Chicago police were on the hot seat before the City Council’s public safety Committee Wednesday morning; defending the department's handling of two incidents involving alleged extremists in its ranks.
In one case, both the Bureau of Internal Affairs and the City Inspector General agreed that an officer made false statements about his association with the Proud Boys, but the department mediated a 120-day suspension rather than terminate him.
“Someone who has lied cannot meaningfully serve as a police officer,” said Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg.
In another case, a published report claimed that as many as 13 cops may have connections to the Oath Keepers, an extremist group linked to the Capitol Insurrection.
When 47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin asked if an officer stood up today and announced he was a member of the Oath Keepers and a sworn member of the department, would his CPD position be terminated?
The answer from Deputy Chief Traci Walker was “No.” “Its essential that the rights of the member of the member as well as the rights of the public must be preserved,” said Tina Skahil, the Executive Director of the Department’s Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform.
Her response triggered a flurry of frustration from members of the committee including 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez.
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“I just find that answer inadequate to give these officers a pass on that,” he said.
But 38th Ward Alderman Nicholas Sposato questioned whether the City Council should be legislating police department policy. “We shouldn’t be interfering with stuff like this,” he said. “You have I.A.D (Internal Affairs Department); you have COPA (Civilian Office of Police Accountability); you have the inspector general; I don’t know why we are involved with this.”
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The department says it is re-writing its regulations when it comes to association and social media. But those new rules are still on review.
But 40th Ward Alderman Andre Vazquez expressed the frustration of many committee members who said they found fault with the department’s slow and sometimes contradictory handling of allegations of extremists who are sworn Chicago Police officers.
“It is a joke that we are spending this much time and money to have this conversation when everybody here who hears the case knows the officer should not be on the force,” he said.
