THE LOOP — The mayor said "community relations" and "community trust" are the keys to smoothing out recent issues that have shaken public faith in the Police Department.
Pressed to address a federal investigation into shootings by Chicago Police and last week's charging of Cmdr. Glenn Evans with excessive force, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for better "community relations between the Police Department and the public."
"Trust between the public and the Police Department at every level is important," Emanuel said.
Federal officials confirmed this week that Chicago Police were being investigated for a series of suspect shootings, and Evans was charged Thursday with putting a gun inside a suspect's mouth and a Taser to his groin while threatening to kill him.
At a Loop news conference Wednesday, Emanuel pointed to his release of Police Department records, so that they're "public and available," as a way in which "making records public is about building community trust." He said the same on community policing, in putting officers in neighborhoods and on the street and "making sure they're constantly working with the community."
Otherwise, however, Emanuel referred questions to Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who was making an appearance at the City Club Wednesday, only to discover McCarthy did not answer questions from reporters after his lunch speech.
Emanuel didn't entirely pass the buck on the issues, saying, "I do hold the Police Department, and hold the Police, and the public should hold us all accountable."
Yet he wasn't going to prejudge either issue. On the federal investigation, he said, "I'm not ready to conclude anything until they come back with a conclusion."
On Evans, Emanuel pointed out he had already been relieved of his police duties, adding, "There will be a trial, and they'll decide what was right or wrong, if it was true or not, or guilty or not."
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