A federal judge has approved a consent degree giving the court oversight of the Chicago Police Department. The move will now force a broad overhaul of the Police Department's polices and practices under the watchful eye of the judge. The push for reform came in the wake of Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke's killing of Laquan McDonald. Court records have given us a look into Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, after the Tribune unearthed a deposition he gave as part of a civil case. More on that below. And newly minted U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who served for about seven years as a Chicago alderman, says he's "disappointed" to see the public corruption scandal once again enveloping City Hall right now. He's guessing that some of his conversations with Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, may have been recorded, but Garcia says he's not worried. Welcome to The Spin. |
 From the Tribune's Dan Hinkel: A federal judge has approved the court order designed to spur a sweeping overhaul of the troubled Chicago Police Department. "The consent decree approved Thursday by U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr. is aimed at tightening supervision, improving training and fixing the city's police disciplinary system by instituting changes that range from the broad to the specific. "Dow's order marks a milestone in the process of bringing judicial oversight to the Police Department, an effort that started more than three years ago with the release of video that showed Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. The order notes that much work will follow after the decree takes effect, no later than March 1." This story broke just hours ago. Read it here. Developments in another police shooting: For the third time, the Chicago police oversight agency will review the case of a Chicago cop accused of shooting and wounding a childhood friend, the Tribune's Stacy St. Clair and Jeff Coen report. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability first reviewed the case nine years ago and then relaunched its examination in 2017 and, at the behest of Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, is reviewing the killing yet again. Read the full story here. |   |
 From the Tribune's Ray Long on Madigan: "Attorneys for a vanquished opponent have placed the powerful Southwest Side Democrat and his operatives under oath in recent months as part of a civil lawsuit alleging one of Chicago politics' oldest and most effective tricks: putting sham candidates on the ballot to siphon away votes from a more formidable foe. "The Tribune obtained never-before-seen depositions in the case that establish ties between Madigan's organization and two other candidates in a 2016 Illinois House contest. But the depositions also show the speaker and his aides proved adept at providing short, clipped answers that do little to reveal motive or method. "Take Madigan himself. The 76-year-old speaker used the phrases 'I don't recall,' 'I don't remember,' 'I don't know' and 'I have no memory' more than 100 times during a five-hour deposition that he said was the first he'd ever given." Read the full story here, and more on the deposition here. | |
 Garcia, a one-time Chicago alderman, says he's "extremely disappointed" to see a public corruption scandal enveloping City Hall, but he's not surprised. Over the years, Garcia hasn't exactly seen the main players right now in the probe — Alds. Edward Burke, 14th, and Solis, 25th, — as political allies, though he and Solis worked with several others to form a PAC to help elect more Latino candidates. Solis was cooperating with the government and wore a wire to record conversations with Burke, who was charged with attempted extortion. Garcia said it's possible Solis recorded conversations with lots of people, including him, but he's not worried. Read my full story here. | |
 From the Tribune's John Byrne: "Dorothy Brown backed public policy consultant Amara Enyia for mayor Thursday, potentially giving a boost to her candidacy in the crowded field. Brown, the Cook County Circuit Court clerk, called Enyia "the best person to take this city forward and to bring true change to Chicago for all of its people." Read the full story here. Byrne notes that when the Chicago election board removed Brown from the ballot last week for having too few valid petition signatures, Brown announced she would look to throw her support to "a candidate to bring real change to the city of Chicago." As I pointed out yesterday, the endorsement could be a help or hindrance. The backing of a prominent African-American politician could give Enyia an added advantage, considering the number of African-Americans in a crowded race where all are vying for the coveted black vote. Accepting the endorsement, too, means absorbing some of the controversy that comes along with it, including a five-year federal probe of pay-to-play allegations in the circuit court clerk's office and criticism that Brown hasn't quickly digitized court records. | |
 From the Tribune's John Byrne: "Members of the Ricketts family that owns the Cubs are getting deeper into the Chicago mayoral race, and they aren't backing the same candidates. "Two days after team CEO Tom Ricketts contributed $25,000 to former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley's campaign for mayor, the campaign of state Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced his sister, Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, is endorsing her mayoral run." Read the full story here. The siblings may be Wilmette residents, but as owners of one of the biggest businesses in town, they've got a vested interest in who's running the city. And they've already been active in Chicago politics this election cycle. The two have paired up — some would even say ganged up — against longtime Ald. Tom Tunney, whose 44th Ward includes Wrigley Field. Laura Ricketts penned a piece in Crain's about how it's time for a change in the ward. Read here. And Tom Ricketts blasted Tunney on sports radio. Read here. The Tribune's Byrne talked to Tunney, who is running for re-election, about the battle with the Cubs owners and its effect on the aldermanic race. Read here. Growing clout: The Ricketts family is proving to be a political force, and while most lean right — with Todd Ricketts, another sibling serving as Republican National Committee Finance Chair and brother Pete Ricketts, also a Republican, in his second term as Nebraska governor — Laura Ricketts has pulled out the checkbook for Democratic causes and candidates including former President Barack Obama and the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton. She's also given money to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot during the ongoing Chicago mayor's race. New appointees: From the Tribune's Dan Petrella: "Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday appointed new heads for two state agencies that came under scrutiny during the previous administration for their handling of a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at a veterans home in downstate Quincy. Read the full story here. ldonovan@chicagotribune.com Twitter @byldonovan | |
|
沒有留言:
張貼留言