Officer resigns after video shows him not stepping in when woman in Puerto Rico shirt is harassed
CHICAGO -- A police officer has resigned amid an investigation into his response to a woman who said she was being harassed in a Chicago forest preserve for wearing a shirt with the Puerto Rican flag. Footage of the incident, captured on Facebook Live last month, has gone viral, and it even drew the attention of Puerto Rico's governor.
The Forest Preserves of Cook County announced on Twitter that Officer Patrick Connor resigned late Wednesday. Records show he had been with the force since 2006.
Effective today, Officer Patrick Connor no longer serves in the police department of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. He resigned late today. But that isn’t where our work ends.
— Forest Preserves (@FPDCC) July 12, 2018
We are further addressing aspects of this incident and more information will be shared here and with the media tomorrow. No further information is available this evening.
— Forest Preserves (@FPDCC) July 12, 2018
In a now viral-video shot on June 14, an irate approaches Mia Irizarry as she waited for her family at a picnic area in the Forest Preserves of Cook County to celebrate her 24th birthday. Among other things in the 36-minute video, he tells Irizarry to not wear a T-shirt celebrating Puerto Rico if she's an American citizen -- despite the territory being part of the U.S.
"You should not be wearing that in the United States of America," he said. "Are you a citizen?"
"Yes I am," Irizarry replied.
"Then you should not be wearing that. You should be wearing United States of America flag," he said.
On the video, Connor tells Irizarry he didn't think she was in danger. More officers eventually arrived and arrested the man.
Connor was initially placed on desk duty as the investigation got underway. The forest preserve district says officials continue to investigate the incident.