01.13.17

Durbin Statement On Results Of DOJ Investigation Of Chicago Police Department

CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released the results of a 13-month civil rights investigation into the policies and practices of the Chicago Police Department. Durbin joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in requesting the investigation.
 
“Following the shocking video of the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, I wrote Attorney General Lynch urging her to open an investigation into whether the Chicago Police Department was engaged in a pattern or practice of violating constitutional and civil rights. The Justice Department’s findings are challenging, revealing serious problems that must be swiftly and responsibly addressed in order to restore trust between the police and the communities they serve. I commend Attorney General Lynch, Mayor Emanuel, and Superintendent Johnson for accepting the challenge of identifying and committing to solve these problems, and for the important changes that have already been made in recent months.  I also greatly appreciate the efforts of the career Justice Department and Chicago Police Department officials who worked together cooperatively throughout this investigation and will now be charged with implementing further reforms to address the investigation’s findings.
 
“Public safety can only be protected when law enforcement has the full confidence of the communities they police, and the reforms proposed today will help strengthen community-oriented policing, enhance training, and ensure accountability when officers fail to live up to the standards they have sworn to uphold. Other cities and police departments have worked constructively with the Department of Justice to reach meaningful and enforceable agreements to implement reforms like these, and I will work to ensure that the Department of Justice under the incoming Administration takes its responsibility seriously.”