The Chicago Police Department confirmed that Justice Department officials will arrive on Wednesday to begin the probe and meet with police department staff and Superintendent John Escalante.
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Protesters march near downtown Chicago, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, in Chicago after Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologized for the 2014 shooting of a black teenager during a special City Council meeting.
During his brief speech to students, Emanuel alluded to the city’s crisis since the release of dashcam video showing the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, noting “it’s a particular time in the city”. But he says it’s not surprising officers are impacted by recent events. Emanuel criticized the police department for being quick to shoot, saying the department’s “supervision and leadership” had failed.
Embattled Mayor Rahm Emanuel faced more criticism Wednesday, this time from students at Urban Prep Charter Academy in Englewood.
At bond court last month, prosecutors said Van Dyke opened fire six seconds after exiting his squad vehicle as McDonald was holding a knife with a 3-inch blade and walking in the middle of 41st Street and Pulaski Road shortly before 10 p.m. October 20, 2014.
“The Chicago Police Department welcomes the meeting requested by the Department of Justice, and pledges the City’s complete and full cooperation”, the department said in a statement. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced last week that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division would conduct a probe of Chicago Police patterns and practices after facing a call from protesters and numerous city’s African-American politicians to conduct such an investigation.
Critics have alleged a cover-up in the case, since it took more than a year since McDonald was killed to bring criminal charges.
These initial meetings are most likely get-acquainted sessions.
Over coming months, investigators will talk to everyone from beat cops to elected officials.
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The head of the Chicago police union, Dean Angelo, told WTTW-TV he already met with Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who leads the investigation.
