Before Trump’s inauguration in January, the Justice Department issued a scathing 161-page report that found deep-rooted civil rights violations by Chicago police, including racial bias, excessive use of force and a “pervasive cover-up culture” among officers. Emanuel committed to a consent decree in a joint statement with Justice Department officials at the time.
The Justice Department launched its civil rights investigation in 2015 after the release of police dashboard camera video showing a white officer shooting a black teenager, Laquan McDonald, 16 times. The video of McDonald’s 2014 death prompted protests and demands for sweeping reforms. The officer who shot the 17-year-old was charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.
Since then, Emanuel has said repeatedly that Chicago will push ahead with reforms, no matter what. His administration has established a new police oversight agency and adopted other practices to hold officers accountable.
Addressing reporters Wednesday, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson also cited the decision to fit all patrol officers with body cameras.
“I’m not a lawyer, so I won’t speak about the litigation,” he said. “I’m just a cop trying to make this police department better.”
Using lawsuits to prompt overhauls of police departments is rare. A lawsuit filed by community groups in Cincinnati in 2001 did play a central role in kick-starting police reforms that eventually were overseen by a federal court.
Chicago officials point to Washington, D.C., as a city that enacted successful police reforms without a judge. But another plaintiff attorney in the Chicago case, Sheila Bedi, said successful reforms without court scrutiny are “very, very rare.” Only judges, free of political pressure, can rule that police aren’t complying with agreed-to reforms and force them to do so, Bedi said.
The Chicago Police Department is the largest in the U.S. to be investigated by the Justice Department, so court-enforced reforms could end up costing the city more than a deal cut with Trump’s administration.
But Andrew Stroth, another plaintiff attorney, said a police force with deeply engrained problems that aren’t fixed will see more unjustified shootings and more lawsuits that cost city taxpayers. According to the lawsuit, more than 1,600 people have been shot by Chicago police since 1996, more than 90 percent of them black. And lawsuits that alleged police abuses have cost Chicago more than $640 million on settlements.
“Chicago will save money and save lives by having federal judicial oversight,” Stroth said.
Article Appeared @https://chicagodefender.com/2017/06/19/court-oversight-of-chicago-police-reforms-sought-in-lawsuit/