CITY HALL — An alderman defended the city's $5 million settlement with the family of Laquan McDonald Thursday and emphasized that the public has a right to see videos such as the dashcam footage of his shooting.
"If we're going to solve the broader problem, then it's not just about settling cases," said Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th). "It's also about making sure the public is seeing what's going on so we're not just settling and repeating the same mistake."
Pawar, who specialized in risk management before being elected in 2011, said he felt the City Council had been unfairly criticized for approving the McDonald lawsuit settlement in April. Pawar said some aldermen wanted to see the dashcam video, including Ald. Howard Brookins Jr.
"Settling these cases in an expedient manner is also the right thing to do," he said, in that the Council has a fiduciary duty to limit the city's exposure as much as possible, especially in cases that are clear losers such as this one.
Pawar said some aldermen wondered how the city was getting off so cheaply at $5 million at the time, given the clear-cut description of events provided by Corporation Counsel Steve Patton.
But Pawar said there was nothing to be gained from legal settlements that included nondisclosure agreements that might "suppress a video that is of the public interest." That sort of transparency and public scrutiny, he added, are essential to effect change.
Pawar said the Fraternal Order of Police union had a role as well, adding, "It doesn't make sense to allow our collective-bargaining agreements to include language that puts the city in the position of having to suppress, hold back, these videos."
He also took issue with efforts to destroy old police personnel records, saying, "It is in the public's interest, because that's how you get the systemic change."
Pawar backed demands by Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) for the Council to be able to scrutinize the next contract with the police union before it's approved.
"We have to have a dialogue with the FOP so that these videos can be made public," he said.
Pawar drew parallels with the police torture scandal surrounding notorious former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge.
"The city dragged its feet for decades in settling cases as it relates to Jon Burge and other issues as it relates to police brutality," he said. "By not settling these issues for decades, it just builds up.
"For 30 years Burge was able to get away with these things," he added, until Reader writer John Conroy led efforts to lay bare the torture, and only then did things change. Meanwhile, the city is still paying Burge settlements, which have been estimated at $64 million.
Pawar said dashcam and video technology have changed the culture so that Mayor Rahm Emanuel was being held to a much higher standard than Mayor Richard M. Daley was with Burge.
Pawar cheered the Task Force on Police Accountability announced earlier this week by Emanuel and its role in setting a new policy on police videos. Yet he added that the Police Department has to be agreeable to openness and transparency and not adopt an attitude of "you're either with us or against us."
"What ends up happening is it does a disservice to the entire police force and the 99 percent of men and women who serve valiantly every day," Pawar said. "In order to force some of these changes, we have to look at the contract. ... I think the FOP has to be part of the solution."
Union President Dean Angelo Sr. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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