The Chicago Police Department needs a policy that makes it clear that members are prohibited from engaging in racial or other discrimination, according to a recommendation from the department’s oversight agency.
The recommendation — the first from Independent Police Review Authority chief administrator Sharon Fairley — stems from a decision announced last week in which the agency suggested firing a 12th District officer who referred to President Barack Obama with a racial slur in October.
The officer’s use of “n—–” allegedly was made while Obama was in town to attend a Chicago Bulls game and the officers were deciding who would work on his detail, according to IPRA spokeswoman Mia Sissac.
Fairley also said other officers and a sergeant in the room at the time “were not as forthcoming as they should be” about the remark in interviews with IPRA, a troubling allegation for a Police Department already accused of operating under a code of silence.
Sissac declined to identify the officer because of union rules.
An officer offended by the comment filed a complaint with IPRA and also provided a photo of a picture hanging in the district office labeled “President Obama” with what appeared to be a childlike drawing of the president. Fairley called the drawing “offensive.”
IPRA’s recommendation was included in an advisory letter sent May 12 to police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, asking for a response within 30 days. When Johnson didn’t respond, the agency posted the letter on its website Tuesday evening.
The Police Department had no immediate response.
Fairley’s recommendation comes after a task force appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel earlier this year accused the department of having a history of institutional racism.
While the department’s human resources policy explicitly prohibits officers from exhibiting racial bias, no such language is included in the Standards of Conduct for department members. “This issue is sufficiently important to warrant inclusion,” she wrote.
The investigation into the officer’s comment revealed other issues that Fairley brought to Johnson’s attention.
Fairley questioned the truthfulness of 10 of the 12 officers who were in the room when the slur was made — and who were identified by the officer who made the remark.
“Several department members were present when the remark was uttered, and reacted in such a way to indicate that they overheard the remark,” she wrote. However, they “claimed that they were either not present when the remark was uttered or did not hear the remark.”
“This is troubling,” she wrote. She asked that the department remind the officers of their obligation to be truthful and asked for a chance to meet with the officers to share her concerns with them.
Fairly also recommended the department examine its policies regarding what material can be posted in department buildings to ensure that offensive material “is deemed impermissible.”
According to a new IPRA rule effective June 1, the agency can issue an advisory letter to the department when an investigation uncovers “a problem that hinders the effectiveness of department operations and programs.”
jscohen@tribpub.com
Twitter @higherednews
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