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Live Updates: Chicago Protests and Unrest

Consent decree monitor launches investigation into police actions during unrest

During a court hearing Friday morning, the independent monitor overseeing Chicago’s police reform progress announced she is launching an investigation into how the city and the Chicago Police Department responded to protests and civil unrest over the last week.

The hearing, which was conducted by telephone, is part of the ongoing Chicago police consent decree, which is a lengthy police reform plan enforced by a federal judge. The hearing was requested by independent monitor Maggie Hickey, who is charged with reviewing and reporting on the Police Department’s reform progress.

Hickey’s decision to prepare a “special report” on recent police actions comes after she met with a coalition of civil rights groups, and heard from protesters who described being victims of “police brutality.”

Shareese Pryor, an attorney with the Illinois attorney general’s office, said “the state fully supports” the special investigation into the actions of CPD and looks forward to seeing the results.

Attorneys for the city of Chicago participated in the remote hearing but did not comment on Hickey’s decision.