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Possible $2.5M payout for girl traumatized by Chicago police

Posted June 27, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago's City Council is expected to approve a $2.5 million settlement in an excessive-force lawsuit that accuses police of traumatizing a 3-year-old girl by pointing a gun at her chest and striking her handcuffed mother.

A lawyer for Aretha Simmons, the girl's mother, says upcoming Chicago Police Department reforms don't address how officers treat children during arrests. Attorney Al Hofeld Jr. says "it is not even on CPD's radar."

A 2017 Justice Department report criticized police for too often using excessive force. The city pledged to overhaul police procedures and training.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the settlement Wednesday.

The council's finance committee already approved the settlement. A city lawyer told the committee the girl remains traumatized and will likely require psychiatric treatment into adulthood.

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