McCarthy was sacked a week after the release of video depicting the shooting of Laquan McDonald by a police officer.
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But the recently released graphic police video of Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times – killing him – led to mounting pressure for the top cop’s dismissal.
Outrage has mounted over the long lag between McDonald’s death in October 2014 and last week’s release of the video and charges against Van Dyke.
Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was forced to resign overnight after the meeting with the mayor.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is accountable for the actions of the Chicago Police Department.
But Craig Futterman, a civil rights attorney who helped expose the McDonald shooting, says that while Emanuel’s dramatic moves may address the symptoms of what ails the Chicago Police Department and show he’s taking action, they won’t cure the disease.
Patrick was tapped to serve as an unpaid adviser to the five-member task force by Emanuel, who like Patrick is a close ally of President Obama, and someone the mayor has known for “decades”, a City Hall spokesman said.
When the video was released last week, Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder.
“To build the trust and confidence of the public and, at this point, in this juncture for the city, given what we’re working on, he had become an issue rather than dealing with the issue and a distraction”, Emanuel said.
“In our community, everyone is saying it (the video) was not released because of the election”, said Corey Brooks, a prominent black minister.
The multi-racial task force includes City of Chicago Inspector General Joseph M. Ferguson, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Partner, Sergio E. Acosta, Mayer Brown partner Lori E. Lightfoot, University of Chicago Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project Director Randolph N. Stone and former Illinois State Police director Hiram Grau.
“Now is the time for fresh eyes and new leadership to confront the challenges”, he said, adding that outgoing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy’s record was nonetheless “a strong one and one he can be proud of”.
Emanuel said Tuesday that he and the superintendent began talking about how the McDonald case had “shaken” public trust in the police. Van Dyke is scheduled to return to court Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, to learn whether he’ll be offered bond.
In May, Burger King district manager Jay Darshane accused officers of deleting the security footage after spending over three hours in the fast food restaurant on the night of the shooting.
But he said his authority in the Van Dyke case was limited as an outside agency and federal officials investigated what happened. In the video, McDonald can be seen carrying a knife, but there is no moment where it can be construed that the 17-year-old was lunging at the police officer.
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But Primeau said it is hard to believe none of the police vehicles had workable audio. Madigan in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asked that the investigation weigh, among other things, the department’s use of deadly force and whether a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing exists.
