Jury awards CPD officer-turned-whistleblower Isaac Lambert $910,000
CHICAGO (CBS) -- $910,000.
That's the amount being paid to a Chicago police officer turned whistle blower who said he was punished for refusing to alter reports on a police shooting.
That was the moment an officer shot 18-year-old Ricardo Hayes in 2017. Earlier that day, Hayes' foster mom reported him missing, listing him as autistic and schizophrenic.
Veteran officer Issac Lambert, who oversaw the investigation, said he was pressured to make the officer who opened fire seem like the victim.
When he refused, Lambert said he was demoted and lost around $55,000 in overtime pay. On Tuesday, a jury found the city violated the Whistleblower Act and awarded Lambert $910,000 in damages.
The city released a statement: "The Department of Law is reviewing the verdict and is assessing its legal options."
The whistleblower case lasted more than three years and on Tuesday jury found the city violated the Whistleblower Act while suppressing his story.
"Hopefully it'll send a message to the rank and file that you should be able to do your job without any repercussions. And hopefully it'll send a message to the city that it's time for things like this to stop," Lambert said.
Lambert said he doesn't know what's next for him, but he doesn't see himself continuing to work for the Chicago Police Department.