Over the period of six months I have researched trends that would suggest-with limited resources and growing mistrust between the public, Chicago Police Department (CPD), and Chicago City Hall. We strongly believe more can be done to tow the line and bridge a wide divide that keeps Chicago Violent. We won't go so far as to say that Chicago Police are the primary reason for the tragic violence that has plagued Chicago within the recent years. But, I must urge-for the effort- we should not dismiss this expose as "Fake News." Instead as a trained journalist- I would hope the research complied with the help of multiple public databases both government and private will foster public commentary and a two way narrative-not just City Hall's or CPD’s side but the public view.
In truth, most police officers do their job and are not subject scandal that plagues the more highlighted cases but even those officers have to live in a culture that proves to a black and brown poor community in desolation that your rights are conditional-meaning service depends on who, what, when, where, and why. In short in most cases- if you are black or brown and poor you can forget about it-you are, "outside of the law."
For another example, Chicago Police Sergeant George Granias #1731. A CPD sergeant at the heart of a recently settled police brutality lawsuit, was accused of beating a handcuffed African-American woman, Sergeant Granias registered a racist URL: n**gadown.com and trolled multiple racist websites according to recent reports. Granias file contained over 13 complaint incidents. According to information obtained form he Daily Beast- Granias grabbed [Johnson] from the back of the car,” and roughly escorted her into the station, according to a lawsuit Johnson filed against the city in 2015. “Inside the station, Defendant Granias beat [Johnson] while [Johnson] was in hand-cuffs.”
Johnson required medical treatment for her injuries, and later reached a settlement agreement with the city, according to Johnson’s lawyer. The city is expected to shell out a $185,000 settlement.
Sadly, lack of transparency and accountability is a known factor within the Chicago Police Department. In fact, to the unaware public it may seem like a standard operational procedure when it comes to the Chicago Police force and the way Chicago Police may interpose follow up with officers who show a repeated pattern of stepping out of line. Ultimately, The data suggest conditions of virtual impunity for abusive officers."
"The data suggest conditions of virtual impunity for abusive officers."
Facts support that between 2011 and 2016, the City of Chicago paid between $210 up to 280 million in settlements in police misconduct cases. One reason why-CPD has long been criticized for honoring a "code of silence" in which officers cover up for one another's misdeeds. The question that is most urging, 'What are they (CPD) going to do about it. Note: If there is going to be any lasting change, it has to come from the mayor's office.
According to official statements, "The Chicago Police Department does not tolerate misconduct by our members and vigorously investigates all instances that are brought to our attention or discovered internally."
Major cases will show that Chicago has settled on Police brutality cases that could have been readily avoidable with proper disciplinary, investigation, and oversight in place. It's very unfortunate that statistics show a City of Chicago Police Force that routinely fails to recognize, let alone sanction. Avoidable, is a standing fact that police are guilty of repeated episodes of violence, including the shooting deaths of unarmed civilians.
For example: In April 2015, the McDonald family received a $5 million settlement from the cash-strapped city, months before Jason Van Dyke (below) was charged with the first-degree murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Prior to that shooting, Van Dyke, on the force for 14 years, had received at least 18 complaints of misconduct, some including excessive force, according to a database of police employment records compiled by, watchdog groups. From the records available on this database, there is no finding of fault or disciplinary action against Van Dyke. This serious trend if followed could have been readily avoidable.
To many outside of Chicago it may seem surprising that so many complaints against one officer would be easily tossed out, but a recent Huffington Post analysis showed just over four years of city data released by the Invisible Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization, that more than 180 city police officers have more complaints than larger Van Dyke who weren’t disciplined at all over that time. Most of those complaints were made by black residents, whose allegations of police misconduct are dismissed at nearly four times the rate of complaints filed by whites. Facts support that most Police misconduct cases stem from routine interactions between police and civilians that go bad. (please review the everyday encounters chart from the Chicago Reader, below). These negative, often tragic, interactions form the basis of minority communities’ distrust of police.
Statistics You Should Know:
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Statistically of 10,500 complaints filed by black people between 2011 and 2015,
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Just 166 — or 1.6 percent — were sustained or led to discipline after an internal investigation.
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Overall, the authority sustained just 2.6 percent of all 29,000 complaints. 6 and 20 percent of citizen-initiated complaints are sustained.
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With 56, 454 Allegations against Police 54,139 where unstained and only 2,320 where sustained.
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Chicago officers used force nearly 10 times more in incidents involving black suspects than against white suspects.
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African-Americans were the subject of 80% of all police firearm uses and 81% of all Taser contact-stun uses between January 2011 and April 2016.
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Of incidents where use of force was used against a minor, 83% involved black children and 14% involved Latino children during the same time period.
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2,001 officers had at least one allegation of improper or excessive force. The vast majority – 1,846 of them – were never disciplined.
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Officer Van Dyke amassed 20 allegations since joining the force 14 years ago, including four allegations in the last four years that were not upheld. Three were for excessive force and one for racial slurs. In each of the complaints, Officer Van Dyke denied that he had acted improperly. He was not disciplined.
In 2012, Officer Dante Servin was off-duty when he fired his gun into a crowd in response to a verbal confrontation. One of his bullets struck an innocent bystander, 22-year-old Rekia Boyd, in the back of the head, killing her. Servin, whose defense was that he feared for his life because he thought a person was approaching him with a gun, was charged with involuntary manslaughter but he was found not guilty. The city did pay Boyd's family $4.5 million -- but kept Servin on the payroll for some time. " Eventually, Servin realized that the current political climate made his termination a foregone conclusion.
Chicago Police Biggest Public Offenders by allegation amount
The data used below would show at least three active officers who clearly have a large number of public complaints in contrast to little or no disciplinary action. For our part we only highlight facts but can not provide all the reasoning for the striking contrast. Complaints ranged from international issues to false arrest. The information was taken from multiple public databases and is accurate to the best of our ability. We are not implying any guilt on behalf of the officers-we only want to highlight Chicago's notoriously lax police oversight investigations.
Officer Martin Teresi #11254
District 22 Morgan Park Joined June 29, 1998 Race White Male 47 complaints / 1 Discipline (Reprimand)
Martin Teresi was named in two misconducts lawsuit that cost Chicago $91,500.
Serious Count 1 Which Chicago Paid out $57.500 for Excessive Force
Plaintiff: Mario Navia Jr. (11-CV-8766)
Incident date: 12/10/2009
Location: 10300 S. Torrence Ave.
Allegations:
Navia was driving on East 103rd Street and South Torrance Avenue with his father when Officers Teresi and Reno pulled over his vehicle. While the officers were arresting him, they used pepper spray on his eyes and hit him on the head with a nightstick, causing a gash that later required seven to nine staples
Serious Count 2 Which Chicago Paid out $34.000 for False Arrest
Plaintiff: Kirstie Gould (14-CV-9562)
Incident date: 12/14/2013
Location: 6500 S. Halsted St.
Allegations:
Gould was at a hair salon when police entered, without a search warrant. One of the officers frisked Gould. When she asked to call her mother, who was watching her 16-month-old child, officers refused and told everyone in the salon to "Shut the f**k up!" Officer Teresi, thinking Gould was still trying to talk, said to her, "What did we tell you? We told you to shut the f**k up. Now get on the ground!" Gould got on the floor and officers handcuffed her, pushed her face into the ground, yanked her arm away from her body and pressed their knees into her back, making it hard for her to breathe. Police finally let Gould sit up to get her breath when they found out she had asthma. Gould was charged with resisting and obstructing police. All charges were dismissed.
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Sgt. Adam Zelitzky #2381
District 11 Harrison Joined Dec 05 1998 Race White Male 51 complaints / 1 Discipline (One Day Suspension)
Serious Count 1 Adam Zelitzky was named in a misconduct lawsuit that cost Chicago $70,000.
Plaintiff: Olympia McGill (11 CV-4906) Paid out $70.000 for Excessive Force
Incident date: 6/29/2011
Location: 3000 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Allegations:
McGill, who has autism, was riding her bike near Sacramento and Roosevelt when officers blocked her path with their car, throwing her from her bicycle. Although more than 20 neighbors told the officers she was autistic and had significant cognitive impairments, the officers arrested McGill. The officers handled McGill roughly during the arrest, fracturing her neck when one of them put his knee in the back of her neck, putting handcuffs on her so tight that the cuffs punctured her skin, and dragging her into the police car. McGill was held at the station for several hours without medical treatment but was not charged with any crime. Her family later took her to Mt. Sinai Hospital for treatment. The arrest was so traumatic that McGill, who after years of work with teachers and counselors had been able to interact with strangers, became afraid to leave her home or talk to people other than her family.
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Officer Christopher Traynor #8903
District 25 Humboldt Park Joined Jan 03, 1995 Race White Male 42 complaints / 2 Discipline ( 5 Day Suspension and 2 Day Suspension)
Serious Count 1 Christopher Traynor was named in a misconduct lawsuit that cost Chicago $30,000
Plaintiff: Richard Beiles (13-CV-2838) PAID $30,000 False Arrest
Incident date: 8/29/2011
Location: 500 W. Randolph St.
Allegations:
Beiles was walking near Randolph and Canal Streets when Officer Traylor, who was driving a car in plain clothes, attempted to turn from an alleyway onto Randolph Street. He pulled out of the alley without waiting for a break in the pedestrian traffic crossing in front of the alley entrance. Beiles hit the front of the car and yelled at Officer Traynor not to drive into pedestrians. He resumed his walk towards Canal Street when Officer Traynor grabbed him, yelled and demanded that he cover the cost of damages. When Beiles insisted that he be let go so that he could continue on his way home, Officer Traynor announced that he was a police officer and that Beiles was under arrest for unlawfully damaging both his property and resisting arrest. Beiles was held until 5 a.m. the following day. While in custody he was denied access to a phone to call his wife or children. The charges against Beiles were later dismissed.
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CPD engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional use of force against Minorities in poor communities often without oversight
In a stunning breakdown of the city's police disciplinary system, Chicago officers found at fault for misconduct have escaped punishment for years because authorities lost track of their cases, a recent Chicago Tribune investigation had found in May of 2017. Guilty, but forgotten, the officers and their cases languished in a sort of disciplinary purgatory as officials failed to ensure that the punishments were meted out. It has happened in at least 14 cases, though disciplinary officials can't say for sure there aren't more.
For the record, IPRA or The Independent Police Review Authority performs the intake function for, and conducts investigations into, all allegations of misconduct made against members of CPD.
IPRA is headed by a civilian chief administrator and staffed entirely with civilian investigator is an independent agency of the City of Chicago, separate from CPD.
All of the officers were found to have committed misconduct years ago and were ordered suspended. That, in itself, is a rare outcome of Chicago's notoriously lax police oversight investigations. But the Tribune — which has been untangling these old cases for several months — found that even after punishments were recommended, years passed and none was served because the police department and the city agency that investigates officer misconduct lost cases in their startlingly disjointed system. How Tragic!
The DOJ released its 164-page report in January 2017, finding that CPD engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional use of force as well as myriad other problems. The report included a series of reform recommendations and praise for the policy and training changes CPD had already undertaken.
To their credit in May of 2017-The Chicago Police Department did unveil new proposed revisions to its use-of-force policy. In opposing this action-the police union subsequently criticized the department, accusing it of crafting guidelines in response to political pressures and not in view of officer safety.
Lastly, even with limited resources I agree with a recent report by the Chicago Crusader which correctly states:
Policing is only one aspect of the long history we face including unemployment, a broken educational system, an unequal distribution of resources, and yes, racism. But if we acknowledge this and start to put in to place the reforms necessary to enact change with intentional and collaborative effort, we can make progress.
Crusader suggest a 2-Minute Action: Please call the Mayor’s office to demand Mayor Emanuel keep his commitment to enter a court-enforced agreement with the federal government to reform the CPD. By Phone: Dial 311 (within Chicago), if calling from outside of Chicago, call: 312.744.5000
(glg)
Stay Turned for Part 2 of this report which show Policing Issues in Chicago's deadliest communities
Gregg L. Greer a Public Speaker, Minister, Social Activist, and the Editor of the One World internet journal. Greer is the Founder of Freedom First International a human rights NGO. Greer writes commentary on Apolitical America, Huffington Post, Daily Kos and others-or listen to his radio podcast at OneWorld Talks -if you are interested in interviews from his and others of the brightest minds today, you can email him at oneworldtoday@gmail.com His website is www.gregglgreer.com