IPRA chief to meet with Asian Americans to explain discipline for cop

IPRA chief to meet with Asian Americans to explain discipline for cop
A still from a surveillance video showing the 2013 police raid of a Chicago tanning salon managed by Jessica Klyzek (right). YouTube
IPRA chief to meet with Asian Americans to explain discipline for cop
A still from a surveillance video showing the 2013 police raid of a Chicago tanning salon managed by Jessica Klyzek (right). YouTube

IPRA chief to meet with Asian Americans to explain discipline for cop

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Members of Chicago’s Asian-American community are scheduled to meet Monday with the head of the Independent Police Review Authority, the agency that investigates police misconduct in Chicago.

They say they’ve been told that IPRA Chief Administrator Scott Ando will explain why the agency recommended a 25-day suspension for a cop who was caught on tape making racist comments and death threats while arresting an Asian-American woman.

The cop, Detective Gerald Di Pasquale, is on tape saying to tanning salon employee Jessica Klyzek, “You’re not f****** American. I’ll put you in the UPS box and send you back to wherever the f*** you came from.”

Di Pasquale threatens to shut down the business where Klyzek works and then says, “Whoever owns it will f****** kill you because they don’t care about you, Okay! I’ll take this building. You’ll be dead and your family will be dead!”

IPRA is recommending a 25-day suspension for Di Pasquale an 8-day suspension for another officer, Frank Messina, who hit Klyzek in the head while she was handcuffed and on her knees.

Steve Moon is with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which has been calling for the officer to be fired. Moon will attend the meeting today with Ando, and says he wants to hear what Ando has to say. Moon says he’s approaching the meeting with an open mind but adds, “You know when it really comes down to what is caught on tape it’s very difficult to see any situation where that is justified.”

WBEZ has made numerous requests to speak with Ando about this case and several other issues but all of our requests have been denied.

Scott Ando was appointed to his position by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel has also refused to weigh in on the case.

In an emailed statement a spokesman for the mayor said, “Chicago has a strong, civilian-led process for investigating officer misconduct and determining discipline, and it would set a dangerous precedent for future cases if politicians were to insert themselves into either the investigative or disciplinary processes.”