Decades Later, Aaron Kohn's Allegations Leave More Questions Than Answers

This story doesn’t start in a seedy alleyway or with shattered glass. It starts at 1121 S. State Street, the location of the former Chicago Police Headquarters. In modern times, if we witness a crime or have a sneaking suspicion, we dial 911. In early 1950s Chicago, those reports landed at the Central Complaint Room. Our Police Operations Calendar January 2025 photo depicts this room.

Designed to keep track of incidents from violent crimes to petty theft, operators took note of each circumstance and notified Chicago police of the suspected crime’s location.

Which, Aaron Kohn claimed, was where the problem started. As a former Chief Investigator of the Chicago Police Department, his role was to zero in on organized crime. 

Whether it was from word of mouth or eyewitness testimony, sources don’t explain exactly how Kohn retrieved his information. Nevertheless, an article published on January 16, 1953, quietly broke the news of his accusations: “Aaron Kohn, deposed chief investigator, charged collusion between some radio officers in the police central complaint room and policemen assigned to accident cars.”

While Kohn kept his direct suspicions anonymous, the article goes on to say that, “some operators ‘are known’ to accept payoffs from car crews to get assignments in cases where wrecked vehicles must be towed” with some payments ranging “from $10 to $12 from towing firms for each towing job.” According to Kohn’s allegations, officers and operators worked in tandem–the operators alerting local dispatch when certain vehicles might need to be removed from the scene, and the officers themselves handing over a portion of the payment to the operator. 

While $10 a tow might not seem like plenty of money, simple calculations online suggest an equivalent of around $120 today. If Kohn’s accusations were correct, the offenders weren’t just pocketing nickels and dimes. 

But Edward Erickson, Lieutenant of the Chicago Police Department, strongly disagreed. In the very same article, Erickson denied Kohn’s remarks, claiming that any sort of conspiracy was “almost entirely impossible.”

The timeline of events is certainly befuddling–full of hasty withdrawals and obscure reactions involving then-committee chief counsel Thomas A. Bane, and his replacement, Charles F. Rathburn.  A dissertation by Kyle P. Willshire of the University of New Orleans recounts the months leading up to Kohn’s claims: “In September of 1952, before the report could be released, chief counsel Bane resigned and Kohn was dismissed from his position by the new chief counsel, the pro-administration Charles F. Rathbun, almost a year before Kohn would arrive in New Orleans.” As a chief counsel, Bane was responsible for investigating organized crime, right alongside Kohn. 

While the Kohn Report was ultimately published, reception was mixed. Rathburn, according to the article, “dismissed the Kohn report as having little value.”

With two opposing views–one full of allegations and the other opposing them, it’s easy to see why the situation remains cloudy to this day. From our research, we couldn’t pinpoint any specific individuals charged with bribery or coercion related to this case. But questions still pile up:

• Why did Bane push for the Kohn Report to not be released – and resign so quickly?
• Would Kohn have jeopardized his career on false accusations?
• Just which operators and officers did Kohn accuse of misconduct?

It’s an intriguing story and one we might revisit if new details come to light. After all, history isn’t always in the newsprint – it’s in the memories we share and the stories we tell. If you have additional info on Aaron Kohn, Lt. Edward Erikson, or other members who worked in the Central Complaint Room, we’d love to hear about them. Send details and photos to pon@ponetwork.com. Together, let’s dig deeper into history!

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