chicago police department general orders

Still, she vowed that her office will continue its work to toughen the disciplinary system. 'Even in the presence of a mediation agreement, you may seek separation,' Carlson wrote.ĭuring Tuesday’s meeting, Witzburg explained that Brown never responded and that Bakker’s case, for all intents and purposes, has been resolved. 12 to look into whether Bakker’s testimony warranted a violation of a department rule prohibiting false statements - a violation that can lead to dismissal. The BIA subsequently sustained five allegations against Bakker: that he made 'contradicting statements' about his activity in the chat channels made a 'false statement' about attending a Proud Boys barbecue failed to report a fight in a bar and discredited the department by chatting with members of the Proud Boys and supporting a member.Īfter the mediation agreement was reached, Deputy Inspector General Megan Carlson asked Brown on Sept. In November 2020, Witzburg successfully pushed former BIA Chief Karen Konow to reopen the inquiry after warning that investigators had overlooked incriminating evidence that Bakker 'made inconsistent statements' and fraternized with criminals and Proud Boys. But they didn’t sustain allegations that Bakker associated with criminals and members of the group and recommended a five-day suspension. Internal investigators found that Bakker had failed to tell officials about being interviewed by the FBI about his connection to the Proud Boys. The investigation was opened in May 2020 after leaked chat logs surfaced showing Bakker communicating and organizing meetings with members of the Proud Boys. 'The document, although informative, did not provide any concrete information as to when the Proud Boys organization was labeled as a racially motivated violent extremist organization by the FBI,' the summary states, indicating the police department was aware the FBI had made a damning designation at some point. The document discussed 'racially motivated violent extremism' and described the Proud Boys as a 'western chauvinist, alt-right group' with members who 'identify as white nationalists and espoused white pride rhetoric.' The FBI doesn’t designate hate groups, but a summary of the BIA investigation shows a sergeant emailed a detective a document titled 'Proud Boys Classification' that was transcribed by FBI officials. Talley insisted the Proud Boys were 'not identified as an FBI hate group,' adding that 'if the Proud Boys were identified as an FBI hate group, this investigation would have looked totally different.' Police representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.īrown and BIA Chief Yolanda Talley both defended Bakker’s suspension during testimony at a City Council budget hearing in October - after Sigcho-Lopez raised concern about the decision. 'Internal investigations have been problematic … this is, I think, one of the most egregious cases.' 'I think the BIA and the superintendent certainly have shown inconsistencies during this process,' he told the Sun-Times.

Chicago police department general orders