Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday said video of an officer appearing to sleep in his squad car was being investigated and implored the media and the public to keep the alleged incident in context with the other positive things the city's public servants do.
"We just earlier today honored two officers for saving a person's life. They were on the job. .... We have a lot of good men and women in uniform throughout the police department," he told reporters following Wednesday's meeting of the City Council.
The video under investigation was posted online last week after being recorded at an intersection on the city's Southwest Side. A man narrating in the footage claims a number of shootings have happened in the area, and suggests a parked squad car is there to patrol.
"The video, I think, is there for all to see and make a judgment. … You have to look at what the men and women in uniform throughout the city do all day," he said. "There are a lot of videos of officers, and a lot of them do exactly what you’d want them to do, both on duty and off duty, consistent with the responsibilities of being a police officer, which means we put a lot of trust in you."
The officer in the video under investigation could face disciplinary action.
"From all appearances, this incident is not in keeping with the high expectations placed on our officers by this department and the residents of Chicago, which is unacceptable," the Chicago Police Department said in a statement to NBC Chicago.
Emanuel said the officers honored earlier Wednesday saved the life of someone who was bleeding profusely by fashioning a tourniquet from a belt.
