* August of 2018…
Guns were drawn, even on small children, when Chicago officers raided a family’s home. Dave Savini is investigating why this happened and how this family will never be the same.
“One guy said you better shut the F up if you know any better,” said Peter Mendez.
Peter was 9 when the trauma began. It was dinner time when Chicago police busted his front door open, invading his family’s home.
“Assault rifles, maybe like a few pistols,” Peter recalled.
His little brother Jack was by his side that night shaking with fear. […]
The CBS 2 investigators found officers from the 11th district used a search warrant filled with mistakes, even the judge’s printed name as required by police order is missing.
In fact, police tell CBS2 they don’t even have their own copy of the warrant or any record the warrant even exists.
“I think the Chicago Police Department needs to be held accountable. They came in and tore our home up. They tore our lives upside down, and we’ve never been the same,” said Hester Mendez.
She says police refused to show her the warrant but after an hour of searching she caught a glimpse of it and saw the two people actually named in the warrant lived in a different unit in that same apartment building.
* One year later…
Last year Peter Mendez tearfully told his story of police wrongly raiding his home and pointing guns at him and his family. Now he is thrilled because Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Peter Mendez Act this week.
It’s a new law to protect kids and is the result of a CBS 2 investigation. […]
[Sen. Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago] sponsored the legislation requiring police training on how children experience trauma by police actions and training on de-escalation tactics for when children are involved.
The statute is here.
* The Sun-Times published a letter from Sen. Collins today…
What remedy exists for what happened to Anjanette Young in February 2019? What restitution is truly just when police, acting on poor information, raided her home and handcuffed her while she was naked and pleading with them, only to be yelled at and told to calm down?
Nearly two years later, there has been no disciplinary action against the officers. Indeed, we only heard of Anjanette’s terrifying situation 22 months after it occurred, following what appears to be a coordinated, bureaucratic effort to deny giving her footage of the incident from officers’ body cameras.
The City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department remain more concerned with covering up these wrongful raids than stopping them.
Ms. Young was not guilty of any crime, and police raided her house in error. As I made clear when I sponsored the Peter Mendez Act (Public Act 101-224) mandating better training in the event of raids on homes where children are present, raids like these are civil rights violations.
Bursting into the home of someone who has not been convicted of a crime and handcuffing them naked, then forcing them to air this indignity publicly to have any hope for justice, is a civil rights violation whether or not that person is eventually convicted of a crime. These actions are not about public safety or deterring criminal activity. It is about sending a message that police may do as they please.
More than a year since the documentary “[un]warranted” aired young Peter Mendez’s story, people like Peter’s family and like Anjanette Young must fight tooth and nail for Chicago to even acknowledge the wrongs done to them. This cannot stand. We must see accountability on the part of the Chicago Police Department and the City of Chicago.
* Meanwhile…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday acknowledged that she has known since November 2019 that Chicago police officers handcuffed a naked woman during a mistaken raid of her home in February 2019. […]
Lightfoot acknowledged that the raid — and efforts by city lawyers to prevent Young from getting a copy of the video and to stop CBS2-TV from publishing the video — had damaged her efforts to reform the Chicago Police Department. […]
Officers will now need a top department official to sign off on a no-knock warrant, Brown said. Those warrants will only be approved in cases where there is an imminent risk to someone’s health and safety, Brown said.
Lightfoot on Wednesday said she would not suspend the practice of no-knock warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without announcing themselves, like the one that occurred in Young’s home.
I do not understand why anyone even asks for no-knock warrants if there’s no imminent threat. But the complete lack of humanity displayed by officers in the Anjanette Young case (and others) certainly makes a strong case for much stronger police reforms in general, including strict and tough licensing.
* Related…
* Controversial president of Chicago police union faces possible firing over inflammatory posts on social media
- Gravy Bond - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:34 am:
The police “reformers” have no idea what police go through on a daily basis. If the police continue to be beaten down and made into glorified mall cops there will be no policing that matters. The inflation of these cases into a narrative that there are “systemic” issues defies the good work done by 99% of police officers across this country. Furthermore, most black and brown people across this nation want more police in their neighborhoods, not less. What happened to Ms. Young is terrible and those involved should be disciplined, but an over haul of policing based on cases that don’t reflect the overall good that police represent is dangerous and irresponsible.
- Montrose - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:34 am:
Will this incident finally wake some people up to acknowledge that Lightfoot has more in common with Rahm than not? Even if she didn’t know her lawyers were fighting giving access to this specific footage, she clearly has sent the message to her staff that this is how she wants them to operate.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:37 am:
“police tell CBS2 they don’t even have their own copy of the warrant or any record the warrant even exists.”
The literal definition of an out-of-control police department.
– MrJM
- Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:42 am:
===those involved should be disciplined===
Yep. Harshly. And all police officers should be licensed so that their fraternal order cannot easily protect the truly bad ones. After all, most drivers and teachers are decent people, but we still license them.
- Funtimes - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:48 am:
License the police. Ban no knock raids. If the current crop of officers can’t get with this reality, then it is time to find new officers.
- Jocko - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:49 am:
==defies the good work done by 99% of police officers across this country.==
Assuming your number is true (which it isn’t), that means 8000 rogue officers are out there. We don’t know if they were disciplined, where they are, or are still in the profession.
- Sox Fan - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:50 am:
The part that sticks with me is the cops ordering Ms. Young to “relax”. The tone and dismissiveness in which they made this order shows how little respect the police have for the people they say they serve.
At this point, I don’t know what the real answer is to the problems in the CPD. If it was possible to fire everyone and start over, I think that would be the correct answer.
- Scamp640 - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:50 am:
Police reform is needed urgently. In addition, the issue of qualified immunity for police officers needs to be scaled back or eliminated. It is quite possible that the police officers who abused and humiliated Anjanette Young will never be held accountable.
- Jibba - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:51 am:
===the good work done by 99% of police officers across this country===
I no longer believe the number is this high.
- NIU Grad - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:55 am:
“I do not understand why anyone even asks for no-knock warrants if there’s no imminent threat.”
The official reason is they fear a threat…the unofficial reason is that too many people became “peace officers” to carry assault rifles and knock down doors.
- Cool Papa Bell - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:56 am:
=The police “reformers” have no idea what police go through on a daily basis.=
Good one. I’m guessing you have no idea how citizens make it thorough everyday - not knowing if today is the day their door gets kicked in for no good reason, they are pulled over for no good reason, they live in an area where the police target the poor and hit them with needless fines.
Fix the darn system.
- Annoin' - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:58 am:
Seems like someone should be asking why all our watchdogs, fact checkers, neighborhood news aces, etc let this story go untold for nearly 2 years.
Cops do have a tough job, but this seems worse and more clear cut than McDonald, the Browns, etc.
- SAP - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:03 am:
Given Lightfoot’s relationship with FOP, I’m really surprised she was part of the coverup. Seems like she would have been bludgeoning FOP repeatedly about the head and ears with this.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:05 am:
===What happened to Ms. Young is terrible and those involved should be disciplined, but an over haul of policing based on cases that don’t reflect the overall good that police represent is dangerous and irresponsible.===
Who is saying honest police officers doing good work are the problem?
How is preventing things like what happened to Ms.Young “dangerous and irresponsible?” Not doing anything about these problems is what is dangerous and irresponsible.
- Boone's is Back - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:06 am:
The “I didn’t know” lie is getting old from Lightfoot too. She’s got egg all over her face and she has to realize that the honeymoon is over. Govern already and stop making excuses.
https://abc7chicago.com/woman-whose-home-cpd-wrongfully-raided-feared-for-her-life/8869073/
- Publius - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:08 am:
Perhaps the CPD should ask for some training.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/10/american-cops-could-learn-a-lesson-from-italys-carabinieri/
- Out Here In The Middle - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:08 am:
=an over haul of policing based on cases that don’t reflect the overall good that police represent is dangerous and irresponsible=
So all of these cases are just “collateral damage” that can’t be avoided? If you don’t attempt to reform the system based on obvious bad outcomes what is the alternative?
- Nick - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:10 am:
The FoP *chose* Catanzara as their president. That’s current and former cops, actively choosing a right wing demagogue. A guy who had already been stripped of his policing powers.
If the “99 percent” of good cops don’t want to face criticism because of the 1 percent, then they should support accountability and disciplining of bad cops. Instead they elected that 1 percent their union head.
- Rudy’s teeth - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:10 am:
This incident reminds me of Rahm’s decision to keep the Laquan McDonald tape under wraps until after the election. This choice by Mayor Lightfoot may result in her serving as a one-term mayor.
One can only hope.
- Responsa - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:13 am:
==Given Lightfoot’s relationship with FOP, I’m really surprised she was part of the coverup. Seems like she would have been bludgeoning FOP repeatedly about the head and ears with this.==
I think this is more likely a case of the mayor (and some staff) just not being equipped for the demands of job than a conscious decision on her part as a self-styled reformer to either support the police dept. or not in this case.
- Amalia - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:15 am:
fix this. because it is horrible. and because police need to be able to carry out warrants, yes, including no knock because some criminals need to be taken in that way. look at the alternative if you do not fix it, CPD, only knock warrants and one group’s ridiculous proposal that all warrants must be served between 9 am and 7 pm. Yes, bad people should be captured, but do things right.
- yinn - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:16 am:
==defies the good work done by 99% of police officers across this country.==
You mean 45% of police officers, in Chicago at least. The vote for Catanzara for president of FOP was 55% to 45%.
What struck me as particularly bizarre about the Trib story is the impression it left that each of Catanzara’s offenses is considered separately with no regard for his sorry disciplinary history.
Finding out the PD has tried to fire this bad actor several times, I say yes to licensing. Having some oversight from a higher authority some degree apart can’t possibly hurt.
- OneMan - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:32 am:
One thing and this is rather trivial, I fail to understand why the CPD (and other large police agencies) don’t have someone they can call to come out right away to fix the physical damage from these failed raids/warrants. I think some issues would be at least mitigated with that. “We have someone coming out right now to fix your door at no charge to you and will have an officer right outside until they are done” wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The other thing that is less trivial is how much SWAT and general police reality TV there is. I watch these shows and wonder, was that level of force needed? You see a house trashed and they don’t find the guy and have to wonder why some folks don’t trust the police. Police departments have posters of their SWAT team posing in weight rooms and the like.
- Cool Papa Bell - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:00 pm:
=One thing and this is rather trivial, I fail to understand why the CPD (and other large police agencies) don’t have someone they can call to come out right away to fix the physical damage from these failed raids/warrants. I think some issues would be at least mitigated with that. “We have someone coming out right now to fix your door at no charge to you and will have an officer right outside until they are done” wouldn’t be a bad idea.=
I’ve wondered the same thing… and it does seem trivial but why not do it. Put yourself in the shoes of these people. A bunch of armed dudes with no business being in your home kick your door down, toss all your stuff around your house, scare the bejesus out of you and sometimes don’t even let you cover yourself up… and then they just leave. Sure is a good way to build up the relationship from a group of people and the police….
“Have a nice night miss.. I hope this ironing board we wedged in here keeps your door closed that we kicked in…”
- Payback - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:02 pm:
“…the issue of qualified immunity for police officers needs to be scaled back or eliminated.” After George Floyd’s death, the state of Colorado made body cams mandatory for ALL police in the entire state, and removed qualified immunity. So what’s keeping Illinois pols in this overwhelmingly Democratic state, with a “progressive” governor, from doing the same?
When Kwame Raoul was a state senator, the press fawned over his body cam bill, which allows police to wear body cams. Body cams are not mandatory, so the bill is a farce, like Raoul and his staff.
Police “licensing” implies that at worst police criminals lose their jobs and pensions(?) (which CPD torturer Jon Burge received until he died). Stop playing games with police criminals. Make body cams mandatory, and make it a crime to delete footage. Make it a crime for police to fail to report criminal conduct by other officers, prosecute them, and watch 95% of these problems disappear overnight.
- Retired and Still in Illinois - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:16 pm:
My random thoughts. As a retired police commander I have been in the position of approving the application of search warrants, including no knock warrants. It was never an easy decision and I asked a lot of questions that may not be able to be answered. The ultimate goal was always the protection of life, both the police and the suspects, finding evidence was a distant third to the first two goals. Mistakes are made, I’ve seen the wrong apartment raided. Thankfully no one was hurt, realized the mistake quickly, APOLOGIZED immediately and made it right for the victims. What I saw in the video was a complete disregard for the humanity of the victim and absolutely no empathy. In my younger years I was on a swat team and we occasionally entered homes where people were naked. As soon as possible we covered the people and allowed them to dress. And yes we found weapons in the clothes the person asked for. We also tried to remove children from the scene as quickly as possible.
As my name indicates, I’m now retired. I loved my career and not ashamed or embarrassed by any of my actions. I worked in an area that had a violent crime rate about three times higher than Chicago. My department was, and still is, well respected by the citizens we served. Police officers are human, they make mistakes. No amount of training or discipline is going to change that. I’ve used the sports analogy of NFL officials. They are the best in the country at what they do. Everything is done to help them in their job. Perfect lighting, multiple officials, the best training, etc. and they still make mistakes that even super slo-mo instant replay can’t confirm. Yet, society expects a two year police officer alone in the dark during a struggle to be able to determine if the object in a person’s hand is a threat. Been there, fortunately I was lucky, I easily could have been unlucky and made the wrong choice.
Hope all have a safe and Merry Christmas…..and where a mask.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:19 pm:
“If the police continue to be beaten down and made into glorified mall cops there will be no policing that matters.”
Which “policing that matters” are you talking about?
No arrests or charges more than two-thirds of Chicago’s homicides?
If police cared about putting killers in jail, they wouldn’t routinely treat the very citizens that they need to solve the cases like trash.
– MrJM
- Sayitaintso - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:29 pm:
Aside from the issue of whether there should be “No Knock” or not, I understand it began with either a wrong address being given to the officers, or officers did not hear the correct address for whatever reason. Is there in place a process from dispatch to officers in route which would greatly decrease this terrible event? To RE-confirm the address or whatever might be missing.
- PublicServant - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:34 pm:
=== so that their fraternal order cannot easily protect the truly bad ones ===
You mean like Cantanzara?
- EssentialWorkingMom - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:37 pm:
==an over haul of policing based on cases that don’t reflect the overall good that police represent is dangerous and irresponsible==
What is more dangerous and irresponsible is refusing to see that there is a problem with the existing system, and that this isn’t just about Ms. Young’s and Mr. Mendez’s stories. These aren’t isolated incidents, these are just the people that are refusing to be quiet and fade away. They are getting attention, and rightfully so, because these things are happening and no one is being held accountable for it. If the current policing system allowed for accountability for these bad actor cops (maybe 1%, maybe more than 1%), instead of just brushing everything under the rug and hoping the press never gets wind of it, then maybe the word “reform” would not be brought up so frequently. I wonder if this approach of “we don’t need reforms because look at all of the good things cops do” isn’t similar to the mentality that too many take with regards to Covid…until it effects you and/or your family personally, then you really just don’t see it as a problem. It’s a shame when we stop caring for other people, stop treating others as if their experiences don’t matter, just because we don’t have the same experiences and it doesn’t effect us in the same way.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:38 pm:
===would greatly decrease this terrible event===
The address mistake was egregious, for sure. But how the officers conducted the search was infinitely more so. Do not let that get lost in the shuffle here.
- Keyrock - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:56 pm:
One key problem with the Chicago PD has always been the code of silence, which is the flip side of the absence of accountability. The code of silence is not just about race. It’s not just about excessive force. It’s also about corruption, officers who take kickbacks, using shady or non-existent informants, so-called “testilying,” etc. Young officers are taught to look the other way and keep their mouths shut when they see misconduct.
The department needs new leadership — and not just a new superintendent every few years. There needs to be an expectation from top to bottom that (while honest mistakes will happen) dishonesty and silence will not be tolerated, and that there will be consequences for lies and coverups. Supervisors need to correct mistakes and report misconduct — and be removed when they don’t. As with hospitals or air travel, systems need to be put in place to minimize mistakes.
Changing the culture is not a 1 or even 5 year project. But it has to be done.
- Out of it - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:58 pm:
This conversation has not said anything about the judges who sign no knock warrants. There is IL Supreme Court caselaw and a statute that are intended to significantly restrict the use of no-knock warrants. The judges who sign the warrants are supposed to carefully scrutinize the requests. Unfortunately the police who are inclined to request such a warrant quickly learn which judges to avoid or approach when requesting search warrants. Any reforms must include the manner in which the judicial decision to approve no-knock warrants will be made. The problem will not be solved if judges aren’t a part of the reform.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 1:00 pm:
===This conversation has not said anything about the judges who sign no knock warrants===
The warrant was a problem. Forcing an innocent woman to stand cuffed and naked while they searched her apartment is a *slightly* bigger issue.
- Dotnonymous - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 1:16 pm:
“I loved my career and not ashamed or embarrassed by any of my actions.” Retired and still in Illinois
Who asked you to be either?…feeling guilty?
- Dotnonymous - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 1:21 pm:
Yet, society expects a two year police officer alone in the dark during a struggle to be able to determine if the object in a person’s hand is a threat. - Retired
No…a legal exemption is made when it’s determined the officer acted within reason…as you know.
- Dotnonymous - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 1:26 pm:
The failure to view this naked terrified Woman as a fellow human being is the systemic moral failure on display…for Worldview.
- Southwest Sider - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 1:45 pm:
==Ban no knock raids==
More like limit them. Apprehending a homicide suspect can merit it.
- Jocko - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 1:56 pm:
==What I saw in the video was a complete disregard for the humanity of the victim and absolutely no empathy.==
In addition to a poorly researched no-knock warrant and arrogance toward their mistake, despite it being clear in less than five minutes they were wrong. To compound the insult, none of the officers have had to account for their actions after 22 months.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 2:07 pm:
=== Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday acknowledged that she has known since November 2019 that Chicago police officers handcuffed a naked woman during a mistaken raid of her home in February 2019.===
You can’t walk back that now you were told about something, when in during this process there’s not any honesty to that fact while in real time the public was finding out.
Lightfoot has learned nothing in her tenure as mayor.
- ISPRETIRED - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 2:23 pm:
As a retired police officer that has done 100s of search warrants this should never happen. As a Supervisor we always put a photo of the location to be searched. It is described to a T. The color the door color the numbers of the home or apt. We know the place we will hit. Did we have some search warrants where we found nothing, yea a few times , doesn’t mean it was a bad search warrant just bad timing. If we have females we made sure we had female officers. Once we had a search warrant for a house that was to get a package delivered which contained drugs. We did our research and felt something not right. We decided to not serve it. We later learned that they used this address just by chance because postal worker was in on it and was going to meet the dealers while on the route to give them the package. There never is a reason to destroy a house, we made sure we left home close to how we found it. We always filmed the house before and after as a protection for us from bogus complaints. As a Supervisor I always told the resident that we did film before and after. Never ever had one complaint made. Self protection. This was long before body cameras.
- 14th ward - Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 3:06 pm:
Video was beyond disturbing, i can’t for the life of me figure out why these officers did not show remorse. This needs to be a training video of no-not -nope- . Chicago is a dangerous place, if you don’t reside here and just watch the news you have no idea what these officers go thru.For christmas this year buy a scanner and listen and weep.