Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether the Chicago Police Department's practices violate federal and constitutional law.
Madigan said Tuesday that the "shocking death" of Laquan McDonald, a black 17-year-old who was fatally shot by white police officer in 2014, raises serious questions about the use of lawful and excessive force. She says trust in the police department is "broken."
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Madigan noted five other high-profile cases in Chicago, including the death of 25-year-old Ronald Johnson, who was shot by police last year and the arrest of Jerome Finnegan, a special operations officer who was part of a ring of cops who carried out, among other crimes, burglaries and home invasions.
There is also mention of former police commander Jon Burge, under whose watch Chicago Police officers tortured hundreds of suspects, coercing false confessions.
Full statement from IL Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's office regarding her request the Dept. of Justice investigate CPD pic.twitter.com/SOpNicxo2U— Sam Charles (@samjcharles) December 2, 2015
Madigan says an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division is "necessary and appropriate" because of its experiences looking into police department practices nationwide.
She says the handling of investigations of police misconduct by an independent panel, police board and superintendent also raises troubling questions.
Additional reporting by Mashable.