Rahm Emanuel's pick to lead the Chicago Police Department apparently escaped Newark, New Jersey just in the nick of time. Or maybe not.
Federal authorities have launched an investigation into "rampant misconduct and lax internal oversight" at the department there, according to reports.
The probe will look into allegations of excessive force, discriminatory policing and poor treatment of detainees in holding cells. They will also investigate whether officers retaliate against those who legally observe, or record, police activity.
It appears this was no surprise to Emanuel, whose spokesperson said in a statement the majority of allegations pre-date McCarthy's tenure and McCarthy did all he could to facilitate the probe.
"For many years pre-dating Garry McCarthy’s tenure at the Newark Police Department, there were questions as to whether or not the department was dealing with complaints from the public in an adequate manner," the spokesperson said in a statement. "And as a result, when McCarthy took the position as Police Director, not only did he institute a number of aggressive and successful reforms, he himself asked the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department to work with the NPD assess the success of his reforms."
"McCarthy and his colleagues at the department will work with DOJ to continue to improve NPD's handling of complaints."
The federal probe sprung from a 96-page American Civil Liberties report, filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in September.
Chicago is not immune to similar allegations. Recently, former police commander Jon Burge went to prison for lying about his role in allegedly torturing suspects during his time at the Chicago Police Department.
