After years of questionable practices and confirmed acts of violence against Chicagoans, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday it would open an independent investigation into the Chicago Police Department to see whether it has violated the constitutional and civil rights of the city’s residents.
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These recent changes follow the release of a dashboard-cam police video that showed the shooting death of a 20-year-old Laquan McDonald by former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, who was sacked last month for the October 2014 incident.
Earlier on Monday, the Justice Department said it was launching a broad investigation into the Chicago Police Department to look at the way officers use force and to see if their actions are unconstitutional.
Our goal in this investigation – as in all of our pattern-or-practice investigations – is not to focus on individuals, but to improve systems; to ensure that officers are being provided with the tools they need – including training, policy guidance and equipment – to be more effective, to partner with civilians and to strengthen public safety.
Alvarez also said that a 9mm round consistent with cocking a gun was found in the back seat where Johnson had been seated.
Before showing the dashcam video in the Johnson case, she and Assistant State’s Attorney Lynn McCarthy showed a long PowerPoint presentation that included radio communications and maps of the part of the city where the shooting happened.
Michael Oppenheimer, an attorney for Johnson’s family, called Alvarez’ explanation a “joke”, and protesters took to the streets Monday evening.
McCarthy and Alvarez said that officers reported that Johnson had a gun.
“He did not comply with any of their commands”, she said.
Nevertheless, the video posted below does capture audio, so perhaps they were just waiting to release this version upon special request as they did with the McDonald video. Nobody in the auto called 911 or went to the police station to report the shooting.
Van Dyke was charged with first degree murder over McDonald’s death the same day the video was released.
“The four men drove a short distance and returned to the scene”, Alvarez said. “It took them eight months to find witnesses to interview”, Alvarez said, even as she explained that her decision not to charge the officer involved was based on IPRA’s investigation. He and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez have had to dismiss calls for their resignations amid lingering discontent on how the city handled the McDonald case. According to the New York Times, the officers’ statements backed up Van Dyke’s claim that McDonald was threatening his life at the time of the shooting.
“The Police Department planted that gun because there’s no way anything would have stayed in Ronald Johnson’s hand after he was shot”, the attorney said. He also announced on Sunday that he had replaced the head of the city’s Independent Police Review Authority, which reviews police misconduct allegations. The execution-style shooting of a black teenager by a police officer in the streets of the city’s South Side, caught on camera. While officers were interviewing one of the men in that vehicle, Johnson tried to run.
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Emanuel, who initially said a federal civil rights investigation would be “misguided” but later reversed course, said the city needs comprehensive solutions in the wake of the video showing McDonald’s death. “The probe by the federal government is going to go at something that has always been a problem in Chicago, which is police discipline and a lack of oversight and transparency in that discipline system”.
