Chicago Police Board fires sergeant in 2019 botched raid at Anjanette Young's apartment

CHICAGO - The supervising CPD sergeant in charge during the botched raid at Anjanette Young's apartment in 2019 has been fired by the Chicago Police Board.

Sergeant Alex Wolinksi was found guilty by the Police Board of violating the following:

• Rule 1: Prohibits violation of any law or ordinance
• Rule 2: Any action or conduct that impedes CPD's efforts to achieve its policy and goals or brings discredit upon the Department
• Rule 3: Any failure to promote the Department’s efforts to implement its policy or accomplish its goals
• Rule 5: Failure to perform any duty
• Rule 6: Disobedience of an order or directive, whether written or oral
• Rule 8: Disrespect to or maltreatment of any person, while on or off duty
• Rule 10: Inattention to duty
• Rule 11: Incompetency or inefficiency in the performance of duty

At about 7 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2019, a search warrant was executed in the 100 block of North Hermitage.

Anjanette Young, a social worker, was getting ready for bed when several officers stormed into her apartment and handcuffed her while she was naked. The city’s law department said Young was naked for 16 seconds, but the covering officers put on her kept falling off before she was allowed to get dressed several minutes later.

It was determined that the search warrant was executed at the wrong location and the entire incident was caught on body-worn camera.

Young could be heard repeatedly telling officers that they were in fact at the wrong location.

Wolinski was the acting sergeant at the time of the raid.

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Charges were filed with the Police Board of the City of Chicago against Wolinksi by former Supt. David Brown on Nov. 4, 2021.

Brown recommended that Wolinski be discharged from the police department.

A hearing on the charges was then held in February 2023 before a hearing officer.

After the hearing, Police Board members read and reviewed the record of the proceedings and viewed the evidentiary hearing.

The board determined by a vote of five to three that Wolinsky should be discharged from his position as a CPD sergeant.

The three board members who voted against firing Wolinksy stated in the dissent, in part:

We find Respondent guilty of all charges but respectfully dissent from the majority’s decision on discipline. Respondent clearly failed in his role as a supervisor and violated several CPD rules and policies. His misconduct on this occasion had serious and traumatic consequences, and it warrants severe discipline. We do not believe, however, that it warrants dismissal. Respondent certainly lacked control over the situation: officers breached the door when they should not have; officers stood around waiting for direction after the residence was cleared; Ms. Young’s repeated pleas went unaddressed. But it is easy to see why Respondent lost control of the situation.