Chicago mayor to meet with feds in police probe

McDonald was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer in 2014. Van Dyke’s attorney Daniel Herbert reportedly did not comment on the indictment.

Emanuel regularly visits the charter school, which says it sends all of its black male graduates to college. He also criticized the police department for being quick to shoot, saying the department’s “supervision and leadership”, as well as the oversight agencies, failed.

“The Chicago Police Department welcomes the meeting requested by the Department of Justice, and pledges the City’s complete and full cooperation”, the department said in a statement. Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with murder in the 2014 death of Laquan McDonald.

Protesters have questioned why it took 13 months for the city to release the video and for a murder charge to be filed by Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

At the time of the shooting, a representative of the Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing rank-and-file officers, said McDonald had lunged at Van Dyke. The Justice Department said last week that it would be looking at the Chicago department’s used of deadly force.

Emanuel told reporters Wednesday he’s been meeting with officers in several districts over the last few days and sees officers’ dedication. But he said it’s not surprising officers are impacted by recent events, including the firing of police superintendent Garry McCarthy.

Emanuel is scheduled to meet with Justice Department investigators Thursday.

Emanuel, who’s faced some calls for his resignation over the McDonald case, said two members of his administration flew to Washington, D.C., last week for talks on the investigation, but he didn’t offer details.

A federal civil rights investigation of the nation’s largest police departments has begun in earnest, with Department of Justice agents expected to sit down with top Chicago police brass. President Barack Obama’s former chief of staff said Wednesday that the federal investigation, to which he was initially cool, will bring a “fresh set of eyes” on persistent allegations of police misconduct.

Wednesday’s meetings in Chicago are most likely get-acquainted sessions.