“We cannot shrink from the challenge any more than we can ignore the wrenching video of a troubled young man, a ward of the state of IL, failed by the system, surrounded by the police and gunned down on the streets of Chicago”.
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But outrage has mounted over the shooting and police misconduct overall.
The delay in releasing the video, he said, “represents a failure of government and everybody loses in a situation like that”. The Cook County officers were contacted in July by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and have cooperated with the agency.
Another emphasis should be on recruiting more African-Americans as officers, Davis said, arguing that they are less likely to open fire without justification as they patrol in neighborhoods they’re from.
The mayor also spoke of residents’ mistrust of Chicago police, saying it’s unacceptable that there are parents in Chicago who feel they must warn their children to be wary of officers.
The investigation into the Chicago Police Department will be similar to those looking into the Baltimore Police Department and the police department in Ferguson, Mo.
Add to the commotion protesters calling for the resignation of Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and suddenly it’s a full-blown crisis. Smith says the sheriff’s office wasn’t aware of the officers’ involvement until contacted by the newspaper. In the early weeks after the killing, police insisted McDonald had lunged at Van Dyke with a knife – something the video proves to be untrue.
McDonald’s family also will speak publicly about the case later Friday morning. Ringleader Jerome Finnigan was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in 2011 to a federal tax charge and ordering a hit on another officer to keep him from talking to federal investigators.
Protests continued in Chicago on Thursday starting with a “die-in” by medical students, a day after embattled Mayor Rahm Emanuel emotionally apologized for the 2014 police shooting of a 17-year-old black teen, Reuters reported.
The alliance turned over a list of dozens of cases, including shootings of teenagers by officers and what the group describes as coerced confessions and torture. Coffman also said the incident unfolded in less than 5 seconds.
When asked if Emanuel should step down, as some protesters have demanded, Carson said: “I think that’s a decision for the people here in Chicago”.
John Escalante, a former chief of detectives, is interim police superintendent.
To put Van Dyke’s record in perspective, of the 12,000 police officers in Chicago, only 402 have had 20 or more complaints filed against them, according to the Citizens Police Data Project database. The Board will then select three finalists and, pursuant to the Municipal Code, submit the three nominees to the Mayor.
Prospective candidates will have until Friday, January 15, to apply for the position.
Eight days before McDonald was killed, Officer George Hernandez fatally shot 25-year-old Ronald Johnson III.
Squad auto footage of the shooting was released late last month, and there have been nearly daily protests.
The Department of Justice announced this week that is has launched a civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department’s pattern and practices and will focus on the use of force and accountability within the police department.
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Protesters gather at Chicago’s Daley Plaza for a December 9 rally and march calling for Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign.
