Attorney General Lisa Madigan Calls For Federal Investigation Of Chicago Police Department
(CBS) -- The state's top lawyer is joining the voices calling for a federal investigation into the Chicago Police Department's handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting, reports WBBM's Nancy Harty.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is asking for the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to investigate whether the police department's use of deadly force violates the Constitution or federal law.
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In her letter, Madigan cites several cases of police misconduct and says, "I write to you with urgency. Trust in the Chicago Police Department is broken, especially in communities of color….Chicago cannot move ahead without an outside, independent investigation."
"It's a major request, major development, very significant," said CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller.
Miller says the letter requests, in short, "Hey, there' something here, take a look at it, make things better here in Chicago."
In addition to the McDonald shooting, Madigan highlighted the shootings of Rekia Boyd and Ronald Johnson by Chicago Police officers. It also mentions former Commander Glenn Evans charged with allegedly sticking his gun into a suspects mouth and a December 2013 incident when an officer shot a dozen rounds into a car of unarmed teens.
If a Justice Department inquiry is undertaken, Miller says, "It could be civil remedies, it could be criminal remedies, but the Justice Department is in the position to do something about it."
The letter comes on the same day that Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Superintendent Garry McCarthy citing an erosion in public trust in the leadership of the department.
