Chicago to pay out $15 million, most for police misconduct cases
CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago taxpayers are on the hook for over $15 million in the wake of several police misconduct settlements approved Monday by the City Council, which led to criticism from council members.
Nearly half a dozen settlements tied to Chicago police went before the City Council's Finance Committee on Monday. All of them were approved, costing the city millions of dollars.
The actions raised major concerns about overspending. The payouts up for consideration in City Hall Monday were enough to get a rise out of the Finance Committee.
"I'm concerned about the insurance companies that are currently covering the city and the liability. I'm sure they are looking at this as well," said Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th).
Villegas was among those sounding the alarm for what could potentially be an economic burden on the city where, despite lawyers' efforts, the cases, he said, are overwhelmingly getting settled.
"Right now outside counsel isn't doing a good job if they are losing 85% if the cases and we are paying them, for the last over ten years, $150 million in legal fees," Villegas said.
A bulk of the cases were tied to police misconduct. The highest profile case approved Monday was that of Anthony Jakes, who spent 20 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a 1991 murder. At just 15, he was convicted and sentenced after a coerced confession by Chicago police detectives.
His case was among hundreds that Chicago taxpayers have had to foot the bill for.
"That's what makes this job difficult in terms of making sure that we not only are recognizing the tragedy of the past but also making sure that we are doing what we can in a fiduciary perspective," said Ald. Bill Conway (34th).
Some in the City Council are hopeful they can set up a plan or launch a task force to address the high volume of police misconduct settlements.
"I think the public needs to wonder what we could be doing with this money if we can prevent these liabilities being part of the city council payroll," said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th).
A final vote on all the settlements approved expected to happen on Wednesday.