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Laquan Video Delayed by Policy, But 'I Should've Challenged It,' Rahm Says

By Ted Cox | December 9, 2015 3:42pm
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel blamed a policy decision for the delay in releasing the Laquan McDonald shooting video, but added,
Mayor Rahm Emanuel blamed a policy decision for the delay in releasing the Laquan McDonald shooting video, but added, "I should've challenged it."
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

CITY HALL — The mayor insisted Wednesday it was purely a policy decision to delay release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video for over a year, but added, "I should've challenged it."

Calling it a "time-honored practice" to withhold the video while investigations were ongoing, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that policy "doesn't work to the times," and "the rule book needs to be rewritten."

Emanuel called it "a systematic breakdown," saying, "Holding that video while we were protecting the integrity of that investigation, not compromising it, clearly built up distrust ... clearly built up suspicions, rather than alleviating those suspicions.

"While I followed the practice," he added, "I should've challenged it."

Emanuel said the result was an "undermining" of public trust, and blamed himself.

"I should have given voice to the public's growing suspicions, distrust and anger," he said. "My voice is supposed to be their voice." He added that, ideally, he should give voice to the "powerless" from his seat of power.

"We were adding to the suspicion and trust," he said. "You need to have a sense of urgency of justice."

Emanuel said he expected his newly announced Task Force on Police Accountability to address those needed policy changes, especially with the onset of police body cameras to join dashcams in providing video footage of police activities.

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