LaKenya White, Interim Chief Administrator

LaKenya, a Chicago native, brings over 25 years of investigative experience to COPA. She began her career in police oversight in 2000 as an Intake Aide with the Office of Professional Standards. In 2007, she transitioned to an Investigator when the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) was established, later serving as a Shooting Specialist handling numerous officer-involved shootings.

When the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) was established in 2017, LaKenya took on the role of Major Case Specialist, responding to critical incidents like officer-involved shootings. She also served as the union representative for AFSCME Local 654. In 2021, she was promoted to Supervising Investigator, where she managed a team of five and ensured the thorough investigation of cases.

At the end of 2023, LaKenya was named Director of Investigations for Intake, overseeing the Intake Unit and all incoming complaints to make jurisdictional decisions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Chicago State University and an MBA with a focus on Fraudulent Investigations from St. Xavier University. Outside of her professional life, LaKenya is a proud mother of two and enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

LaKenya was named the Interim Chief Administrator for COPA in March 2025.

Angela Hearts-Glass, Deputy Chief Administrator

Angela Hearts-Glass has 23 years of law enforcement experience in police practices, senior law enforcement experience overseeing patrol, major criminal investigations, and internal affairs. Hearts-Glass retired from the City of Evanston Police Department at the rank of Commander. She spent the majority her career in the Investigations Division as a Detective of Juvenile and Criminal Investigations. Hearts-Glass is a graduate of Northwestern’s School of Police Staff and Command (class 266) at Northwestern University Center for Public Safety. Upon retirement Hearts-Glass became Director of Safety and Security for Malcolm X College, managing the operations of two campuses. Hearts-Glass is knowledgeable in policy development, training, community development and mediation. Hearts-Glass joined COPA initially as the Director of Quality Management. Hearts-Glass has received special training in Cold Case Analysis, Taser Use of Force, Child Abuse & Sex Abuse and a host of other investigative matters. Hearts-Glass holds a Bachelor’s of Psychology and Master’s of Public Administration from Roosevelt University.

Justin Escamilla, Deputy Chief Administrator

Justin brings over 7 years of applied research and program evaluation experience within the public safety and criminal justice sectors to his role at COPA. He started at COPA in 2022 as Deputy Chief Administrator of the Policy, Research, and Analysis Division, where he provides senior-level research, analysis and policy direction in identifying patterns of misconduct, practices that contribute to it, and recommendations to reduce it.

He previously served in a leadership role within the research unit of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority leading a team of researchers in developing processes, methods, and reports that analyzed criminal justice and community data on violence and disadvantage, evaluated the implementation and impact of community programs, and supported data-driven decision-making about grants. Prior to that, Justin contributed to local and national police research efforts on trust and legitimacy as a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Justin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and his doctorate in Criminology, Law, and Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago.