December 15, 2020

Mayor Lightfoot Statement on CPD Body-Worn Camera Footage from Feb. 2019 Incident

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

“Today, I became aware of an incident involving Ms. Anjanette Young from February 2019, before I became Mayor, and I saw a video today for the first time.  I had no knowledge of either until today.  I had a very emotional reaction to what was depicted on the video as I imagine that many people did.  

“In 2019, I directed the City’s chief risk officer to review CPD’s search warrant policies and practices, and recommend improvements where appropriate.  As a result of that work, and in conjunction with the CPD risk manager, a new search warrant policy went into effect in January 2020.  Among the various changes, the new policy requires additional CPD supervisory review and sign off before a search warrant can be sought from a judge, and there must be separate verification that the property in question is indeed the correct location in which evidence of criminal activity can be found.  

“I have further directed a review of how this matter was handled by various City departments to determine that there was compliance with City procedures. 

“Since this matter is the subject of litigation and an open COPA investigation, I will have no further comment.”