CPD Reopens Investigation into 2011 Use of Force

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Chicago Police Department Supt. Eddie Johnson Teresa Crawford / AP
topcop
Chicago Police Department Supt. Eddie Johnson Teresa Crawford / AP

CPD Reopens Investigation into 2011 Use of Force

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Two Chicago police officers have been stripped of their powers while they’re investigated for use of force in a 2011 robbery.

It’s the first case being reopened for investigation since new police Superintendent Eddie Johnson took the helm of the Chicago Police Department less than a month ago.

Johnson said in a statement released Friday evening that he’s reviewing several internal affairs and Independent Police Review Authority cases “as part of his pledge to rebuild trust between CPD and the community.”

Among the reopened cases is the 2011 incident, where Johnson says the officers’ actions in apprehending an offender now serving prison time is concerning.

Video shows an officer roughly handling a woman who’s been pulled over; she exits the car with her hands up and is immediately thrown to the ground.

This new investigation of an old case comes as Mayor Rahm Emanuel pledges to change how police-involved shooting and misconduct cases are handled.

CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told WBEZ that Superintendent Johnson is “very serious about restoring trust by reaffirming our commitment to accountability and is reviewing several closed and current cases.”

The enhanced efforts toward transparency and accountability come the week after Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Police Accountability Task Force released a document that called the relationship between police and the community “broken.”

The mayor-appointed task force was created after the release of the video that shows Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 16-year-old Laquan McDonald 17 times.

Greta Johnsen is WBEZ’s weekend reporter. Follow her @gretamjohnsen.