CHICAGO — The Civilian Office of Police Accountability’s review of the 2019 botched police raid on the wrong home — whose occupant was forced to stand naked for a time — concluded half the officers involved should face consequences.
The report is also notable in recommending a three-day suspension for a Chicago police officer who has since been killed in the line of duty.
Officer Ella French died after she and her partner were shot in August. The victim of the wrong house raid in February 2019, Anjanette Young, later said through a spokesperson that French was the only officer to “show her dignity or respect” during the raid.
Despite the praise from Young and French’s murder, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability’s newly released report found fault with French’s actions during the 2019 raid.
“Officer French failed to timely activate her body-worn camera and failed to document the detention and search of the male and his vehicle in an Investigatory ‘Stop Report,’” COPA’s investigatory report concluded. “Accordingly, COPA recommends a 3-day suspension.”
The report also noted: “COPA has considered Officer French’s complimentary history, her lack of prior disciplinary history, and her over 3 years of service to the Department, and her status as PPO at the time of the incident in mitigation.”
What the report did not acknowledge was Officer French’s later death in the line of duty, infuriating some of her fellow police officers.
“This is the latest example of why that agency has zero credibility in the eyes of every CPD officer,” police union President John Catanzara told WGN Investigates. “We demand an apology immediately for the intentional harm caused to Ella’s family, friends and co-workers.”
A spokesperson for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police Supt. David Brown is recommending the firing of a sergeant involved in the wrongful raid while COPA says at least half the officers involved should face consequences ranging from suspension to termination.
