Anjanette Young Raid: COPA reports nearly 100 misconduct allegations against CPD officers involved
CHICAGO - The Chicago police oversight agency completed its investigation into the 2019 raid of the home of Anjanette Young, and says it found "significant deficiencies" in CPD policy.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) said it has now submitted the report of their findings to Chicago Police Supt. David Brown.
Supt. Brown will now have 30 days to decide whether or not to bring administrative charges against officers mentioned in the detailed report.
Young, 50, is a hospital social worker and was undressing for bed when a dozen Chicago police officers armed with a search warrant, smashed through her front door on Feb. 21, 2019.
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The officers handcuffed Young, who was naked, as they searched her home for a suspect, who actually lived several houses away.
COPA said that within about 31 seconds after entry, one officer attempted to cover Young with a jacket. Fourteen seconds later, the officer covered her more fully with a blanket.
Young remained handcuffed for nearly 10 minutes after which she was allowed to dress. She was then handcuffed again, COPA said.
COPA reported that Young was handcuffed for nearly 17 minutes in total.
Before officers left her residence, Young was allowed to make a phone call and was given a copy of the search warrant, COPA's findings show.
In December, footage of the botched raid was released to the public.
The agency said over the past 16 months, it has investigated CPD members' actions in both the "acquisition and execution" of the search warrant at Young's home.
In the report, COPA describes "significant deficiencies in CPD policy and training regarding officers’ acquisition and execution of search warrants."
"The raid of Ms. Young’s home was truly painful to watch," said COPA Chief Administrator Sydney Roberts. "Given the significance of this investigation, COPA assigned this case to a uniquely constructed 10 member team to evaluate the critical Fourth Amendment issues raised in this complaint. While we cannot fully heal the pain Ms. Young experienced on that day and ever since, we hope that our investigation and recommendations will enable the healing process."
The investigation included more than 30 interviews with officers, civilians, a member of the judiciary, an assistant state's attorney and the Cook County Sheriff's Department.
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Hundreds of pages of documentary evidence and hours of video material relevant to the raid were also investigated, the agency said.
Nearly 100 allegations of misconduct stemmed from the actions of more than a dozen officers, the investigation revealed.
Over the course of the investigation, COPA said it issued three letters to CPD highlighting concerns about its Fourth Amendment training and search warrant acquisition and execution policies.
COPA said it will post its report in full detail on its website upon the conclusion of Supt. Brown's review, and after involved officers have been served with resulting charges.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.