Chicago Police

Following Guilty Verdict, Van Dyke's, 3 Other Chicago Cops' Disciplinary Cases Can Now Go Before Police Board

The disciplinary cases against four Chicago police officers, including Jason Van Dyke—who was found guilty of murder for the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald on Friday—remain before the Chicago Police Board. But the board says it is now ready to hear the other officers’ cases now that a verdict has been reached in Van Dyke’s case.

“Today, the jury returned its verdict in the criminal case brought against Police Officer Jason Van Dyke for his fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald,” executive director Max Caproni said in a statement. “The disciplinary cases brought against Officer Van Dyke and four other officers related to this shooting remain before the Chicago Police Board, but have not been under active review because they are stayed.”

Charges were filed against Van Dyke as well as Sgt. Stephen Frank and officers Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes in August of 2016. It was recommended that all of the officers be discharged from the department, the board said.

Van Dyke is still a Chicago police officer as of Friday afternoon, but has been stripped of his police powers.

The board ordered the cases stayed in June of 2017 because it was believed they could “prejudice and potentially jeopardize the criminal proceedings and the officers’ constitutional rights,” the board said.

“The Board stands ready to hear these cases once doing so will no longer prejudice or potentially jeopardize any criminal case or constitutional right,” the board said.

The board said it will “promptly and thoroughly” consider any motion to lift the stay.

The board would vote on a disciplinary hearing at one of its public meetings where each member’s decision would be announced and recorded.

The board does not comment on the substance of pending disciplinary cases.

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