Ryan, who declined to be interviewed for this story, still reports to work each day to his third-floor office, just around the corner from Prignano's suite in the aging police station in LaSalle Square. But Ryan is no longer a fixture in Prignano's office. He has never been popular with other department officers or the rank and file. Ever since, the department has been buzzing with talk about Ryan's cooperation, and how that will affect an FBI investigation into allegations that favored officers received advance copies of promotional exams. The probe follows years of complaints and lawsuits from officers who have alleged that political donations were required for advancement in the department.
Officers talk about it in the station's hallways, on the street and at crime scenes.
They are more concerned about the promotional exams than whether Prignano will remain as chief or whether the investigation will lead to Mayor Cianci. It's all the guys talk about. Officers are reluctant to speak on the record about the situation. They often cite the department policy that prohibits them from making public comment without permission from the police administration. There is anger among officers that some of their politically-connected colleagues may have bypassed the process and been handed the tests.