CITY HALL — An investigator with the city's police review agency improperly revealed information about a probe into a former Chicago Police Department commander who was accused and acquitted of shoving his gun down a suspect’s throat, the city's watchdog announced Wednesday.
Although former police Cmdr. Glenn Evans was not named in Inspector General Joe Ferguson's quarterly report released Wednesday, City Hall sources told DNAinfo that Evans was at the center of the incident.
Evans filed a federal lawsuit in July claiming he was the victim of a civil conspiracy that led to his wrongful prosecution on criminal charges, according to court papers.
The investigator for the city's Independent Police Review Authority improperly emailed a confidential lab report regarding DNA testing to a "personal, unsecured email account," according to the watchdog's report.
That investigator — who is no longer employed by the city and has moved out of the Chicago area — improperly handled confidential investigative documents and violated the city’s personnel rules, according to the watchdog's report.
The news reporter who published the information declined to cooperate and invoked reporter’s privilege, according to the watchdog's report.
Because of that, the inspector general "could not develop sufficient evidence directly linking the former investigator or any other city employee to the public reporting and publishing of the confidential DNA report."
Because the investigator no longer works for the city, he cannot be disciplined. The Independent Police Review Authority agreed to follow the inspector general's recommendation and place a copy of the report in the former investigator’s personnel file to be used in the event he reapplied for employment.
Evans’ lawsuit claims investigator Matrice Campbell conspired with fellow investigator Vincent Jones to bring bogus criminal charges against the former police commander.
Evans' lawsuit alleges Campbell, a former police department employee who was disciplined by Evans, leaked confidential information about the complaint against the former police commander to WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell. While Mitchell and WBEZ were originally named as defendants in the lawsuit along with the city, a judge dropped them from the suit.
Neither Campbell nor Mitchell were named in the inspector general's report.
Mitchell allegedly used confidential information — including confirmation of a “DNA match” found on the gun Evans allegedly shoved in the mouth of a suspect — to write a series of what Evans characterized in his lawsuit as “misleading exposes.”
When other news outlets furiously followed up on Mitchell’s reporting, the media attention put extreme pressure on Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, who was “forced” to bring felony charges against Evans in an election year, the lawsuit alleges.
Mitchell is not named in the lawsuit.
Evans returned to the Police Department after his acquittal. He was demoted to lieutenant and assigned to administrative duty at police headquarters.
The U.S. Justice Department's investigation into the Police Department and the Independent Police Review Authority criticized both agencies for failing to investigate police misconduct and hold police officers accountable.
The police review agency will be replaced this year with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which officials promise will investigate complaints against officers more thoroughly and faster.
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