CITY HALL — Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday touted the progress his administration has made in reforming the Chicago Police Department, three days before the first anniversary of the release of a dashcam video showing a police officer fatally shoot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times.
Billed as a "progress report," the eight-page document contains no new policies or proposals for reforming the department currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the civil rights of Chicagoans.
Instead, the report touts the progress made in the effort "to address the complex challenges facing the police department and its ongoing partnership with communities to ensure the safety of every person throughout Chicago," according to a statement from the mayor's office.
On Nov. 24, 2015 — under a court order — Emanuel released the video of Officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, getting out of his squad and shooting McDonald multiple times. Authorities said he hit him 16 times, emptying his cartridge into the teen, including many shots while McDonald was on the ground.
Van Dyke is awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges in connection with McDonald's death, and department officials have moved to fire seven other officers accused of lying about McDonald's death and its aftermath.
The graphic video set off a wave of protests that eventually toppled former Police Supt. Garry McCarthy. Emanuel replaced him with Eddie Johnson, whom Emanuel has effusively praised for leading the department through the aftermath of the video.
Johnson said he took control of the department "at a time of unparalleled challenge" in the wake of McDonald's death.
The release of the video also exposed a deep breach between the department and Chicagoans that Emanuel has sought to repair, while working to restore his political prospects and set up a potential run for a third term as Chicago's mayor.
"Rebuilding trust between police and the communities they serve is essential for improving public safety," Emanuel said in a statement. "The vast majority of our police officers are doing incredible work under challenging situations and rise to every occasion in
In the wake of the video's release, the mayor's approval rating sank to 18 percent, according to a survey conducted by Chicago-based polling company Ogden & Fry. More than half of Chicagoans said he should resign.
In October, the City Council voted to approve Emanuel's proposal to create a new agency to probe police shootings and misconduct and hire a new watchdog charged with keeping tabs on the law enforcement agency.
Sharon Fairley, the interim head of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability that will replace the Independent Police Review Authority, called the reforms enacted "truly transformative."
"Although there is still more to be done, we must acknowledge that fundamental change is happening right before our eyes," Fairley said in a statement.
Among the items of reform touted by Emanuel are:
• New department officials hired and charged with holding officers accountable for misconduct
• Improved training for officers and dispatchers on how to deal with individuals suffering from mental illness
• A revised use-of-force policy that members of the public can weigh in on until Dec. 5
• Equipping every officer responding to calls for service with a Taser
• Equipping every officer responding to calls for service with a body-worn camera by the end of 2018
• The release of video, audio and written reports of all police-involved shootings and incidents involving death or serious bodily injury within 60 days
• The promised creation of a police citizen oversight board to keep tabs on the department and pick the head of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability
• The promised creation of an anonymous hotline for members of the department to report misconduct
• The promised creation of a system to identify officers who need additional training or support
• A renewed focus on community policing as the department hires 500 new officers as well as 470 department leaders, including detectives, sergeants and lieutenants
• A commitment "to increase minority retention, hiring and promotion," according to the report.
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