‘We are not perfect,’ police union head says as reform process moves forward

When U.S. District Judge Robert Dow stepped off the bench Thursday at the end of a historic two-day hearing on police reform in Chicago, he offered no hint of how the rest of the process will play out.

“Thank you, everybody, for your time, your patience,” he said. “And the whole matter is under advisement still. Thank you so much. Everybody take care.”

Still, the judge has plenty to consider — including two days of comments from a wide-ranging group of Chicagoans who, for the most part, either told him the consent decree is long overdue — or would make Chicago less safe. That included testimony Thursday from the police union president acknowledging cops “are not perfect.”

Though the judge had little to say, the likely next step in the consent decree process has been planned for Nov. 3 at the Thompson Center by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s and Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s offices. Two public hearings that day will give Chicagoans a look at finalists for the role of independent monitor, which would oversee reform at CPD.

The final four candidates are the Coar Monitoring Team, led by retired U.S. District Judge David Coar; the Police Foundation Monitoring Team, led by Sacramento County Inspector General Rick Braziel; the Schiff-Hardin-CNA Monitoring Team, led by former Illinois Executive Inspector General Maggie Hickey; and the StoneTurn Monitoring Team, led by former federal prosecutor Katherine Lemire.

The hearings will take place from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. at the Thompson Center, where the public will be given a chance to ask questions. However, Dow will ultimately get to choose the monitor.

Thursday, Dow heard from several speakers, including Cynthia Lane. She told the judge the story of her 19-year-old son, Roshad McIntosh, who was killed by police in August 2014. Lane told the judge that officers wouldn’t let her see her son’s body after he was shot.

“I just remember falling to my knees and crying and begging,” she said.

Later, Fraternal Order of Police President Kevin Graham spoke — and admitted: “We are not perfect.”

He added: “I no longer want bad police any more than anyone else in this room does.” But Graham also said Chicago does “not need the consent decree.”

Related: A complete guide to the Laquan McDonald shooting and Jason Van Dyke shooting

Thursday afternoon, a lawyer who helped secure the release of the video depicting the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald told Dow that fellow officers tried to cover up the shooting “because those people felt secure enough to lie, or allow a lie to be perpetuated, even though they knew there was a video that showed what really happened.”

“That is exactly what impunity looks like,” Topic said.

Officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder in McDonald’s death, and three Chicago police officers face trial next month on charges they conspired to cover up the McDonald shooting.