A
blistering report by the Justice Department described far-reaching
failures throughout the Chicago Police Department, saying excessive
force was rampant, rarely challenged and chiefly aimed at
African-Americans and Latinos.
The
report, unveiled on Friday after a 13-month investigation, forced a
public reckoning for a police department with a legacy of corruption and
abuse. It came as the department grapples with skyrocketing violence in
Chicago, where murders are at a 20-year high, and a deep lack of trust
among the city’s residents.
Over
161 pages, the investigation laid out, in chilling detail, unchecked
aggressions: an officer pointing a gun at teenagers on bicycles
suspected of trespassing; officers using a Taser
on an unarmed, naked 65-year-old woman with mental illness; officers
purposely dropping off young gang members in rival territory.
The
department’s missteps go well beyond the officers on patrol, the report
said. After officers used excessive force, their actions were
practically condoned by supervisors, who rarely questioned their
behavior. One commander interviewed by the Justice Department said that
he could not recall ever suggesting that officers’ use of force be
investigated further.
The
investigation is the latest of a police department by the Justice
Department, which had rushed to complete its findings in both Chicago
and Baltimore before the expiration of President Obama’s term. The administration has made expansive use
of investigations amid a wrenching national debate over race and
policing. Chicago is among nearly two dozen cities — including Cleveland; Ferguson, Mo.; and Seattle — where the Justice Department has pushed for wholesale changes to police practices.
The
investigation is the latest of a police department by the Justice
Department, which had rushed to complete its findings in both Chicago
and Baltimore before the expiration of President Obama’s term. The administration has made expansive use
of investigations amid a wrenching national debate over race and
policing. Chicago is among nearly two dozen cities — including Cleveland; Ferguson, Mo.; and Seattle — where the Justice Department has pushed for wholesale changes to police practices.
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