RULES & ETHICS
RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH A SUBIECT MATTER HEARING ON THE POLICIES-PROCESSES AND PROTOCOLS OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE LAQUAN MCDONALD CASE
WHEREAS, Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old Chicago resident was shot 16 times by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke on October 20th 2014; and,
WHEREAS, The US Attorneys Office confirmed they were investigating the death of Laquan McDonald on April 13,2015; and,
WHEREAS, The City Council approved a $5 million settlement with Laquan McDonald's family which required that the video showing his death remain sealed until investigations were complete on April 15, 2015; and,
WHEREAS, A freelance journalist sued the city to force the release of dash cam video showing the shooting of Laquan McDonald; and,
WHEREAS, On November 19, 2015, A Cook County Judge ordered the city to release the dash cam video showing Laquan McDonald being shot by Officer Jason Van Dyke; and,
WHEREAS, On December'4,2015 the City of Chicago released hundreds of pages of police reports surrounding the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald; and,
WHEREAS, The City Council Finance Committee approved a $5 million settlement to be paid to the family of Laquan McDonald without having seen the dash cam footage ofthe incident, and after a conversation with the City's Corporation Counsel; and,
WHEREAS, Some members ofthe City Council believe they made decisions without having access to sufficient information to make a well-informed decision; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago administration recognizes that public dissatisfaction exists with the information available concerning the policies and processes that were utilized in the Laquan McDonald case, the timeline for the arrest and charge of Officer Van Dyke the justification for the 13-month delay in charges for Officer Van Dyke, and the justification for the $5 million payout to the McDonald family; and,
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council finds that information regarding the activities of...
Click here for full text