Ah, shuckaroo banzai, Chicago Police Cannot Keep Complaints Of Brutality Secret Anymore, Court Rules

By Aviva Shen on March 12, 2014 at 9:00 am

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C !"#T: $i%i&e'ia The Chica(o )olice "e&artment has lon( %e&t its recor's o* &olice miscon'+ct secret, even as the city contin+es to &ay o+t millions to victims o* ,r+tality- .ow, a*ter a state a&&eals co+rt r+lin(, the 'e&artment will have to release that in*ormation as &+,lic recor's-

The C)" trie' to withhol' com&laints o* miscon'+ct *rom a /o+rnalist, 0amie 1alven, who *ile' a 2ree'om o* #n*ormation re3+est *or the recor's o* *ive o**icers- The a&&eals co+rt 'etermine' these *iles co+nt as &+,lic recor's- A lower co+rt will 'eci'e whether the 'e&artment can still ,lac% o+t sensitive in*ormation li%e co&s4 names an' &hone n+m,ersThe 'ecision co+l' ,e trans*ormative *or Chica(o- Civil ri(hts activists an' attorneys may now ,e a,le to i'enti*y an' so+n' the alarm on co&s with a recor' o* a,+se, s+ch as the C)" o**icer who recently '+c%e' criminal char(es *or shootin( an +narme' man 15 times 6 his thir' shootin( in si7 months- #n res&onse to 3+estions a,o+t why the o**icer was allowe' to remain on the streets a*ter so many shootin(s, the &olice s+&erinten'ent sai' the 'e&artment ha' no way o* trac%in( o**icers4 recor's8reater trans&arency may also &+t more &ress+re on the 'e&artment to *ollow thro+(h on com&laints an' hol' co&s more acco+nta,le- C+rrently, com&laints o* miscon'+ct a(ainst &olice rarely res+lt in any %in' o* 'isci&linary action, an' the internal investi(ation &rocess is m+r%y at ,est- A st+'y ,y 9niversity o* Chica(o &ro*essor Crai( 2+tterman *o+n' that /+st 19 o* 10,149 com&laints acc+sin( C)" o**icers o* e7cessive *orce, ille(al searches, racial a,+se, se7+al a,+se, an' *alse arrests le' to a &olice s+s&ension o* a wee% or more- #n more than :5 &ercent o* internal investi(ations o* com&laints, the acc+se' o**icer was never even interviewe'$hile &olice chie*s ar(+e that &olice ,r+tality is not en'emic an' can ,e chal%e' +& to a *ew ,a' co&s, many 'e&artments4 %nee;/er% reaction to com&laints is to loo% the other way, rather than e7&el the o**en'ers- $histle,lowers who re&ort their *ellow o**icers say they are ,+llie' an' threatene'-