CHICAGO — Federal investigators looking into the Chicago Police Department are going on ride-alongs with officers as part of the probe, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon says.
Fardon, appearing on WTTW-Channel 11 Tuesday night, described the investigation as "a deep dive" and would not put a timetable on when the effort might be finished.
The investigation, ordered by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the wake of the fatal shooting by police of Laquan McDonald, is "the opposite of superficial," he said.
"There is no deadline. I personally have an appropriate sense of urgency. I think it's important to the department and the city that we get through this as quickly as we can. But we can't have speed work at the deficit of integrity of process," Fardon said.
Asked by "Chicago Tonight' reporter Eddie Arruza whether the investigation would be completed before the end of the year, Fardon responded: "I don't know. We have to get it right."
Federal investigators are "doing a whole litany of things," including "analyzing a tremendous amount of data," he said.
Investigators are interviewing police officers "but also community stakeholders and anybody who has anything to do with the accountability procedures, like the Independent Police Review Authority," Fardon said.
"They do ride-alongs with Chicago police officers to see firsthand what it looks and feels like from a street perspective," Fardon continued. They also are reviewing procedures, training, and policies the department uses to de-escalate tense situations.
In its focus on constitutional violations, the feds are looking at police use of force and accountability, including police disciplinary hearings and how complaints are handled, he said.
There won't be any charges coming from this particular probe, he said, explaining that it's not focused on "individual fault or liability" but is a study of "processes and mechanisms."
"Our objective is to just take a look and see what works and what doesn't work," he said.
However, there is an ongoing federal criminal investigation into the Laquan McDonald shooting, he noted. He declined to go into specifics in that probe but said "I understand and respect the sense of urgency that’s been expressed by folks in connection with that particular matter and that particular investigation."
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with fatally shooting Laquan at 41st Street and Pulaski Road in Archer Heights in October 2014. A dashcam video of the shooting shows the 17-year-old walking away from police when he was shot.
On the larger matter of crime in Chicago, Fardon said the feds have been "very effective" though "we're just a piece of the puzzle."
"These are issues rooted in social injustices like poverty and educational inequality and economic inequality. Kids need jobs and mentors and parents and educational opportunity to succeed. Until we address some of those issues, we're not going to fix the violent crime problem in the city of Chicago," said Fardon.
Fardon, who became the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in October of 2013, said over the last two years he's hired 43 assistant U.S. attorneys, half of whom are women and a third of whom are minorities.
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