He made his own way, from patrolman to an executive with New York City’s police force to becoming Newark, New Jersey’s chief to Chicago’s top office in May 2011 a position from which he was dismissed Tuesday.
Advertisement
The major said the task force will review the system of accountability, police oversight and training in the Chicago police department.
The Chicago case is the latest of several controversial confrontations in the U.S.in which white police officers have killed black suspects in the last two years, often in street disputes that quickly escalated from routine police encounters with individuals in their communities.
“So many people in Chicago were upset by Laquan McDonald’s execution that McCarthy had to go”, Davis said.
Last week, the City Council’s Black Caucus convened for a press conference to publicly demand McCarthy’s resignation for the second time in just a few months.
Emanuel said he had begun talks with the superintendent on Sunday about “the direction of the department” and about how “trust in the department” had been shaken by the handling of the shooting.
“Superintendent McCarthy knows that a police officer is only as effective as when he has the trust of those he serves”, said Emanuel.
McCarthy was sacked a week after the release of video depicting the shooting of Laquan McDonald by a police officer.
Van Dyke, 37, faces a first-degree murder charge and was freed from jail Monday night after posting bond on a $15 million bail.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, left, and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy appear at a news conference in November.
McDonald was shot 16 times by an officer previous year and his death has prompted a series of protests throughout Chicago.
“I’m grateful for his service to the city”, he said, adding that the superintendent had modernized the department and delivered results. Van Dyke opens fire on McDonald who is spun completely around from the force of at least one shot before he falls and lies motionless in the middle of the street.
Advertisement
Despite the massive outrage over the prolonged process of charging Van Dyke for murder, Emanuel insisted that McCarthy had a “strong record” and created “real results” in his time as Chief of Police. The task force will also be charged with strengthening the system to identify and evaluate cops who have received multiple citizen complaints and establishing a set of standards for the release of videos of police-involved shootings and incidents.
