Council Approves Nearly $4M in Police Misconduct Settlements

Chicago's City Council on Wednesday allocated nearly $4 million to settle four lawsuits of alleged police misconduct.

The Finance Committee reluctantly approved the settlements earlier this week, and during his remarks on the floor Wednesday, the committee's chairman, Ald. Ed Burke (4th), said the cases left him with a "profound sense of shame and embarrassment."

In two of the cases, people held in police custody died when their requests for medical attention fell on deaf ears.

Patricia Cobige died in jail in June 2006 on charges of heroin possesion, explained First Assistant Corporation Counsel Leslie Darling. The 46-year-old repeatedly said she was in pain and later died from a pre-existing heart condition.

Her family will receive more than $2 million.

Another $1 million will go to the family of 52-year-old Rafe NcMullen, whose repeat requests for medical help went ignored. He was later found in "full rigor mortis" in his cell at the Chicago Police Department’s central detention unit.

The two other cases include a $290,000 settlement to a 26-year-old quadriplegic allegedly beaten by police and $560,000 to an Iraq War veteran who spent two months in jail -- and lost out on a state job -- after being arrested for an armed robbery he did not commit, the Chicago Sun-Times explained.

Contact Us