Police union sues over officer interviews in shooting probe

CHICAGO (AP) - The Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing Chicago police officers, has filed a lawsuit calling into question an investigation by the city inspector general's office into the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/1R4wh11 ) the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court claims the inspector general violated the union's collective-bargaining agreement by refusing to guarantee Officer Jason Van Dyke or any other officer being investigated their constitutional rights against self-incrimination.

Although the inspector general's office can recommend the firing of police officers, it's not conducting a criminal investigation.

A video showing Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times in October 2014 has roiled the city since a judge ordered its release in November. Van Dyke has pleaded innocent to first-degree murder charges.

A spokeswoman for the inspector general's office had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com