Chicago panel to review police department's policy on force

CHICAGO (AP) - A 20-member panel will review the Chicago Police Department's policy governing when officers can use force, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.

The panel held its first meeting last week and plans to meet virtually for the next eight weeks before making recommendations to the police superintendent and other leaders, officials said. Residents, activists and one high-ranking police official are among the group's members.

Lightfoot has said Chicago needs to speed up its police reform timeline following the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the black man's neck. On Monday, Lightfoot said the new working group was part of that effort.

The U.S. Justice Department investigated the city's police department following the 2015 release of video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. That video was made public more than a year after McDonald's death.

The city negotiated an extensive agreement for court-supervised reforms within the police department, which include opportunities for community input on its use of force policy. Van Dyke was later convicted of murder and sent to prison. Lightfoot ran for office after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided not to seek another term, under pressure for the city and police department's response to McDonald's death, including the delayed release of the shooting video.

Lightfoot acknowledged that the department's use of force policy changed substantially after the Department of Justice investigation. She said the working group 'œis another opportunity for the community to be involved" and weigh in on policy revisions.

'œPolice officers can never do this alone,'ť she said. 'œWe will only have true public safety when the community is engaged and involved in charting the course for public safety on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.'ť

Use of force by police in Chicago has remained in the headlines, even since Floyd's death and rallies calling for reform. Attorney David Gaeger told the Chicago Tribune that video shot by a bystander shows Chicago police punching the back of his client's head on Friday night as they arrested the 28-year-old man for drug possession and gambling.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating other complaints, including a video showing officers yanking two women from a car and throwing them to the ground. Another video shows an officer chasing and punching a protester after a demonstration.

Lightfoot said last week that she will lobby for a state law licensing police officers and push for changes to the city's contract with the union representing law enforcement. But she has not backed activists calling for lower police funding in favor of social support services and other causes.