Attorneys Request Special Prosecutor In Laquan McDonald Case

By Sam Stecklow in News on Feb 16, 2016 7:15PM

(Protesters respond to the release of the video of a Chicago police officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times. By Joshua Mellin/Chicagoist)

Chicago civil rights attorneys filed a petition in Cook County court Tuesday requesting that a special prosecutor be appointed in the Laquan McDonald case—another example of the lack of confidence communities around the city have in Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.

A progressive collection of lawmakers, including Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, State Sen. Kwame Raoul, and U.S. Reps. Danny Davis and Bobby Rush are supporting the call for a special prosecutor.

Sheila Bedi, a Northwestern University law professor, told the Sun-Times that there is so little faith in Alvarez "because she is so aligned with the Fraternal Order of Police."

While there is nothing concrete tying Alvarez to the FOP, the Chicago police rank-and-file's union, there is plenty to suggest she is reluctant to pursue charges against police. As the Reader and the Better Government Association published in an investigation into Alvarez, "At many points in her tenure she's pursued a brand of justice widely seen as vindictive and defensive—aimed at people who are less a threat to public safety than to the image of law enforcement." A City Bureau analysis earlier this month found that about half of the initial statements on police shootings given out by the FOP's spokesman at the scene, which help shape public perception of the shooting and the victim, were later found to be false or misleading.

In the Laquan McDonald case, there are still questions as to why it took Alvarez over a year to bring charges against Jason Van Dyke, the officer who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times in October 2014. She claims she was delayed because she was coordinating with federal investigators looking into the shooting.