Chicago Releases 300 Videos From Police Misconduct Investigations

The city agency that oversees the investigation of alleged police misconduct published information from 101 cases on Friday. (WARNING: Some Content Graphic)

The Chicago watchdog agency that oversees investigations of alleged misconduct in the city's police department released a trove of investigation materials Friday, including over 300 video recordings from open cases.

The Independent Police Review Authority officials said Friday that the recordings came from cases comprising three different categories:

* Officer-involved shootings

* Officer-involved taser use that results in death or great bodily harm

* Incidents of death or great bodily harm (other than self-inflicted harm) that occur in police custody

As first reported by the Chicago Tribune and other local media outlets, IPRA sent out a memo late last month stating that it would publish the materials online as part of a new policy to release video, audio, and police reports to the public within 60-90 days of an investigation being opening.

The decision to release the recordings comes as officials continue to try to mitigate the damage done to the public's perception of law enforcement and city politicians largely tied to the what many see as poor handling of the shooting of Laquan McDonald and the related video evidence.

McDonald was shot 16 times by CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke, who was charged with first-degree murder. A Cook County judge said Thursday he would appoint a special prosecutor to handle Van Dyke's case.

At noon on Friday, IPRA's new portal went live on its website while at the same time the hundreds of video clips were made public on the agency's Vimeo channel.

Here are several of the most noteworthy clips that BuzzFeed News has been able to find while mining the database. (Warning: Some Graphic Content)

Terrence Clark

The video shows 59-year-old Terrence Clark of Baden, Ontario, get into a brawl with an off-duty Chicago police officer at a Portillo's hot dog restaurant the night the Blackhawks clinched the 2015 Stanley Cup.

The two began to fight after Clark threw a cup of hot cheese into the officer's face.

Clarke was taken to hospital to be treated injuries to head and eye, according to the police reports.

vimeo.com

Ishmael Jamison

The video shows the muscular, shirtless Jamison skulking along a Chicago sidewalk before he appears to charge an officer. After he goes down, Jamison is shot by one of the officers. (Altercation occurs about two minutes into video.)

On Nov. 22, 2012, police responded to reports that Jamison was beating people up on a city bus. A police report notes that Jamison may have struck the bus driver, too.

"The Offender battered the elderly CTA bus driver and other citizens on the street with his hands and fists," according to a police incident report. "The offender then attempted to commit a battery to the responding uniformed CPD officer in an attempt to defeat the arrest. The offender was subsequently shot by that officer who was acting in self defense."

After the incident, Jamison was charged with felony aggravated battery and taken to a hospital.

vimeo.com

Michael Cote

The video shot by inhabitants of a nearby apartment complex in June 2014 shows Cote attempt to flee from police who had pulled over his SUV for erratic driving. As Cote accelerates, the officers open fire in "fear for their lives," according to the police report.

The 39-year-old Cote, from Newaygo, Michigan, was charged with five felony counts of aggravated assault while operating a motor vehicle against an officer and five misdemeanor counts of failure to notify police after damaging an unattended vehicle, according to police reports.

vimeo.com

Zainul Hussain

The police dashcam video shows a bloody Hussain kneeling in the street after he was shot by police in July 2015. (Hussain appears about nine minutes into the video.)

Police were responding to reports that Hussain was fighting with another man and striking him in the head with a baseball bat. An officer at the scene said that when he ordered Hussain to stop, he refused the punched the officer in the head. After that, the officer shot Hussain.

Hussain was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries.

vimeo.com
Skip to footer