Anjanette Young refused to be interviewed by police oversight agency, her lawyer says
CHICAGO - Missing from an investigative report on the botched raid of Anjanette Young’s home is a statement from the victim herself, who refused to cooperate with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability because she does not trust it, her lawyer says.
"Since we don’t trust COPA’s transparency, we didn’t work with them," attorney Keenan Saulter told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Saulter explained that COPA interviews are recorded and taken as sworn statements, which can later be used to threaten a perjury charge. "It doesn’t make sense from an investigator’s aspect," he said.
COPA interviewed more than 30 other people for its investigation into the raid of Young’s home in February 2019. The agency said it made a determined effort to interview Young.
"We made numerous attempts through Ms. Young’s attorney to interview her and take statements as part of our investigation," COPA spokesman Ephraim Eaddy said.
But he noted that the report does include "numerous bodycam videos that give us a viewpoint of what occurred that night and during the raid."
COPA said it reviewed nearly 100 allegations of misconduct stemming from the actions of more than a dozen officers involved in the raid at Young’s Near West Side home.
Young was forced to stand naked and handcuffed as an all-male team of officers stood by for 40 minutes, according to bodycam video first broadcast by CBS-2 Chicago.
On Thursday, COPA said it sent its report to Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, who has up to 90 days to recommend administrative charges against the officers. The city’s Law Department could then file charges with the Chicago Police Board, which would hold a hearing.
The report itself was not made public, but COPA released a statement disclosing a few details — a move Young’s lawyer blasted as a political ploy that underplayed his client’s ordeal.
"This was more political than for justice," Saulter said.
COPA’s statement said Young was handcuffed for nearly 10 minutes before she was allowed to dress, and then was handcuffed again. But Saulter said he determined she was naked in front of the officers for over 30 minutes.
"They said officers covered her with a blanket, but you can see the front of her body was still exposed," he said. Although COPA’s release "attempted to show some wrongdoing on part of the officers, you’re still minimizing the harm that was done," Saulter said.