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CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - A former top prosecutor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said that both the Chicago Police Department and the State’s Attorney’s office mishandled the investigation into the police-involved shooting death of Laquan McDonald.
It comes on the day that Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced a new chief of the independent agency tasked with investigating police misconduct and said the Justice Department investigation of the Chicago Police Department is warranted.
“We welcome it, and Chicago as a city will be better for it, we accept it and we need it,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
But Bob Milan, the former First Assistant Cook County State's Attorney, believes the feds also ought to be investigating Anita Alvarez's office, as well as the Mayor's office for how the Laquan McDonald shooting was handled or mishandled.
“Well we now know there's a massive cover-up because the police reports don't jive with the dash cam video,” said former prosecutor Bob Milan.
Milan, who ran against Alvarez and lost in the 2008 primary, said both Chicago Police and the State's Attorney's office dropped the ball in this case and should have taken action against Van Dyke's fellow officers for obstruction of justice.
“What they should have done, within days, once they realized there was a bad shoot, that none of the police reports matched the video cam, they should have been arrested,” Milan said.
He added that there’s another reason those officers should have been taken off the street right away.
“When you have a bunch of police officers now covering up, every case they've worked on before that, during that time and since is now suspect,” Milan said.
The new head of the Independent Police Review Authority promised changes in her agency to restore public trust.
“I promise you I bring no agenda other than the pursuit of integrity and transparency in that work that IPRA does,” said Sharon Fairly, IPRA Chief Administrator.
A State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman called Milan’s accusations nothing but politically motivated, and sour grapes finger pointing. She said if there’s problems with any cased tied to those other officers, that will be dealt with down the road.
Milan is also supporting Donna More, who is an opponent of Alvarez in the upcoming election.