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New Chicago police accountability agency launches Friday

By Diane Pathieu, abc7chicago.com

A new agency tasked with investigating complaints about Chicago police abusing their authority is scheduled to launch Friday. But the Civilian Office of Police Accountability may face an uphill climb to gain the public’s trust.

COPA’s goal is to be fair and neutral. Eighty investigators and attorneys are ready to tackle complaints against the Chicago Police Department regarding misconduct.

The new agency is the result of the backlash over the Laquan McDonald shooting video, released nearly two years ago. Dashcam video from 2014 shows a Chicago police officer, Jason Van Dyke, shooting the black teen 16 times as he walked away, killing McDonald.

The Independent Police Review Authority was in charge of investigating police shootings. But IPRA was widely criticized for declaring many officer-involved shootings as justified.

Read more at http://abc7chicago.com/new-chicago-police-accountability-agency-launches-friday/2419352/

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