Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks as Mayor Rahm Emanuel looks on. Pbs.org
The head of Chicago’s police review board has recommended termination for an officer who allegedly referred to President Obama as a ‘n****r’ during his visit to the city last October.
Authorities said the offensive remark was made inside a police station in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood, as officers determined who would cover the president’s detail for a Bulls game, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. One of the officers in attendance filed a complaint with the Independent Police Review Authority.
IPRA Chief Administrator Sharon Fairley said investigations by the agency revealed that other officers who witnessed the incident were not entirely truthful during interviews, in a letter submitted to Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson May 12. Officials published the “advisory” on the agency’s website Tuesday evening.
“[T]en out of twelve District 12 Department members [nine officers and one sergeant], when interviewed by IPRA about the incident claimed that they were either not present when the remark was uttered or did not hear the remark. This is troubling.”
However, the as yet unidentified offending officer has admitted to guilt and named several officers as witnesses.
Fairley suggested a department meeting to remind the policemen “of their duty to be truthful,” adding that she would meet personally with the officers for answers.
“The Chicago Police Department has zero tolerance for racism or misconduct and racial biases are already prohibited by CPD’s general orders – period,” CPD spokesman Frank Giancamilli said in a statement, per the Washington Post. “Superintendent Johnson has made it a top priority to establish a culture of accountability at every level of the police department, from top command staff to the rank and file. Holding each other accountable is a central piece to rebuilding the trust between the department and communities we serve.”
The Post reports Johnson has until summer’s end to make a final decision on the officer.
