Civil rights groups join Chicago police reform lawsuit

CHICAGO (AP) - Major civil rights groups have joined a class-action lawsuit seeking to force Chicago to reform the nation's second largest police force with direct court oversight.

The NAACP and the Chicago Urban League appeared as new plaintiffs in an amended complaint filed Wednesday in Chicago federal court. The original suit was filed in June.

Their inclusion puts more pressure on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to abandon a less stringent reform draft plan negotiated between the city and the Justice Department. That plan doesn't foresee court participation.

Nine national and community groups and seven individuals are now listed as plaintiffs.

Chicago committed to overhauling its police following a damning civil rights report released in January in the final days of the Barack Obama presidency.