C.O.P.A. releases report on Anjanette Young raid

CHICAGO (AP) — The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), a Chicago police oversight agency, recommended suspension and in some cases potential termination for more than half a dozen officers following a botched 2019 raid on the home of a black woman who wasn’t allowed to put on clothes before being handcuffed, according to a report released Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigated the wrongful raid on social worker Anjanette Young’s home, noted nearly 100 allegations of misconduct by about a dozen officers.^[1][2]

The agency's report recommended between one day and one year of suspension for multiple officers and “up to and including separation” from the department for some officers. Police Superintendent David Brown has already moved to terminate one sergeant.

The raid “reveals problems far more pervasive than any individual incident of officer misconduct," the report said. It also noted "other concerns, including lack of adequate training and supervision surrounding the Department’s use of search warrants and the disproportionate impact of police actions on people of color.”

The botched raid, first reported by WBBM-TV, and the city’s handling of it prompted anger from clergy, lawmakers, and civil rights activists who decried it as racist and an affront to a Black woman’s dignity.^[3]

Though the incident happened before Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office in May 2019, her administration later tried to block the video from airing on television and rejected Young’s Freedom of Information request to obtain video of the incident. Young later obtained it through a lawsuit.[^4]

In the fallout, Chicago’s top attorney resigned and multiple officers were placed on administrative duty. The raid also led to reforms, including changes in search warrant protocols and making it easier to file complaints against police and get copies of video.^[4][5]

Notes & References