the words
of convicted felons and reports of wir TAPS to convince breik that the feds got the right man that someone who has
spent is entire life putting notorious bad people in jail would cross over the line is
somewhat ludicrous for astounding I think if you're a cop you should that's your feel that's what you you should
stay in you shouldn't try to play Both Sides uh I don't think it's right but I just can't believe how a guy would go so
many years straight up and never catch any heat and years afterwards what is it 70s now that you'd get involved in
something as silly as uh you know popping trunks I don't think he was surprised that they came after
him uh there are certain people in the federal government whove made a career trying to get hand
hurt the government doesn't basically go after anybody until information is obtained uh or given to them by somebody
they just don't run out in the street why and spent all day long harassing somebody because they don't like him uh
I never had a case in which uh we would quote went after somebody whether this is an open and shut case or the feds
have overreached in their effort to get bill hanhardt will be determined by a jury in federal court what is for
certain is the indictment of Bill hanhart shows that there is still a suspicion in Chicago that the cops and
the mob are just too cozy next on mug shots Bill H hanhart takes on the federal government bill hanhart is not used to
being the underdog after a lifetime of chasing Crooks the hunter has become the hunted he was once surrounded by friends
colleagues and admirers but now stands alone to face his accusers and it will take all his determination to see him
through this most important fight of his life he's been keeping a low profile at
his home in the Chicago suburbs helping his lawyers prepare a defense and while everyone awaits the outcome of his trial
the charges have created a Chasm among law enforcement I think anybody who betrays the trust of his fellow officers
anybody who betrays the badge given to him to uh protect honor and serve the citizens is a judice it's just resisting
that urge and it's not stepping over that line that 99.9% of all policemen are able to do
the first lesson that he's learned is who his real friends are what's important to bill
today is his wife Angie of 50 plus years his six daughters and one son and his 17
grandchildren and his handful of friends he was such a dynamic figure such a successful police officer as a detective
and a detective chief that often he was given a free reign uh there was not necessarily the sort of
review that other officials in the department might have been subjected to he was that good and he was that strong
and he was that powerful he was a man he was the type of guy that uh he would put
the gun on the side the badge on the side and go Toe to Toe with you at this point and in looking at the things that
I've heard over the years and the things that have been brought forth by the federal government I would I would have
to describe him as sinister I would consider his behavior as a betrayal to true law enforcement
professionals the newspaper Clips don't tell me anything talk about some some Interstate Nationwide jewelry ring I
know the defendants are not talking to the newspapers I know the defense attorneys are not talking to the
newspapers so this is the government story in the newspaper bill hanhardt and his attorney
have declined comment in fact most of his former colleagues have chosen not to talk hanhardt and his legal team have
decided to lay out his story in court before a jury of Chicagoans have a good day I look at indictments whether it be
hanh hard or others the success rate is going to be high and chances are that he's going to be convicted they usually
won't take it a trial unless they have a solid case uh I would imagine they have a lot
on them and uh and if they do I imagine he's going to go to jail for quite a while
when reporters followed bill hanhart out of federal court you could see how he tried to maintain his dignity at 72 he
is suffering from prostate cancer and while he awaits a trial postponed by his defense team Chicago awaits an answer I
think very few people in Chicago believe it because H's always had a hell reputation Tough Cop toughest cop so
when it came down everybody you know really in in a days wondering could this really have happened
[Music] [Music] sh [Music]

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Brief Summary

Bill Hanhardt, a legendary Chicago cop, faces federal charges for leading a jewelry theft ring after a celebrated career in law enforcement.

Key points

Bill Hanhart: From Cop to Crook?. Once a celebrated Chicago cop, Bill Hanhart faces accusations of corruption and ties to organized crime.
The Thin Blue Line. Exploring the blurred lines between law enforcement and organized crime in Chicago.
Hollywood's Dark Reflection. Bill Hanhart's life inspired the movie 'Thief,' blurring the lines between cops and criminals.
Hanardt Indicted. Former Chief of Detectives Bill Hanhardt is arrested, shocking the city of Chicago.
The Jewelry Theft Ring. Federal authorities break up a sophisticated jewelry theft ring allegedly led by Hanhardt.
The FBI's Surveillance. FBI surveillance captures Hanhardt's crew in action during a jewelry heist.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

The most corrupted police force in the world is in Chicago.

A stark claim about the state of Chicago's police force.

3:54WatchJul 29, 2014

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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