ALTGELD GARDENS — Mayor Rahm Emanuel threw a political hot potato to Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Tuesday, saying he'd be in charge of a major Department shakeup, but calling for "a new chapter" in efforts to bring transparency and accountability to Chicago Police.
Without mentioning this week's departures of leading police brass John Escalante and David McNaughton, nor the report being prepared by Inspector General Joe Ferguson on the Laquan McDonald case, Emanuel made it clear major changes are coming to the Police Department in brief remarks after announcing plans to bring a new library branch to Altgeld Gardens.
"I don't really have much to say on this particular issue until Eddie makes his decision," Emanuel began. "He'll make that decision, and I'll back that decision up."
Emanuel was apparently making reference to replacing Johnson's two top deputies, Escalante and McNaughton, but it also came amid reports that as many as 10 officers may face repercussions from their accounts of Jason Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times in October 2014.
Reports have suggested McNaughton's resignation was prompted by his initial finding that Van Dyke had acted in self-defense in killing McDonald — an account widely discredited following last year's release of the dashcam video of the shooting.
Escalante's departure Tuesday for a position at Northeastern Illinois University likewise raised eyebrows, although it's not known if Ferguson named him in his report.
Police Department officials have confirmed that they've seen the report and are making a formal response to it, emphasizing that is the standard procedure before Ferguson releases the report to the public.
Emanuel, however, suggested the stories are "intimately related" with ongoing efforts to bring transparency and accountability to police practices and called for "a new chapter in that effort."
Emanuel called it "very important to bring a level of transparency to the Police Department, because I think that transparency builds trust and confidence" on both sides of the equation, for cops and the community.
"We have to have a new level of accountability on the streets of Chicago," Emanuel said.
After that, Emanuel fell back on calls for stronger gun laws against repeat offenders in order to stop what he called a "revolving-door criminal justice system."
Emanuel again blamed "gangbangers" for the city's gun violence, saying, "They don't belong on the streets."
Escalante was initially named interim superintendent late last year, replacing Garry McCarthy after his resignation, but Emanuel ultimately passed him over to select Johnson as superintendent. Escalante, however, returned to a top position as first deputy superintendent.
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