Racial Slurs Captured On Chicago Police Radio Traffic
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Police Department has launched an investigation after somebody was heard using racial slurs on a police radio channel.
The exchange was captured on Saturday. A male voice is heard saying: "Typical f-----' n-----." Later in the exchange, another voice is heard saying, "Black lives matter, [unintelligible], f-----, n------."
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said an investigation is underway to determine the origin of the comment.
"This morning, CPD was made aware of inappropriate transmission on a police frequency," Guglielmi said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management and Communications says OEMC officials have reviewed the audio and don't believe a city-programmed radio was used because the audio lacks the identifying characteristics of an official police radio
Still, community activists demanded a quick and transparent investigation, to make sure it was not a police officer on the other end of the transmissions.
Usually, when there's a call, the officer's badge number and name comes up on the dispatch screen. That did not happen in this case.
A breach of the system has happened before, Guglielmi told CBS 2.
DNA Info Chicago first reported on the audio and posted it Monday afternoon on its website.
At one point, the dispatcher is asked to find "the radio number" to determine where the comments came from.
The dispatcher is heard saying "I am already hollering for my supervisor."
The department has been struggling with fallout from a series of deadly police shootings, most notoriously the shooting of Laquan McDonald by officer Jason Van Dyke.