A dozen south suburban bars have been raided by the county sheriff's officers last December. During the raids they seized and destroyed video gaming machines and confiscated football sports gambling slips. All of which was videotaped by the department and sent to the media for extensive coverage.
Now it seems the finger is pointing to the very officers who conducted the raid. How can it be in order for the sheriff's department to participate in sports gambling but not in order for the public? A spokesman for the sheriff said if the accusation is true, the department does not condone it. He claims if the matter had been turned over to the sheriff's office instead of to the press, they would have investigated it.
The whistleblower is a member of the sheriff's department, Officer Oesterlin who said that he has known about the sports gambling for about a year and feels that he can no longer keep quiet. He did approach the FBI last spring with evidence of the sports gambling operation and says he has not heard back from them.
Oesterlin has now brought the matter to the attention of the Better Government Association. Jay Stewart of the BGA says that the matter will receive their serious attention. Sheriff Dart has declined to comment, a spokesman has said that the department never had any knowledge of the sports gambling operation. Oesterlin for his part says that he had complained to his superiors but nothing was done.
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