The names of Chicago police
officers who have had multiple complaints lodged against them were made public
Wednesday following a seven-year legal battle.
The names of Chicago police
officers who have had multiple complaints lodged against them were made public
Wednesday following a seven-year legal battle.
The hundreds of pages of
documents include a list of 662 officers who were the subject of more than 10
citizen complaints between 2001 and 2006. The list of names doesn't just
include officers who were found to have committed wrongdoing after those
complaints were filed, but also officers who were exonerated.
"This is real change. This
is real reform. It was a long time coming, and it's a first step. There are
other steps that need to be taken," said Jamie Kalven, The Invisible
Institute.
Writer Jamie Kalven filed suit
to force Chicago police to release the officers' names, as well as the charges
against them, which range from excessive use of force, racism, and false
arrest.
Among the worst repeat
offenders are Jerome Finnigan and Keith Herrera, who were at the center of a
misconduct scandal and went to prison, but not before amassing more than 50
complaints each.
Kalven says the documents show
a department that looked away.
"They had multiple
occasions to stop these guys," said Kalven.
For seven years, the city
fought the release of the records in part because the list of names includes
exonerated officers.
"There's a lot of
allegations there, but it doesn't prove these individuals did anything
improperly," said Dean Angelo, Sr., president, Fraternal Order of Police.
But earlier this month, the
city ended its legal challenge. Mayor Emanuel said in a statement: "the
new policy of making these files available to the public is a proactive step
forward in building the trust and partnership between residents and
police."
"It's a step toward
accountability, towards professionalism of the police department," said
Kalven.