The 2014 killing of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke was not, in the end, covered up or forgotten. The police dashcam video of the incident, when finally released, showed irrefutable evidence of wrongdoing.
As for how officers initially portrayed McDonald’s death, well, choose your descriptor: lies, evasions, an instinctive effort to protect their own. It’s not hard to imagine Van Dyke and others successfully evading scrutiny, given the Chicago Police Department’s history of tolerating misconduct and discarding reforms.
Yet this police shooting turned out differently. It blew up the department. Under a federal consent decree, CPD now must overhaul the supervision and training of officers. Over time those locked-in reforms should improve the performance of officers who will be held accountable for their police work.
Van Dyke, who shot McDonald 16 times, is serving a 6 3/4-year sentence for murder. On Thursday, the Chicago Police Board fired four other members of the department for their actions related to the shooting. The board said Officers Ricardo Viramontes and Janet Mondragon and Sgt. Stephen Franko violated rules, including making false statements about what happened. Officer Daphne Sebastian brought discredit to the department, the board said.
The video, which played a large role in Van Dyke’s conviction, showed the officer exit his vehicle as McDonald, a black teen armed with a knife, walked away. Within seconds Van Dyke began shooting. He continued to fire after McDonald fell to the pavement. The version of events put forth by Van Dyke and other officers on the scene made McDonald the aggressor, even as he was riddled with bullets. Sebastian said McDonald continued to move after being shot. Viramontes said McDonald tried to get up with the knife in his hand.
Here’s part of what the Police Board said: The three officers, who were on the scene of the shooting, were either lying or shading the truth. “Put simply, the officers wanted to help their fellow officer and so described the incident in a way to put him in the best possible light.” Franko, the sergeant, approved reports that contained falsehoods.
The McDonald killing shocked Chicagoans. But what exactly did it reveal? There’s a parlor game to be played about whether attempts to cover up or explain away Van Dyke’s reckless violence reflect a broader code of silence in the department. In 2015, Mayor Rahm Emanuel — under intense political pressure — said as much.
The phrase fits. We’ve seen enough police misconduct to recognize an element of CPD culture exists to protect rogue officers. Yet three officers were acquitted on charges alleging a cover-up of the McDonald murder. The Police Board’s decision helps counteract the impression left by the acquittals.
There are at least two hoped-for legacies of McDonald’s murder by a Chicago police officer. The first is that such a indefensible act is never repeated. The second is that any officer who does violate CPD regulations or the law will face consequences. Chicagoans deserve a police force they can trust. The Police Board’s decision to fire three officers and a sergeant helps.
Editorials reflect the opinion of the Editorial Board, as determined by the members of the board, the editorial page editor and the publisher.
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