Nearly a year after Chicago residents testified in federal court to allege mistreatment by Chicago police officers during protests last summer, a court official in charge of monitoring court-mandated police reform has issued a lengthy special report detailing the scope of police conduct, as well as the city’s chaotic response to the demonstrations.

       The report, filed Monday, is the second time the department has faced criticism for its handling of massive demonstrations spurred by the murder of George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.

       In February of this year, the city Inspector General released a scathing analysis that concluded the department was ill-prepared and lacked a firm plan for the protests, resulting in a chaotic response that put both police and the public at risk.

       The report filed early Tuesday by Margaret Hickey, who is in charge of overseeing the court-ordered reform of the Chicago Police department that launched in 2019, echoed many of those concerns, noting that some officers were even dispatched without equipment, including radios or body-worn cameras. They did not have adequate transportation or rest periods with access to bathrooms at a time they were working 12-hour days to respond to the rapidly developing situation.

       While noting that the investigation showed “the vast majority of protests and people participating in protests have been peaceful,” as well as the professional conduct of many officers, Hickey’s report also found “some officers engaged in various levels of misconduct and excessive force,” in cases that remain under investigation.

       “We heard from many community members who expressed new fears, frustrations, confusion, pain, and anger regarding their experiences with officers during protests,” the report states. “We heard from community members who participated in protests—some for the first time—who said that officers were verbally abusive toward them; pushed and shoved them; tackled them to the ground; pushed them down stairs; pulled their hair; struck them with batons, fists, or other nearby objects; hit them after they were ‘kettled’ with nowhere to go or after being handcuffed; and sprayed them with pepper spray (OC spray) without reason.”

       Chicago police officers guard the Trump International Hotel & Tower, May 30, 2020, to hold back protesters during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

       Residents also reported needing medical care for their injuries to “heads, wrists, arms, knees, legs, eyes, faces, ribs, and noses” and being detained for hours without being able to communicate with family or attorneys. They reported the “continued trauma” they have suffered.

       Some felt fear over the fact that many officers were unmasked during the deadly pandemic, according to the report, which could have exposed them to COVID-19.

       Hickey, a formal federal prosecutor, is in charge of implementing a consent decree that resulted from a Department of Justice investigation and finding in 2017 that the Chicago Police Department had engaged in decades of civil rights abuses.

       And while the reported noted specific challenges the department faced during the historic demonstrations, it also made clear the city bears responsibility for the failures.

       “To this end, the City and the CPD have much work ahead,” the report noted.

       Among the unique challenges of what the report called the “possibly” unprecedented protests was their size and scope — and that it was happening during a deadly pandemic. It noted the use of social media to increase attendance quickly and the fact that the peaceful demonstrations were infiltrated by people seeking to disrupt them. Others engaged in “crimes of opportunity” including looting and arson.

       The report was based, in part, on the accounts of dozens of people who testified in August at two online videoconference hearings, which included U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr., who is empowered to enforce the reform. Many of the complaints stemmed from a July protest near a Christopher Columbus statue downtown.

       The report by Hickey also included a detailed response from the city of Chicago, including an acknowledgment that the police response to the protests “was not without its flaws and the Department can and must improve.”

       The statement continued:

       “However, what should also be noted is the selfless service of these members,” the response said of responding officers. “At a time when so many others had the opportunity to quarantine and isolate to protect themselves and their families, these officers stepped forward at risk to both themselves and their loved ones to answer the call from the City.”

       Chicago police again face criticism for response to unrest over George Floyd killing, as federal monitor files report

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