Philadelphia’s former police chief to advise Chicago force

“The situation in Chicago is not unlike many cities across the country, but the people of Chicago should know that their leaders are working hard to restore trust where it has been lost”, Ramsey said in a statement.

Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of the the 17-year-old, who was armed with a small knife and was found to have PCP in his bloodstream. A federal civil rights investigation, similar to those initiated in Ferguson and Baltimore for the deaths of unarmed black men was announced by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. That year, The Washington Post ran a series of critical stories on police officers using deadly force. He left his native Chicago in 1998 for Washington DC, when that city was so riven by violence it changed the name of its professional basketball team from the Bullets to the Wizards, because the Bullets name hit too close to home. This is the third job Ramsey has taken since he ended his seven-year stint in Philadelphia last December, where his performance was widely praised. “That goes to the safety and security…because safety in the neighborhood is something we want to see throughout the city of Chicago”.

“Chicago is at a defining moment, and I believe that Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Police Department are committed to meet the challenge”, Ramsey said in a statement. He said Ramsey’s call for the Justice Department to investigate the Philadelphia force showed his willingness to address issues of concern for residents by obtaining an outside view of officers’ behavior.

“We’re going to make sure we enforce the changes that they’ll recommend”, Ramsey said. After serving six years as a patrol officer, he was promoted to sergeant in 1977 follow by an appointment to lieutenant in 1984 and became captain in 1988. Police-involved shootings have since fallen in that city, he said.

Ramsey will be paid $350 an hour for his consulting duties, which will extend into “the foreseeable future”, the CPD said.

Ramsey is a highly respected law enforcement figure and past year was named by President Barack Obama as the co-chair of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century policing.