The leader of Chicago's Task Force on Police Accountability is calling the panel's 200-page report on issues facing the Chicago Police Department a "blueprint for long-lasting change."
Chairwoman Lori Lightfoot says the group conducted more than 100 interviews with community groups, police officers and outside experts. The report says it found a pervasive opinion that the police department lacks a "culture of accountability," and that city residents, particularly African Americans, feel disrespected by police.
The 2014 shooting death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager who was shot 16 times by a white officer, prompted the creation of the task force. But Lightfoot says the shooting was just the "tipping point." She called it an "historic time" with public outcry and involvement, with a chance for change.
Lightfoot says the task force's work is now over and it's up to community groups and the city to make the recommended changes.
In the wake of task force report criticizing policing in Chicago, the city's newly appointed police superintendent says he and others are welcoming "a fresh set of eyes"' on problems facing the Chicago Police Department.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was sworn into office today. He says the department is not waiting for recommendations from the task force or from a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice before making changes.
The Task Force on Police Accountability says police in Chicago have "no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color" and have alienated blacks and Hispanics for decades. The panel is calling for sweeping changes in the department, including a new civilian oversight body to discipline problem officers.
Johnson, who is black, says he has no doubt there is racism in his department because there is racism in America. He says his goal is "to root that out."
