* From the Tribune…
In many quarters, it’s common knowledge that Chicago’s system of investigating shootings by officers is flawed. But the Tribune’s examination of the system shows that it is flawed at so many levels — critics say, by design — as to be broken. IPRA’s own statistics bear that out.
Of 409 shootings since the agency’s formation in September 2007 — an average of roughly one a week — only two have led to allegations against an officer being found credible, according to IPRA. Both involved off-duty officers.
Yikes.
* Jonathan Goldman takes a look at how Chicago’s clearance rate of 99.5 percent stacks up to Las Vegas and other cities…
One of the findings by the [Las Vegas] Review-Journal was that the Use of Force Review Board cleared officers of wrongdoing in “a staggering” 97 percent of the use of force cases it reviewed. In its petition to the DOJ calling for an investigation, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) cited the 97 percent figure, noting that “Meaningful review of these events simply does not take place.”
Clearance rates in other places, while still high, were much lower than in Chicago. The Miami Police Department was also subjected to a DOJ investigation, which found that 87 percent of police shootings were cleared. In Palm Beach County, Florida, 90 percent of officer-involved shootings were cleared over a 15 year period.
A DOJ report examining the Philadelphia Police Department was released earlier this year, which found that 77 percent of the officers involved in a shooting did not violate departmental policies. Even with a clearance rate lower than some other departments, “Some interviewees told the Justice Department they believed that the department’s board of inquiry undermined findings from internal reviews of officer shootings, resulting in “too little discipline.””
Only one other police department had numbers similar to Chicago. The Newark, New Jersey police department was investigated by the DOJ beginning in 2011, after a request was made by the ACLU. In its petition calling for the investigation, the ACLU notes that in 2008 and 2009 there were 128 excessive force complaints made against Newark police officers. Not a single complaint was sustained – 100 percent were cleared, even better than Chicago’s 99.5 percent. An interesting trivia fact: the police chief in Newark at the time was Garry McCarthy, who was just fired by Mayor Emanuel from his Superintendent position here in Chicago because of similar problems.
Wow.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:06 am:
Apparently the “Independent” in IRPA is meant “Ironically.”
- Cubs in '16 - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:11 am:
Wow is right. The small percentage of ‘bad’ cops have no motivation to follow proper procedure when there’s no perceived risk of consequences for their actions.
- Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:11 am:
The CPD is involved in a small number of shootings iirc.
Any studies comparing the number of police involved shootings among large city departments?
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:16 am:
I support our police.
We’ve had generations of police and firemen in our families. None of them are even close to perfect. One of them I completely detest as a human being. All of them have been divorced and have had ruinous relationships with their children.
The job would break Superman.
In one day you could be comforting and holding back tears as you help an abused and unloved child, and before going home that night, you could be spit at, or worse.
Police are human beings, not robots. We can thoughtfully add dozens of statistics to the work they do and cross reference those statistics in dozens of new ways - but we have to remember that they are just people trying to live through another day.
I do not want to be criminalizing our citizens who arrest citizens who are committing criminal acts. Be very careful.
- Joe Biden Was Here - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:19 am:
What a coinky-dink !!
- walker - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:19 am:
What happens in the field, stays in the field.
A deep “us versus them” shared mentality.
Sometimes the off-duty don’t get the same coverage.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:28 am:
A deep “us versus them” shared mentality.
I disagree based upon what I’ve witnessed within our families. It is more like, “only we know how this job is slowly killing us and our families”. You cannot spend a week together in a car dealing with police duties without becoming bound together emotionally. They’ve all seen one another break down in tears and cry. They’ve all see one another crap their pants in fear.
It isn’t so much a “them”, as it is an “us”.
- Ahem - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:41 am:
This is obviously Anita’s fault!
- Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:49 am:
They really need Independent to mean something.
Don’t just staff the board full of ex-law enforcement. Think creatively. Community organizers, googoos, retired media members?
- Gooner - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:55 am:
I spent time defending Chicago officers in disciplinary matters.
The vast majority of complaints were frivolous. Still, those clearance numbers are astronomical. If they came in around 90% or so, or even a bit higher that would sound reasonable. But when you get above 95%, you have to wonder.
- walker - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 10:56 am:
VM: Thanks for your comment as always. We probably mostly agree. Known and drunk a lot with a lot of cops, in my time, but not a lot of contact with their families. My views might be slanted by what I heard in that setting.
- Mason born - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 11:04 am:
I’m begining to think isp should investigate police shootings state wide and let the locals do traffic control.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 11:20 am:
We probably mostly agree.
After reading your posts through the years, we definitely mostly agree.
- crazybleedingheart - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 11:20 am:
==Apparently the “Independent” in IRPA is meant “Ironically.”==
IPRA — The joke goes that every other letter (P, A) is true.
- Levois - Tuesday, Dec 8, 15 @ 11:46 am:
So clearances that high means someone is messing with the numbers? I assume this represents cases or incidents.