Chicago commits to police reforms

The Justice Department mentioned that the Chicago Police are protecting some officers after they violate the law and that they are sometimes using deadly and necessary force. In 30,000 complaints in the five years before the investigation, about 98 percent of them resulted in no discipline for the officers involved. The officer pointed his gun at them, used profanity, and threatened to put their heads through a wall and to blow up their homes.

Tasers and other uses of force are also reported against juveniles, and there is no policy that addresses the use of Tasers against children.

In another case, an officer forcibly handcuffed a 12-year-old Latino boy who was outside riding a bike under his father’s supervision.

The official report itself states that “CPD uses deadly force in violation of the Fourth Amendment”, “Video evidence suggests a broader pattern of unconstitutional use of force”, and that “CPD does not effectively use crisis intervention techniques to reduce the need for force”, among others. He added every patrol officer will be equipped with a body camera by 2018, as reported September 26, 2016 by The Chronicle.

This is a problem that starts at the top and permeates the ranks of officers to the lowest levels.

As Chicagoans are still combing through the bombshell 164 page report released by the Department of Justice detailing its investigation into the Chicago Police Department, area politicians, community groups and others are beginning to react to the findings.

Can it be fixed? The next critical stage will be closed-door, bilateral negotiations between the DOJ and city officials to reach a detailed settlement.

The more he keeps that in mind, the more likely he is to have one, a political future, that is.

Chicago police showed racial bias and a “pattern” of excessive use of force, the US Justice Department has found.

The perception that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel badly mishandled the Laquan McDonald shooting hurt the former Obama chief of staff politically and he may feel pressure to address all, or almost all, of the Justice Department’s findings to restore his political fortunes.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the DOJ civil rights investigation of the city’s police department is “sobering”, and that the city will proceed with reforms, also according to the Associated Press. There is a template for what to expect – and it is in place 700 miles away in Baltimore.

Angelica Nieves says the police code of silence protected the off duty officer who eventually shot and killed her unarmed brother Jose Nieves on January 2nd, after an altercation. That officer was taken to Weiss Memorial and later released, while another police officer was treated at the scene.

Ademola said the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter is still reviewing the Justice Department’s findings and will evaluate afterward its next steps to urge city officials to sign such an agreement. He said he was concerned that such legal action risks smearing entire police departments and harming officer morale. The man ran and three officers chased him, shooting as they ran. He added, “I think there’s concern that good police officers and good departments can be sued by the Department of Justice when you just have individuals within a department who have done wrong, and those individuals need to be prosecuted”.