Statement

Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability Responds to Laquan McDonald Conspiracy Verdict

For immediate release: January 17, 2019

The Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability is angered, but not surprised, by the acquittals of Thomas Gaffney, Joseph Walsh, and David March, the three Chicago police officers who lied to cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald. The contract between the City and the police union contains so many provisions designed to hide police misconduct that no one should be surprised when prosecutors cannot put forward enough evidence to obtain a conviction – even in a murder case whose clear injustice has captured the nation’s attention like Laquan McDonald’s.

The current contract between the City and police union is up for renegotiation now. The Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability has outlined 14 specific recommendations to ensure the next contract removes barriers that make it difficult to report, find, and investigate police misconduct. When the City goes to the bargaining table it needs to remember that the public is watching. Chicagoans demand a contract that will make police cover-ups a punishable exception and not “standard procedure.”
 

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