The Justice Department released a blistering report on Friday concluding what many in Chicago have been saying for years: that the city’s police officers routinely use excessive and deadly force, particularly against black and Latino residents; that they systematically violate civil rights; and that the department consistently fails to hold officers accountable for abuse and misconduct.
With one week to go before the beginning of the Trump administration — which is widely expected to take a considerably less aggressive approach toward police abuse — federal officials this week tied up the loose ends on some of the department’s most high profile investigations of police departments.
On Thursday, Justice Department officials signed a consent decree with the city of Baltimore, outlining reforms the city will be required to undertake after a scathing report published last August found a pattern of stops, searches, arrests and use of force that violated the First and Fourth Amendments as well as federal anti-discrimination laws.
Then on Friday, the department released one of its most anticipated reports yet, based on the investigation of the Chicago Police Department that it launched in 2015 on the heels of protest and a public scandal over the 2014 police killing of Laquan McDonald.
As it did in Baltimore, the DOJ found that the Chicago Police Department — which, with 12,000 officers, is the country’s second largest police department, after the NYPD — regularly engaged in a pattern of abuse, excessive force, and racial discrimination.
With forceful language and harrowing details, the 164-page document confirms reports of systemic abuse in Chicago’s most heavily policed communities, including disturbing anecdotes about officers shooting people who posed no threat and tasering people who didn’t follow verbal commands.
The report also denounced what it concluded was a widespread culture of covering up police misconduct, including tampering with video and audio evidence and intimidating witnesses. “A code of silence exists, and officers and community members know it,” the report said. One sergeant told DOJ investigators that, “if someone comes forward as a whistleblower in the department, they are dead on the street.”
Last year, The Intercept published a four-part investigation by journalist Jamie Kalven of a far-reaching criminal enterprise within the Chicago Police Department and the code of silence that enabled it.
Kalven was also the first to obtain a copy of Laquan McDonald’s autopsy report, which contradicted police accounts of the shooting and showed the teen had been shot 16 times, including several times in the back, and that police officer Jason Van Dyke had unloaded his weapon “execution style” while McDonald lay on the ground. It took more than a year for the city to release dashcam video of the shooting and charge Van Dyke with first-degree murder (charges his lawyers are currently trying to dismiss.)
McDonald’s killing was one of many in Chicago over the last several years, and it sparked massive protests, a successful effort to oust the prosecutor that oversaw the cover-up effort, and widespread calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign. It also deeply damaged the relationship between police and communities of color at a time when Chicago is facing a spike in violence — with 762 murders in 2016 alone, its most violent year in two decades.
“It has never been more important to rebuild trust for the police within Chicago’s neighborhoods most challenged by violence, poverty, and unemployment,” the report noted.
Garry McCarthy, who headed the department at the time of McDonald’s killing and was fired by Emanuel following public outrage over the incident, slammed the report as “political” and “predetermined.”
Emanuel responded to the report: “Police misconduct will not be tolerated anywhere in this city and those who break the rules will be held accountable for their actions.”
While Chicago officials pledged a commitment to police reform — with some efforts already underway ahead of the report’s release — many residents of Chicago and other cities where police have come under federal scrutiny in recent years are looking ahead to the incoming administration with apprehension. Judges and independent monitors are set to enforce agreements in cities where consent decrees are already in place, but it will be up to the next DOJ administration to negotiate the terms for Chicago, continue pending investigations, or initiate new ones.
Residents of communities afflicted by police abuse point out that the consent decrees are not a panacea: individual officers are not held to account, and consent decrees don’t create sufficient avenues for community oversight and real accountability.
As The Intercept reported earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump has promised a return to “law and order” policies, like stop and frisk, that have done enormous damage to communities of color in the past. He referred to the growing movement for police accountability a “war on police.”
Sen. Jeff Sessions, who Trump chose to lead the DOJ, has said in the past that consent decrees, like the one signed in Baltimore and the one expected to follow the Chicago investigation, are an intrusion on local authority and an overreach by the DOJ. During his confirmation hearing this week, Sessions reiterated his commitment to law and order over civil rights.
“If we are to be more effective in dealing with rising crime, we will have to rely heavily on local law enforcement to lead the way,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “To do that, they must know that they are supported. If I am so fortunate as to be confirmed as attorney general, they can be assured that they will have my support.”
At least some in law enforcement are already taking that as a sign that the DOJ will leave them alone. Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke put that plainly in a Facebook statement in response to calls for the DOJ to investigate the Milwaukee County Jail he oversees, where four people, including a baby, have died since April.
“After January 20, 2017, Sen. Jeff Sessions will become the new attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice,” Clarke said in the statement. “He will take the partisan politics out of decision making at DOJ.”
Top photo: Demonstrators confront police officers during a protest over the death of Laquan McDonald on Nov. 25, 2015, in Chicago.
This has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with wealth and income disparities.
Violent crimes are generally committed by people who have nothing vested in the system (i.e.: they are socioeconomically disadvantaged). It just so happens that in Chicago a majority of these people are black.
The police are abusing their power over black people because that’s who is committing the crimes because that’s who has been kept abjectly poor.
So the problem and solution lies not with the Chicago police but, rather, with a system that allocates so little of the economy’s output to those at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid that crime either becomes a rational choice or an incontrollable response to the extreme psychological pain of poverty.
“The police are abusing their power over black people because that’s who is committing the crimes because that’s who has been kept abjectly poor.” Hold on. Google “Daniel Taylor Chicago” – this guy was in lockup on another charge when the murder he was convicted of happened. He didn’t commit the crime at all and the cops falsified the arrest records and beat a false confession out of him. From age 18 to 37 his life was kept from him because detective Jon Burge and his ilk are the worst kind of scum on the planet. Also, how many pounds of cocaine, pot, ecstasy, and prostitute do you think flow through the top-floor penthouses of the wealthy in Chicago, Manhattan, and everywhere else? Committing crimes? Give me a break!
What a shame that this report was only issued with a week left in Mr. Obama’s presidency, and it is too late for him to do anything about it. It’s really an almost inexplicable case of bad luck and bad timing. To think that Mr. Obama, like everyone else, had no idea of what was happening in Chicago. Had he been more familiar with Illinois (has he ever visited the state?), or had he personally known the mayor of Chicago, he could have been far more proactive.
Luckily, Mr. Trump is a staunch defender of civil rights, so I am confident he will take strong action to combat the systemic defects of the Chicago Police Department uncovered in this report.
The retribution against Chicago will be directly proportional to the verbiage that Emanuel used against Trump during the election
There is no greater unhinged bitch session bereft of even a mild attempt of a solution than The Intercept comments section.
It’s why the far fringe left will only ever be spoilers and nothing more…and that only occasionally.
Also: makes for a good laugh!
The Police forces are presented and openly supported with liberties that are outside the law, which they represent, and defined as crimes for civilians.
Sounds like the perfect excuse to usher in a “federalized police force.” or, is this just another set up, scam & swindle? methinks it’s probably orchestrated, you know what Rahm says, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste. It’s an opportunity to do things that you could not do before.” No federalized police, local is best. the federal gov’t needs to shrink, not expand.
proving still how easy it is to identify racism…even over the internet.
lets hope your kids get treated as well by the police as the people have in chicago.
Hey JADE ,,,,
I ,, for the love of me ,, can’t see any racism in Lynda’s post . If you could point out to me what you see as racist in her post I’d appreciate it .
Thanks .
Oh !!
Calling Rahm an SOB is racist . Gotcha .
Well Clarence Thomas is an SOB . Is that racist ?
Is it a coincidence that the photo resembles this famous Goya painting? https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/romanticism/romanticism-in-spain/a/goya-third-of-may-1808
No . The underlying ruthlessness of state sanctioned murder of both the painting and the photo is no coincidence .
Give it just a little more time and big city police departments will simply have zones in the city they will not protect not only due to their personal safety but in fears of the radical leftist bringing suit against any aggressive action taken in a minority neighborhood. I think maybe we should give this a try let’s let cities in the minority left-leaning neighborhoods just police themselves and let’s see how that works out for a change. Or maybe that’s simply what’s going on now with talk of neighborhoods and folks not feeling safe.
So ,, the cops that police a neighbourhood should live in the neighbourhood ?
What a quaint idea .
“let’s let cities in the minority left-leaning neighborhoods just police themselves”————–Hillfarmer
____________________________________________________
Are you suggesting that the cops that police a neighbourhood should live there and not be an occupying force of armed outside mercenaries ?
What a quaint idea .
What about a minority right-leaning hood ? Oh ,,,right ,,,that’s where the cops live .
Hey Hillfarmer ,
Is that hill you farm a dung heap ? Does it lean left or does it lean right ? Does it stink ? When the wind blows do bits of dung fly off and hit you in the face ?
GEEZ ,,
So a Democratic administration issues a scathing report about a Democratic city in a Democratic state and somehow the author manages to mention Trump 3 times, Democrats 0 times, and Obama 0 times.
Sounds like a fair and balanced analysis.
I hope Chicago enjoyed their kinder and gentler policing in 2016, and with this report 2017 is going to be even kinder and gentler. Yes, victory! Perhaps we can arm the police with non-lethal marshmallows which will no doubt end all the killing which is obviously the fault of the evil police and of course Trump somehow.
The Chicago PD should just resign, open the gates to the southern and western zoos, and walk away. All the good hearted and right thinking people who are demonizing them en masse can then take over and demonstrate how enlightened thinking (documented in triplicate) is the key to fixing gang violence.
So a Democratic administration issues a scathing report about a Democratic city in a Democratic state and somehow the author manages to mention Trump 3 times, Democrats 0 times, and Obama 0 times.
Literally the fifth word in the headline.
As for mentioning democrats 0 times, do you really think anyone reading this thinks Rahm Emannuel is a Republican? Or that the mayor of Baltimore is as well? Should they have also mentioned that David Clarke, in whose jail a baby died, is a Republican? Do you actually think that these abuses are only happening in cities governed by democrats? Are you familiar with Sheriff Joe Arpaio? I can tell you from personal experience that such things have been happening for decades in the city I was born in which has been under Republican governance for most of its history. It’s simply a fact that this kind of abuse of power is happening in cities across the country irrespective of which party is in power.
Most importantly, and the point of this article, do you think that Trump and Sessions will follow up on the recommendations produced by Obama’s DOJ for these cities run by Democrats, or are they more likely to let them fall by the wayside and not hold these Democratic-run LE departments – as well as law enforcement in cities elsewhere – accountable?
Isn’t across-the-board accountability what we want irrespective of party? Or are you simply ok with the unaccountable, extrajudicial killing that is happening to people in our cities and towns everywhere? If so, then I hope it never accidentally gets turned on you or your loved ones because it ruins lives and families, who suffer far longer than the one killed. It literally kills people never touched by law enforcement bullets/weapons. And I’m here to tell you it can strike you and your family literally out of the blue for doing nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time or for angering the wrong people because you believe in doing something right and moral.
Fuck both parties for coddling these out-of-control agencies. Fuck Obama for waiting until the last second to do something and fuck the republicans if they come into power and continue to enable this by ignoring these last-minute attempts to burnish away the tarnish of the last 8 years and all the years that came before stretching back to Reagan, Clinton I (and his wife for her braying about it), both Bushes (the entire brush heap) and every authoritarian asshole who ruled prior to them. I hope Trump proves my assessment wrong, but I’m not going to hold my breath given who he’s chosen to surround himself with. Please do come back and mention it when Trump implements policies to rein in the abuse. I will have absolutely no trouble taking all of this back should a republican actually do something, anything, to stop the LE juggernaut.
“You put your left foot in,
you put your left foot out,
you put your left foot in,
and you turn it all about,
you do the Hokey Pokey
and you turn yourself around,
that’s what it’s all about!
You put your right foot in,
you put your right foot out,
you put your right foot in
and you turn it all about……..”
Another dance sensation!
Loretta Lynch brings a Federal action in the closing hours of the Obama administration, right before Jeff Sessions will become the new Attorney General, who is opposed to consent decrees.
How convenient for Rahm Emanuel, who will now have to carry forth the investigation of himself by himself, for stalling the Laquan McDonald investigation to avoid inconvenient publicity during his re-election campaign for mayor of Chicago.
My guess is that Emanuel will find in his “independent” investigation of himself that he acted in good faith and that his actions were above suspicion.
The stink of this gets worse and worse.
Burge ,, who wrote the book for procedures used at THE HOMAN SQUARE TOTRTURE CENTER resides on the gulf coast of Florida and collects a full pension . And its all LEGAL !! So much for the f–kin law ,, right ?
Help us to address perceptions of force in policing. http://wvu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cOKX2ShmiRowZhj
We certainly do need to expose police brutality. But you know what might be helpful in understanding policing in minority communities, is to also ask the question if those communities are “under protected”. Years ago when the Black Stone Rangers dominated Chicago streets, I was listening to a radio talk show about crime in Chicago, and many black people called in saying essentially that the police were not protecting them–not brutalizing them, but instead not protecting them. A number of years ago, read some stats of group from Syracuse that showed where the ATF was most active. The first four areas were white Western states. The fifth place was Indianapolis with any significant African American population. From the stats I read, the majority of guns going into Chicago come from a few gunshops in Indian and WI.
Maybe the issue of policing in minority communities is the proverbial coin with of course two sides–police brutality and under-protection.
You are full of shit !! The issue of police brutality is the issue of legalized murder , arrests , and in the case of HOMAN SQUARE legalized torture !
Stop playing sheriff you a-hole !
Yeah ,, Indiana and Wyoming ,, Right !! The overwhelming majority of the guns in Chicago belong to the cops . And just like the drugs they confiscate a certain percentage , depending on daily market value , is made available to the underworld they so diligently patrol !
Taking it to the next level ,, your FRIGGIN Pentagon is supplying the cops with War Grade Weapons at bargain basement prices !!
And along came Jones ,, Slow Walkin Jones , Slow Talkin Jones ,,
“Underpolicing” also correlates with underfunding of education, public resources, etc. And many many years of it.
the obots always told me the real obama would be unleashed in his second term. see he springs into action when it won’t make any difference, a week or so before the inauguration.
The BOY is doing as exactly as instructed !!!
the real obama would be unleashed in his second term.
They started that whinge the minute the inauguration ended and the only thing that changed was the amount of time we were to give Obama before we started calling out the bullshit.
It was, and still is, pathetic. Those folks probably all need knee replacements about now. :-s
Here come the delusional pig apologists to deny the KKKops horrifically abusing their iota of authority regardless of the overwhelming evidence proving otherwise. Defective sick sick cretins.
Bad Cop Good Cop ,,, Right ?
Trouble is the only Good Cop is a Dead Cop ,,, ask Serpio !
Ain’t no such thing as a living good cop !!
Obligatory mention of Homan Square,
search theguardian dot com if even the least bit interested
Burge is alive and well ,, drawing full pension on the Gulf Coast of Florida .
Cheney ,, I take it ,, is living in Wyoming .
Yes, and next Thursday, right around 5:00 PM EST, they will announce that fraud was probably committed by the financial and real estate community in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Just in time to put the ball into Trump’s court, so that the next round of democrat crooks can claim that the Obama administration started the ball rolling.
And 40% of US voters will believe them.
They ?
Thank you Alice Speri. I’ve sent this piece to several relatives who are perplexed by my support for Black Lives Matter. (At Xmas, one 21-year-old spewed: “All lives matter!”)
Mona,
An average 21-year-old spews what his parents spew . That’s called “FAMILY VALUES” . It’s not his fault that he is “HOUSE TRAINED” .
It takes stubbornness , drive , and a few cathartic events ( not to mention a HI IQ ) to avoid the shackles and chains of indoctrination .
May THE FORCE be with you Mona !!
(glad) to see you have no kids or you might realize a 21 year old could be living at college and long ago stopped listening to the FEW conversations his parents might have had regarding racist police.
wake up!
you like commenting on the internet but you seem unaware that most people including 21 year olds actually use it as ONE of their many ways to learn about people/the world.
YOU seem to have avoided all that…sort of like putins puppet!
Chicago cops were found to have rioted in their physical attacks on demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic Convention. When I lived there (until 1983), half of the white cops were KKK. So while this report is better than nothing, it’s far too little and too late.
These problems with cops are not about specific incidents. Instead, the root of the problem is the entire concept of cops. Cops are and always have been, first and foremost, the army of the rich (as punk band MDC put it). Until the concept of the police as it currently exists is abolished, none of the problems of police racism or brutality will stop.
In high school the MONITORS wore their little orange armbands and obeyed all of Father Jablonski ( aka The Dean of Discipline ) order . They chose to be rats ,,,
we treated them as such .
That’s right. Which is why the following quote from the article is hogwash:
I don’t know why they always like to say “rebuild.” Rebuild from what decade or from what era or from what century. And without completely upending the current insulated, impenetrable to the citizens, the police forces — and those who protect them such as the court systems, including juries that don’t seem to know a murder or brutality even when the acts are shoved into their faces via video evidence — in the US there will never be any foundation built with which to build trust on top of for the first time.
Bravo
“Rebuild” is another word for “Let’s lay another layer on the shit heap” . It’s like you 1040 tax return ,, every ten years there’s a new layer of BS !!
Agreed. When I lived in west Oakland (about 80% black slums), the cops physically attacked people on the streets in broad daylight (late 1980s). The people who lived there considered the cops an occupying army and I totally agree. We’d be much better off policing ourselves, fuck these assholes.
It is likely that, had Trump not gotten into power, this report may not have been released. After all, Rahm Emmanuel was Obama’s Chief of Staff, and is close to the Clintons too. (And it’s not like anyone is being held accountable for these actions.)
True dat! Emmanuel clearly covered up the McDonald murder and should have been removed from office if he refused to resign. But hey, this is Chicago.
Indeed, why wasn’t this released in time to do something or to commit the anticipated Clinton team to do something? Now it is just old news with little chance of producing reform.
And of course reforming has always worked in the past ,,,right ?
If you ever owned a house, then you will know it has to be maintained. If the roof starts to leak, you need to fix it pronto. If you wait to fix a leaky roof, OTHER STUFF HAPPENS and what happens is not just a water cleanup – it’s a whole set of other problems that can render the house unlivable. This is what has happened to America. Problems that needed fixing at the time weren’t fixed and we are now into sets of problems that make America a dangerous place; wanton murders, illegal wars, wallstreet criminals run amock, warantless data collection, NDAA rendition torture and murder authorisation against American citizens, a dilapidate infrastructure that kills, pipelines and fracking that poisons our water supplies, and now the entire planet is about to crack.
Lawyers do not lead. They split hairs. They argue on behalf of those who pay them. They put things off to turn a simple dilemna into a career. They make everything unnecessarily complicated. And they turn every situation into a contest of blink.
My opinion, America is doomed.
We put the wrong people in jail.
CHECK !!
And as we speak the “JOURNALIST” who wrote this is counting her CLICKS !