By: Nana Aduba-Amoah
The Chicago police department will begin to be held accountable every time an officer chooses to point a gun at someone during an arrest or stop. This new procedure is a court-ordered decree from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and will take effect in July 2019, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
On Wednesday, Emanuel and Madigan reached an agreement that local cops will have to radio in every incident of an officer pointing a gun at an individual. Cop supervisors will have to investigate the incidents, which will be recorded in the city’s database, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“This shows people we negotiated these things honestly and faithfully,” said Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, according to the Sun-Times.
The decision was drafted to bring federal judicial oversight to the Chicago Police department after an officer repeatedly shot Laquan McDonald in 2014. Earlier in July, Emanuel and Madigan ‘s lawyers introduced a 232-page proposal, which brought a backlash from police officials, including Fraternal Order of Police President, Kevin Graham, who said he would “toss out the entire” deal, according to the Sun-Times.
Although Police Supt. Eddie Johnson supports the deal, he mentioned it might distract police officers from focusing on patrolling crime-ridden neighborhoods.
“We have to be careful that we’re not wiping the city clean (of officers), especially these challenged areas,” he said, according to the Tribune.
The Tribune reports that Madigan and Emanuel’s lawyers are anticipating on releasing a new draft of the proposal to District Judge Robert Dow Jr., who will hold a hearing in October to introduce the final decree.
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