Federal investigation into Chicago police begins

U.S. Attorney Zach Fardon was on hand as the civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police Department officially got underway.

The federal Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation of the police department and federal agents met Wednesday with police department leaders.

The cry of “16 shots” refers to the number of times 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in October 2014.

The former White House aide tells reporters that his meeting is scheduled for Thursday, a day after federal officials were meeting with police department representatives in the civil rights investigation. Mayor Rahm Emanuel initially resisted calls for the probe, saying such an investigation would be misguided. Investigators will even ride along with officers on patrol and observe how they interact with area residents. Baltimore police also are under federal scrutiny, after the death of a black man injured in police custody. In the past, Emanuel maintained that the video could not be released because of an “ongoing criminal investigation”, reported the Daily Beast, but in November, the office of State Attorney Anita Alvarez confirmed to Politico that it never took legal action to block the video’s release, indicating that the footage was kept hidden at the administration’s will, not out of legal necessity.

Among the many questions federal investigators will answer in a final report: Is there racial bias in the use of force by officers?

Emanuel told reporters Wednesday he’s been meeting with officers in several districts over the last few days and sees officers’ dedication. And do systems that are supposed to hold officers accountable actually work?

The assembly marked the first public event in a week for Emanuel, who visits the school often to honor its 100 percent graduation rate. Then, Chicago and the DOJ will endeavor to hammer out a reform road map to bring about wholescale change that sticks. But sometimes, the sides disagree on critical provisions and must fight it out in court.

Emanuel has responded to the criticism by firing his hand-picked police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, and replacing the head of the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates police misconduct.