US Justice Department slams Chicago police over violence

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks at a press conference in Chicago, Illinois, January 13, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The US Justice Department has blasted the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for its systematic violation of people’s civil rights by resorting to excessive use of force.

The department revealed the findings of its 13-month probe into Chicago’s police in a scathing report on Friday, amid reports that the city’s murder rate has reached a 20-year high.

The chilling report accused police officers of setting out on foot chases that often ended with them “unreasonably shooting someone — including unarmed individuals.”

According to the DoJ, the officers also used tasers against people who posed no threats at all.

“We found that officers shoot at vehicles without justification and in contradiction to CPD policy,” the report read. “We found further that officers exhibit poor discipline when discharging their weapons and engage in tactics that endanger themselves and public safety.”

Failure to wait for backup teams to arrive before engaging criminals, approaching suspects in unsound manners and using police cars in dangerous ways were some of the perilous tactics that the Chicago police used, according to the report.

In one case, the report stated that an officer confronted a group of biking teenagers after receiving a call that they were trespassing on a resident’s property.

He “pointed his gun at them, used profanity, and threatened to put their heads through a wall and to blow up their homes.” The cop also “forced them to kneel and lie face down, handcuffed together, leaving visible injuries on their knees and wrists.”

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a press conference that the issue was partly blamed on “severely deficient training procedures” and “accountability systems.”

“The systems and policies that fail ordinary citizens also fail the vast majority of Chicago Police Department officers who risk their lives every day to serve and protect the people of Chicago,” she added.

Despite Chicago officers’ aggressive approach, the overall crime rate in the city has seen no difference over the years.

According to data maintained by The Chicago Tribune, at least 781 were killed in the city last year, prompting Chicagoans to hold a silent march on January 1 to highlight the issue. 

Fatal shootings and other forms of violence by the US police against people of color have sparked protests across the country in recent years.