Sharon Fairley, '06: Chicago Tribune Op-Ed on Police Shooting Case

The perils of letting Eddie Johnson derail a police-shooting case

In a matter of days, a single Chicago Police Board member will decide the fate of Chicago police Officer Robert Rialmo. This move was triggered following Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson’s decision to disagree with the findings of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability as they relate to the 2015 officer-involved shooting incident in which Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones were killed.

This incident is of great concern to many Chicagoans, and rightly so. Two lives are lost, and we need to understand how and why that happened to make sure we know how to prevent it from happening again.

Under the current accountability system, the superintendent has a right to express his opinion. The bigger question is, will this prevent a full and fair Police Board hearing on the merits of the case, which, if the officer committed misconduct, is the only way he will be held accountable.

The current process was first codified when the Independent Police Review Authority was created roughly 10 years ago. The IPRA ordinance allowed the superintendent to review and opine on IPRA’s findings. The superintendent could disagree with the finding the officer had violated a rule or policy, disagree with IPRA’s recommended punishment, or both.

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