One Alderman Calls For Halt To No-Knock Warrants At City Council Committee Hearing, While Another Notes Anjanette Young Raid Didn't Involve One
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago City Council is now taking wrong raids by Chicago Police seriously, holding a hearing on the subject Tuesday.
As CBS 2's Jim Williams reported, the special hearing was a combined meeting of the City Council's Public Safety and Human Relations committees. Police Supt. David Brown was present.
The City Council did not hold any such hearings during the two years the CBS 2 investigators were exposing dozens of wrong raids. But they were pushed to act when CBS 2 broke the Anjanette Young case.
Young was a victim of a botched raid conducted by Chicago police, which was recorded in February of 2019. Lightfoot had criticized the city's Law Department for seeking to block CBS 2 from airing video footage of the wrong raid of Young's home. A federal judge denied that request, and Lightfoot has since said that it was a mistake, though she has denied knowing about the request beforehand.
LIVE UPDATES: Aldermen Grill CPD Officials On Search Warrant Policies Amid Fallout From Wrong Raid Of Anjanette Young's Home
Supt. Brown took the reins of the Police Department early this year, but told the special City Council committee he is working to correct what has been terrorizing innocent Chicagoans for years long before he got to town – wrong police raids.
"The Chicago Police has a moral obligation to respect the dignity and the sanctity," Brown said.
The hastily-called City Council committee hearing -- held on Zoom -- was labeled "informational" only. There were no votes to be taken on any policy changes sparked by CBS 2's investigation into the wrong raid at Young's home.
Still, Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) offered a resolution he wanted voted on Tuesday. The resolution would stop no-knock warrants temporarily as the City Council looks into the Young case and other wrong raids uncovered by the CBS 2 Investigators over the last two years.
No knock-warrants involve police coming barreling into homes with guns drown - without warning and without knocking on doors or ringing doorbells.
"I think it's imperative that the people see action, and not just words and, you know, hearings and resolutions that don't have a lot of teeth," Beale said. "They're looking for immediate action."
That call was largely endorsed by police Supt. Brown later in the hearing.
"It is time for CPD to ban no-knock warrants unless circumstances that entry onto the property is immediately necessary to save human life," Brown said.
But police did not have a no-knock warrant when they broke down Young's door and held her in handcuffs naked nearly two years ago.
That was noted by Ald. Jason Ervin (28th).
"This is not a no-knock warrant situation. This is a traditional search warrant that was done improperly," Ervin said. "We need to talk to the people that are in charge of doing those processes so that we can make the necessary adjustments."
The CBS 2 Investigators have repeatedly exposed officers not giving residents enough time to answer the door before they barrel in, violating their own policy. That is in addition to having the wrong addresses.
Supt. Brown said he is going into do, in his words, a "deep dive to find solutions, including looking at best practices in other cities."
WATCH: My Name Is Anjanette Young: A CBS 2 Special Presentation
Also Tuesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot asked former federal judge Ann Claire Williams to launch an outside investigation of the wrong raid of Young's home. In a letter to aldermen, Lightfoot said the city must "ensure what Ms. Young experienced never happens again."
The mayor said Williams and her law firm, Jones Day, have agreed to handle the investigation for no cost to the city.
Lightfoot also said she supports calls for Inspector General Joseph Ferguson's office to conduct its own probe of the case.
All of the officers involved in the raid were placed on desk duty earlier this week, pending the conclusion of a Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigation into the incident. Lightfoot has criticized COPA for taking so long with the probe, and has called on the agency to wrap up its investigation soon.
Three members of the Law Department also are out of their jobs. Corporation Counsel Mark Flessner resigned Sunday at Lightfoot's request. Deputy Corporation Counsel Caryn Jacobs and Law Department Director of Public Affairs Kathleen Fieweger also "are no longer employed with the City" the mayor's office confirmed Monday evening.
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