Outside Probe Finds Lightfoot Administration Didn't Purposely Conceal Details In Anjanette Young Case
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not purposely conceal information about the botched raid at Anjanette Young's home in 2019, when the innocent social worker was handcuffed naked in front of a dozen male officers, according to an outside investigation ordered by the mayor.
Lightfoot hired retired judge Ann Claire Williams and the Jones Day law firm one year ago to conduct a review of the raid of Young's home, and the response by the mayor's office and other city departments.
Based on a bad tip from an informant that a man with an illegal gun lived in the apartment, a dozen male Chicago police officers barged into Young's home with guns and handcuffed her while she was naked in February 2019.
Although moments after handcuffing her, officers draped a jacket and then a blanket over her shoulders, the blanket repeatedly slid open and exposed her body in front of officers. One video clip shows an officer stood in front of Young but made no attempt to cover her. Another officer walked over and held the blanket closed.
It was nearly 10 minutes before officers allowed Young to go to her bedroom to get dressed.
Jones Day's report did find "failures in oversight and accountability" by the mayor's office, the Chicago Police Department, the city's Law Department, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) in their response to the botched raid. But, according to a summary of the report, there was no evidence the mayor or any city department purposely concealed information on the case.
"We had to answer the overarching question: was there a malicious intent to mislead or hide information from Ms. Young, the press, or the public? Based on the facts uncovered in our review, the answer is no," Williams said. "We found no evidence that the mayor or any current or former city employee took actions with malicious intent to add to Miss Young's mistreatment or otherwise harm her in connection with the city's response to the search of her home."
Williams said COPA did nothing with the case until after CBS 2 first reported on the botched raid because no one was physically injured.
The Jones Day report recommended city officials "recognize trauma to Chicago residents from psychological and emotional injury, not just physical injury."
Their investigation also determined "some city employees did not adequately consider Ms. Young's dignity in the course of its actions or prioritize egregious misconduct for fast-track review."
According to a summary of the Jones Day report, city officials "did not always follow appropriate procedures, or maintained flawed procedures, or lacked procedures altogether" when it came to the body camera footage of the raid.
In a statement on the Jones Day report, Lightfoot said she sat down for an "extensive interview" as part of the outside investigation, and gave the law firm full access to her office and other city departments:
"In February of 2019, Ms. Young was denied her basic dignity as a human being. What she experienced was unacceptable. Today's announcement that Jones Day has completed their independent investigation will bring a new level of clarity, and hopefully closure, to the events that occurred leading up to and following February 2019."
"As part of their investigation, I personally sat for an extensive interview and gave them full access to my office and relevant City departments. Jones Day has briefed the Mayor's Office, along with impacted departments, on their findings and recommendations. We look forward to reviewing the full report and implementing any policies and procedures that may result as indicated in the investigation. As I previously stated, the results of this investigation would be made public, and I am making good on that commitment."
"While my words cannot change what happened to Ms. Young, it is my sincere hope the settlement award and the release of the Jones Day report brings some measure of peace to her, her family, her community, and our city."
The Jones Day probe is one of three investigations into the raid on Young's home.
A report by the Civilian Officer of Police Accountability, released in November, found that officers failed to properly "knock and announce" before entering Young's home to give her time to get dressed and answer the door before police barged in. The report also found some officers failed to activate their body cameras as required. COPA recommended termination or suspension for multiple officers for their role in the botched raid – a first sign of potential discipline and accountability within CPD.
The Chicago Inspector General's Office also has completed its investigation into the raid. The findings were sent to Lightfoot's office, but have yet to be made public, and the mayor has not committed to releasing the full report. A summary of that investigation is expected to be released as part of the Inspector General's next quarterly report.
On Wednesday, the Chicago City Council unanimously approved a $2.9 million payment to Young to settle her lawsuit against the city, accusing the officers who raided her home of "willful and wanton" misconduct.
