Former Chicago officers: stop hiring, promoting during probe

At first, Mayor Emanuel was against the U.S. Department of Justice starting a probe of the police force, but has changed his mind.

Mayoral spokesman Collins said, “We have a mutual goal to create a stronger, better police department that keeps our neighborhoods safe while respecting the civil rights of every Chicagoan, and the mayor was happy to meet with DOJ today as they begin their work”.

“We know from experience that the Chicago Police Department has not been fair on the exams of entry and promotions”, he said.

The federal civil rights investigation is gathering steam just as the justice system is doing so against police officer Jason Van Dyke.

The crisis has attracted the attention of the United States Justice Department, an arm of the federal government under the purview of Emanuel’s former boss President Barack Obama.

A grand jury on Tuesday returned an indictment on six murder charges and one count of official misconduct against a Chicago police officer in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the investigation on December 7 amid protests over the release of a video of the shooting of Laquan McDonald. John Escalante is serving as the interim police superintendent. “As part of that process he will continue to engage with residents, police, and community leaders to address their specific concerns”.

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. The investigation will be focusing on use of force and accountability within the department. But sometimes, the sides disagree on critical provisions and must fight it out in court.

Officer Van Dyke has been free on bail after posting $1.5 million shortly after the initial charge was brought, and he is expected back in court on Friday to plead not guilty to the seven-count indictment, local media reported.

Prosecutors initially charged Van Dyke with one count of murder hours before video of the October 2014 shooting was made public. Investigators will also conduct town hall meetings.